"This is truly surprising, Leo, how did you do it?"
Silco looked at the Shimmer-enhanced enforcer on the ground, then lifted his head, asking Leo.
Seeing that Jinx was unharmed, he had already recovered from his momentary lapse.
"It's simple. I jumped down, and then, I slammed into him," Leo replied.
"Leo, you never dared to speak to me like this before. I remember back then, you'd always run when you saw me," Silco said suddenly, looking at the composed Leo.
Leo chuckled upon hearing this. "You said it yourself, Uncle, that was back then."
The word "Uncle" made Silco's eyes narrow slightly, then he heard Leo continue.
"People change, don't they? Look, your change now is far greater than before."
"Me?" Silco shook his head, calmly stating, "I haven't changed. You're the ones who've changed, especially you. Your change... it's astounding."
Setting Isa down on the ground, Leo patted her little head, then pointed to Jinx.
Isa looked up at Leo with her small face, first hugging Leo's leg and rubbing her small head against his thigh, her mouth opening silently to express her thanks to Leo. Then, she ran to Jinx's side, wrapping her arms around Jinx's arm to help her up.
Just then, a sound came from above. With a rustle, Vi jumped down.
After so many years in prison, her agility had not only not diminished but had become even more fluid. Landing lightly from a height, she first looked at Jinx, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Jinx was fine.
Then, Vi looked at Silco, her eyes narrowing, her lips pressed tightly together. She started clenching her fists and walked to Leo's side, looking at Silco with an expression that seemed to want to devour him.
"Silco, do you even remember me, you bastard?" Vi exclaimed.
Silco saw Vi, then looked at Jinx. Seeing that Jinx's eyes had been fixed on Vi since her appearance, his expression showed a fleeting hint of sadness, but it quickly vanished.
Looking at Vi, Silco scoffed, "Violet, you've really picked up all of Vander's thuggish charm. Even though Vander had left his past behind and changed when he raised you, you're no different from him. Should I say you're too much like him, or not at all?"
"Don't you dare mention Vander to me! Silco, you're not worthy of speaking my father's name!" Hearing Silco mention Vander, Vi instantly erupted in a rage, bending down as if to charge at Silco.
But a hand blocked her. Vi paused, looking at Leo, who had extended his arm to stop her.
"Let's talk, Uncle," Leo said to Silco, his back to Vi.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"Hmm..."
"Let's talk about how you can leave here safely from my hands," Leo finished, his body instantly vanishing from his original spot. Silco's pupils contracted. In the blink of an eye, Leo had appeared behind him.
With his right hand on Silco's shoulder, Leo smiled and said to him, "What do you think?"
"It seems if we don't talk, I won't be able to leave safely," Silco said calmly.
Behind Silco, Sevikah, seeing this, did not dare to move, because she was the only one present who had personally experienced how powerful Leo was.
"Of course. Just look at Vi's expression," Leo said, pointing to Vi.
Vi, upon hearing this conversation, immediately became enraged. "What's there to talk about with him? Leo, why aren't you killing him? What are you waiting for?"
"Kill him now!"
"Kill him, and all this will be over!"
"Shut up!"
It wasn't Silco, Sevikah, or Leo who said this.
It was Jinx. She held Isa's hand, her gaze towards Silco incredibly complex.
"Pow-Pow?" Vi stammered, looking at Jinx.
"I said, please call me Jinx, Sister. How many times do I have to emphasize it?"
Vi paused, looking at Jinx's serious face, and anger immediately surged within her.
Just as Leo had said, Pow-Pow had a difficult time these past years, and it was very unfair to her, but wasn't it unfair to Vi as well?
Her father died, her friends died, and she was locked in prison, constantly thinking of her sister named Pow-Pow. But after she came out, everything had changed!
Pow-Pow had become Jinx, and her own sister had become the adopted daughter of her father's murderer. What the hell was all this?
If even Pow-Pow was gone, then who else in Zaun was familiar to her, known to her, or connected to her?
No one!
"He killed Vander! He killed him!" Vi clutched her chest, agitatedly telling Jinx.
Jinx looked at Vi, her expression suddenly becoming somewhat melancholic. She whispered:
"He killed him? That's not right, is it?"
"Not right? I saw him put Van..." Vi began, but was cut off by Jinx's self-muttering.
"But Sister, have you forgotten?"
"Father was killed by me. I killed him, I killed them. You told me yourself that I was a jinx."
Jinx's single sentence left Vi speechless.
The resentment Vi had felt earlier because Jinx was protecting Silco vanished, leaving only regret in that instant.
She looked at Jinx, who was tilting her head and looking at her, and in that moment, she realized she had truly made a terrible mistake.
Jinx looked at Leo, a hint of pleading flashing in her eyes: "Leo, let him go."
That small expression made Leo pause.
He had known Jinx for almost half a month, and they spent every day together. Leo had seen all kinds of expressions from Jinx: joyful laughter, crazy cackling, anger, frustration, sadness.
But... Leo had never seen Jinx like this.
"I understand," Leo nodded.
"Uncle, you should head back first. I'll come find you at the Last Drop later. I know that place well," Leo said to Silco.
Silco took a deep breath, looking at Jinx, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something. But Leo suddenly pressed on his shoulder, lowering his head, and said to him in a voice only he and Silco could hear:
"Don't provoke her anymore, Silco. She's at her breaking point."
"If you truly love her."
"..."
"Go back," Silco said, no longer speaking. After glancing at Jinx, he turned and spoke to the others.
Sevikah nodded, and with a raised hand, all the people Silco had brought followed Sevikah.
Soon, they all left, leaving behind a bewildered Vi staring down at her feet, and Jinx, held by Isa, as well as Leo, standing to the side, watching the scene unfold.
Rubbing his head, Leo felt a headache coming on.
Meeting Silco today was truly an accident, and Jinx contradicting Vi for Silco was even more unexpected for Leo.
Because in his understanding, the person Jinx loved most was Vi, followed by Vander and Silco. The end of the Arcane animation also showed it; Jinx, in her panic, shot Silco, harming someone close to her yet again.
But that was to protect Vi.
And now, she was talking back to Vi for Silco?
Had something gone wrong...
Leo shook his head, casting aside distracting thoughts, and looked at Jinx.
"Let's go, Jinx, Vi. We should head back."
Jinx, holding Isa's hand, walked towards Leo, and Vi, after a moment of hesitation, followed.
She suddenly had so much she wanted to say to Jinx.
But she didn't know how to begin, so Vi looked at Leo imploringly.
However, Leo didn't even look at Vi, only showing her his back.
Because he was watching Jinx.
"It's alright, I won't hurt him. I promise you," Leo said softly, putting his arm around Jinx.
Jinx looked at Leo, her expression becoming more varied.
"Really?" she asked.
"Really," Leo said.