"Powder?"
Ekko followed her all the way to an abandoned pipe. This was Jinx's own secret base.
"What do you want, shorty? Why are you following me around like a tail?"
Jinx lay in her hammock, swaying back and forth as she idly played with her braid.
"Nothing. Just came to comfort you."
"Please. Like your comfort ever helps."
"Van…"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I did make a mistake. I kidnapped someone without knowing the whole story."
"…He definitely didn't mean to blame you."
"Mm-hm, of course. He just rushed around cleaning up my mess, like he always does."
Jinx casually tossed her braid aside and sighed.
"It's always been like this anyway. I'm always making mistakes."
Ekko slowly walked over, bent down, picked up the braid hanging to the floor, and placed it on her stomach.
"It's fine, Powder. Van won't care about something like that."
"Who knows? Even my real sister got sick of me eventually, so why wouldn't he?"
"That… Vi only said that because she was angry! Van is the kind of person who has to think twice about which foot to step out with first. He would never do something like that."
"Maybe."
Just then, Jinx suddenly flipped over and lay on her stomach in the hammock, staring at Ekko with her big blue eyes.
"What?"
Being stared at so directly made Ekko instantly uncomfortable.
"Shorty, help me with something!"
"Call me Ekko. I'm already way taller than you… What are you trying to do?"
"I remember Van really hates that little runt called Smeech, right? The guy who's always reselling Shimmer."
"Yeah. Everyone in the Lanes hates him… Why?"
"I've got a plan!"
Jinx picked up her pistol and spun it around her finger.
"How about we go make some trouble for him?"
"What? Are you crazy?!"
"Yeah. A little."
"That's not what I meant…"
Ekko quickly shook his head, trying to shut down Jinx's insane idea.
"You're going to cause trouble for Van. Can't you behave for once?"
"We'll do it quietly. No one will know it was us. Then we'll secretly tell Van afterward and show him what we're capable of!"
"You can show him what you're capable of by yourself. Van already trusts my abilities just fine…"
Ekko grumbled helplessly. He had not said he wanted to sign up for this disaster.
"I'm telling you, this won't work. If Van finds out…"
"Ha, the great boss of the Firelights~ Are you really that scared of him?"
"Van never gets rough with you, so you don't know how much his fists hurt. Anyway, I'm absolutely not doing this!"
Ekko's gaze was firm, and he rejected Jinx's proposal with righteous conviction.
"You really won't help me?"
"Absolutely not!"
Jinx kept staring at him with wide eyes for a long while. When Ekko still showed no sign of changing his mind, she snorted and turned over.
"Fine. Leave. We're not friends anymore."
"Stop it…"
"I knew it anyway. You're just like everyone else. You've always thought I'm useless, like some worthless Scuttle Crab."
"Why would you say that…"
"It doesn't matter. A jinx like me, always causing trouble and never doing anything right, would have to be insane to expect people to like her."
"Don't be like that…"
"Why are you still here? Leave me here to rot and stink by myself!"
"Hah…"
Ekko let out a long sigh and raised his hands in surrender.
"Fine, fine. I'll help you, okay?"
"Hehe! I knew you were the best, shorty!"
Jinx instantly flipped back over and gave Ekko a big hug.
"But let's get this clear first. Everything has to follow my lead… Most importantly, if something goes wrong, don't you dare sell me out in front of Van!"
"Got it! You're so naggy, shorty."
"Call me Ekko!"
"Got it! Shor~ty~"
Jinx laughed teasingly, her slender index finger swinging something shaped like a pull ring. The sight made Ekko's expression change in horror.
"Heh… Again?"
A crisp snap rang out. A burst of colorful paint exploded behind Ekko, and his dark face immediately fell.
"I just washed these clothes!"
…
…
"Your drink, Cupcake."
Van pushed the freshly mixed drink in front of Caitlyn.
"Don't try that with me. I still haven't forgiven you."
Caitlyn still kept a stern face, but her eyes kept drifting around. Everything in the Undercity seemed new to her, and this tavern was no exception.
"For what?"
"You lied to me. Your name and your address were both fake… I thought we were already friends!"
"We are friends. I apologize, Caitlyn. Like my sister, I also went through… Well, I'm Zaunite. Everyone here has a past they don't like looking back on."
Van instinctively reached for his pipe, but once he realized what he was doing, he quickly put it back down.
"As for hiding who I was, you know not everyone is as accepting of Undercity people as you are… Looking at it that way, you really are a kind girl, Caitlyn."
Caitlyn felt a little embarrassed under Van's sincere gaze.
"In that case, since I also missed our meeting afterward, I'll call it even."
"Does that mean I can call you Cupcake?"
"Don't push your luck."
Caitlyn smiled and took a sip from the glass.
"Mm! This tastes good!"
"You're the second topsider today to say that."
"The first was Jayce?"
"You know each other?"
"Ha. I came here by following him. He saw a portrait I drew, and you were in it. Then… I found out your real name."
"A portrait? You drew me?"
Van raised an eyebrow in confusion, while Caitlyn gave an embarrassed smile.
"My dream is to become an Enforcer, you know. Drawing suspect profiles is one of my professional skills…"
"So I was treated like a criminal. Then, Miss Enforcer, what crime did I commit?"
"Mm-hm. Charges aren't decided right at the start."
Caitlyn seemed quite interested. In only a short while, she had already finished a glass of strong mixed liquor, and Van casually made her another.
"But your portrait is very different from how you look now… You really changed a lot!"
"For example?"
"You're taller, stronger… and more handsome. You have a different air about you now."
"Right? I also think working as a bartender for so long has made me look more like a harmless nice guy."
Caitlyn drank another half glass, and a faint blush rose on her face.
"Drink slower, Caitlyn. This isn't juice."
"I didn't expect it to hit this hard when it tasted so sweet at first."
Caitlyn propped her cheek on one hand and looked at Van with a faint smile.
"So after all these years, do you think I've changed?"
"Uh? Oh… You look prettier."
"Ha, you're being polite!"
"How could I be? That was sincere…"
Van cleared his throat softly, calmly picked up his pipe, and changed the subject as if nothing had happened.
"Do you mind if I smoke?"
[End of chapter]