#⌱ BUT I STILL BELIEVE IN LOYALTY | SILCO

[aryesdanger24]

Can I just say that I love how many layers there are surrounding Sevika and her change towards Jinx....because...

1. Sevika misses Silco (perhaps it was the stable chaos or something to do to stop thinking of the suffering. Perhaps she truly likes to protects things in her own way.) It shows in the way she is not utterly messing up the Chem Barons, it's because she misses not making every decision.

2. Jinx is the mess Silco left her, the last one.

She is what is left of his legacy and it is the last thing that ties her to him since as she said "everything he made has crumbled, everything they built" but Jinx is still there, a testament of his life. One who mirrors Silco in his chaotic wish for stability where he finally is in control. Jinx is the opposite of Silco yet the same, she is fighting against topside (her sister who betrayed her) much like Silco but where he needed manpower, Jinx needs mental support.

Jinx needs control like Silco to balance her mental health to create a peace of mind under the sheer power of her own mental trauma. Sevika is what Silco created and she intends to make sure his legacy lives.

3. Sevika finally sees what Silco saw in Jinx.

She could see it when Jinx, without needing to, gave her a literal helping hand. Improved it even to mirror the new era of chaos the undercity is brewing.

When Jinx said it was because she could fix something, it shows a vulnerability and a strength to grow. It shows that Jinx has matured and Sevika is recognizing that Jinx won't always be the bratty psychopath whom she couldn't understand anymore. That, like Silco, there are layers underneath it, a loyalty much like Sevika's to the footprints left behind by Silco.

4. Sevika enjoys serving others.

It shows in the way she states her allegiance even if she disagrees.

She seems to need to not be completely alone, perhaps she has alcohol problems or a deep festering brain that rambles or just something that won't leave her be. She likes to be in control with someone she deems weaker (thus why she traded Vander for Silco) she doesn't follow weak people, but that's the thing. She follows, she never leads even when she is the oldest between Jinx and the little girl Isha. She prefers to help someone than hold the responsibility and all the irritating moralistic choices. (Which is why I believe she doesn't like to think much by herself).

So yeah.... I really enjoy this new Sevika changing arc happening, but it's more or less just showing how deep these layers go will be more interesting because I don't think she even realizes how much she has feelings because they are veiled beneath the word 'loyalty' for her.

Curious to see how deep the change runs but God I love a buff queen.

[zaunrising]

A daughter, anxious.

Starter for @saviourofzaun

On her way to Silco’s office, Jinx was high above the dance crowd of The Last Drop, moving along ceiling rafters with the only hint of her presence a flash of blue hair or shimmer-fueled eyes. A hand on a beam that would let her climb even higher to move to the rafters above the office properly, Jinx paused looking towards the door of Silco’s office, only to find yet another wave of irritation suddenly washing through her as who should she see leaving except a fucking Piltie? The hextech wonder boy himself, Jayce Talis, leaving Silco’s office looking disheveled and quite obviously being allowed to come and go. New people, new hurts, new lies be it by omission or otherwise, and all of it pushing her nerves to the breaking point. For a second, her magenta eyes started to flare while fingers dug into a rafter threatening to break something off of it, before Jinx took a long deep breath and simply left, heading towards Silco’s house, a house she too called home even now.

In no mood to care what Silco might think, Jinx started flipping off every light she came across as she moved into the house. It wasn’t as though she needed much light anymore after the shimmer “treatment”, and stalking past the living room to the kitchen, Jinx grabbed a drink before going to find a spot to sit down and think. For once, instead of running off to her workshop or her bedroom, Jinx sat herself down in Silco’s favorite chair in their living room. By the time he got home, Jinx’s head was hanging over one armrest with a leg dangling downward, swaying back and forth next to an empty glass on the floor with her other leg stretched out across the other armrest. Despite the chair being large and comfortable for the man, who was noticeably taller than she was, Jinx still managed to take up all of the space available. One hand swung downward next to her leg, but her other hand steadily bounced a chomper up into the air over and over again.

The only light on was one to her side, shining just right to let shadows drift across her instead of leaving her in complete darkness and allowing her eyes to gleam with their own strange glimmer. A near constant soft muttering sound came from the young woman as she complained to herself half under her breath.

“We’re all we have Jinx. Everyone else betrays us Jinx. I need you Jinx. You have to complete the weapon Jinx! Blah blah blah. Maybe next time I’ll just tell him to have his precious fucking Piltie, or his river crossing whatever Vik is to handle it… he probably would anyways, probably thinks I’m weak. Couldn’t even beat Ekko. Course not like he’s doing anything about Ekko. Not Mr. Gives me to a mad sadistic whatever Singed is cause he's not a doctor. Lets Singed do whatever he wants, and doesn’t say anything. Doesn’t say, or do anything about Ekko either. I thought… thought he cared more... Yes I know he’s a monster, shut up, I’m not listening to you right now. Doesn’t matter anyways because so am I. We’re both monsters, but we’re supposed to be monsters together, no, no he’s not, he wont, shut up, I’m still not…”

The muttering suddenly stopped as her head turned the moment Silco fully entered the room. The chomper getting tossed once more into the air before being caught and held in her hand while her gleaming eyes stared at him unblinking. Suddenly an entirely too friendly smile hit her face as she raised up one hand offering a lazy wave. “Hiya Silly! I’ve been thinking that we really should have a talk. Catch up on things you know. After all we’ve both been just soooo busy lately. Where to start though… Oh I know, what’s the deal with tall, broad, and disheveled leaving your office?” Despite her friendly smile, and cheerful sounding words there was very much a bite behind them as well as a glint to her eyes that was quite intense and focused entirely on Silco.

[pulchrasilva]

Nobody fucking talk to me i just finished rewatching arcane and it was DEVASTATING I need to KILL

[evren-d]

Loyal to the future, not to a person. 🖤🖤🖤

at the core of Sevika's character there's this fun contradiction where she's very loyal but is also down with cold-blooded betrayal if she thinks it's politically expedient

[lbulldesigns]

My Jinx and Sevika Season 2 Theory.

So before the season 2 trailer dropped, we got this picture from Sevika's VA.

Which was our first look at Sevika for season 2. However, Sevika looks wildly different from what we see in the trailer; so the question is, how does Sevika get from this...

To this?

Get comfy this is gonna be a long one.

So from what we perceive from the trailer, there is a possibility of Sevika and Jinx teaming up, this is mainly theorized because Sevika used both Jinx's pistol and has an augmented arm clearly designed by her. I believe that their teaming up is a high possibility because Sevika has always put her bet behind the winning horse.

She used to be loyal to Vander, I'm guessing when he was still the Hound of The Underground and had a righteous anger towards Piltover, but lost faith in him when he became complacent with the Enforcer's mistreatment.

She then teams up with Silco, and even sacrifices an arm for him because he was showing more initiative and actually acting out on his promise to liberate Zaun from Piltover.

And even though we see her continuing to be loyal to Silco, there are hints of discontent with her in some of his decisions. Mainly his inability to see Jinx as a liability and continuing to place her on a high pedestal.

We are led to believe that she has an undying loyalty to Silco because she turns down Finn's offer and willingly kills him, but when Silco asks if she was tempted she says "Not for a worm like him. But he won't be the last".

Many people translate this as her being loyal to Silco but what she's really saying is that she's loyal to him as long as he's willing to follow through on his promise to free Zaun.

So I'm inclined to believe that she won't hold Silco's death against Jinx, she'll be angry of course however once she sees Jinx is not just willing to go to war but lead the march, she'll put her bet behind the winning horse once again.

As much as she views Jinx as a liability, she also knows her strengths and her abilities. I am fully under the belief that Sevika doesn't hate Jinx, she's just frustrated with her as she can see Jinx as a troubled teenage girl who has a severe mental illness. She doesn't treat Jinx with kiddie gloves, she's honest with her and harsh; which doesn't make her Jinx's favorite person but out of everyone in her life Sevika is the only one who is brutally honest with her, and someone like Jinx who despises liars, Sevika's honesty (even if she doesn't want to hear it a lot of the time) is a constant that Jinx can appreciate.

This breeds credence to the theory that the two will team up in season 2.

Another thing noticed and speculated in the trailer is that the two are fighting against someone in an ally way, however, I have to disagree about the location of said fight.

We know that Jinx and Vi's fight is going to be in the ruins of an ancient-looking temple, considering Zaun's history of being colonized by ancient Shurimans, I believe that this temple is a relic from the Shurimans and fully believe that it's a temple dedicated to Janna.

The temple is full of fog, you can see it moving around during the fight between the sisters, and we see Sevika emerge from it like a badass with Jinx's pistol raised.

Now this is where my theory finally comes in.

During Jinx and Vi's fight, Caitlyn (who is hiding amongst the pillars hidden in the shadow and fog) gets caught, yet again, in one of Jinx's bombs. But I believe that Jinx purposely designed these bombs to be non-lethal, she may be furious with Vi but she doesn't want to kill her. Something in Caitlyn will snap and she'll abandon the notion of bringing Jinx in alive will give into her want for vengeance, and will shoot to kill Jinx. Just as she shoots at Jinx, Sevika will shoot at Caitlyn. Vi will see Caitlyn in danger and rush to protect her, and Jinx will be distracted and not see Caitlyn's bullet until it's too late.

Whilst Sevika is fighting off the Enforcers trying to get to Jinx and Vi is worrying over Caitlyn, Jinx will be lying there dying.

This is where it gets maybe a little far-fetched, but bear with me.

Janna, in the Star Guardians universe, recruits Jinx because she sees good in Jinx and wants to give her a chance to be a hero and protector. In Arcane I reckon Janna has been an invisible spectator for however long watching her people slowly die over the years, she doesn't have the strength to help them because people have stopped praying to her.

There's a significant reason why the producers have the sisters fight in this location, and I theorize that the reason is that this is how they plan to introduce a new region to Arcane.

So as Jinx lies dying, going over everything in her life and maybe she wishes that she could've freed Zaun that she could have another chance to complete her mission, and Janna hears her wish.

And drawing power from the multiple hex gems in her vacinity, uses all her strength to teleport Jinx away. Sevika seeing that something is happening to Jinx jumps in to save her, much like what she did with Silco at the cannery; and both of them get yeeted away from the scene.

All Vi and the rest of the Enforcers will see is that another explosion went off and both Jinx and Sevika were just obliterated. Vi will see her sister's blood on the ground and realize that Cailtyn shot her sister and the weight of what just happened would come crashing down on her and she'll walk away from everything.

I know this all sounds like a stretch, but my main motivation for thinking about all this is what Sevika is wearing in the picture at the start of this essay.

She's wearing her signature Ponto, but the design of it looks like something worn in a desert environment; her clothes look Shuriman, the spikes on her right shoulder look like Shuriman accessories and the way she wears her hair looks like she's trying to shield as much as her face as she can from the hot sun.

I don't know where the theory will go from here, but I think Jinx will get the healing she needs in Shurima and both of them will find allies before heading back to their home to liberate it.

This would have a role reversal for the sisters, with Vi being the one struggling to find her footing and crashing hard whilst hallucinating her loved ones as demons; and Jinx will be the returning daughter to a new Zaun but unlike Vi will be anticipating this change and will have a clearer goal, and zero inclination to look for her sister.

Sorry this was so long, but I had to get this brain rot out of my head.

[pepperpixel]

Yadda yadda yadda jinx is generally seen as a loose canon, does whatever she wants type of character, totally unpredictable. When in actuality, up until the last few episodes all of her choices and actions r motivated by wanting to please someone else. Hell. Even in the last couple episodes, the very Last thing we see her doing is ENTIRELY MOTIVATED by devotion and love and grief for silco, she’s taking out her frustration at herself and the world, and also honoring his wishes and dreams. By shooting a fucking bomb at piltover, she’s ensuring his life wasn’t in vain, she’s honoring him. In that moment

Her entire, self!!! is centered around love and loyalty. Is centered around other people, She’s motivated by an insatiable urge to prove herself, to be useful to those she loves, to show that she can help them and be there for them and be WORTHY of there love. That they haven’t made a mistake in loving her. To prove that she can be as pivotal to them as they r for her. She goes to the ends of the fucking earth to do this. And it ends. Terribly.

She puts the people she loves on pedestals and supplicates at there feet, she has no motivations most of the show outside of making the people she loves happy… she yearns for connection and love and safety. For a home that will never leave her behind, or crumble under her feet, (an indestructible home, That she can’t destroy just by being her…)

Which is why.. it’s so. Interesting and intriguing. How now, she has no one on that pedestal to worship, no one to drag sacrifices and offerings to the feet of, no one to spiral around and build herself off of. She is a person so *affected* by her relationships w others, but there is no relationship now, no one is stepping up to the plate to love her. She’s too much. For anyone. The one person who seemed to have unlimited patience for her is dead, because of her. and maybe vi could still love her.. but. She’s already soured that relationship. Already broken that one too. Broken all her favorite toys that made her so happy. That were there for her. And scared all the rest away. (There is a limit to what vi can support and forgive to reconnect w her sister. And I believe terrorism is crossing that limit ghgh)

And maybe, jinx is cutting that part of herself out on purpose. To be stronger, she’s realized she just. Isn’t made for love. That she ruins it all in the end. That it just makes everything worse. Messier. More complicated. She’s better off on her own, but for what PURPOSE! Who will she be now! What choices will she make!?! Almost all of her actions in the show were for others, what is driving her now, now that she has this gaping void at the center of her being. Where love used to be… what kind of person will she become, Without a guide to follow… a sun to orbit around. it’s sad honestly ghghg-!!! like yeah it’s not healthy that she is this way but there’s no THERAPY IN ARCANE. THIS IS THE WAY SHE IS! And now. She’s alone… it’s rough. But also intriguing…!! And I honestly have no clue how she’s gonna act in season 2,,, or what sorta shit she’s gonna get up to. but I’m excited.

[constantfragmentation]

In real life, do you think Id be difficult to have a serious relationship with Silco? I'm curious

Oh hell yes.

That man is nothing BUT difficult. My psychologist would have a field day dissecting him.

Even before the drowning, he has serious issues.

He's intelligent (self-taught more than anything) and knows it. That man has some serious rage and inferiority complexes to deal with. He doesn't like to be second. Vander taught him that. And that I'm in the mindset that Silco has always been the brains of the smuggling/revolution outfit.

Post drowning. My man has the biggest trust issues on the planet. You wrong him and you might as well just die because he'll kill you. He might mame first or find something that is worse than death, so yeah, don't cross him.

Silco values intelligence, patience, loyalty and yes, passion. He is very passionate about his core beliefs and I'm betting that passion is very much alive elsewhere. When he's in the mood, you better be too.

He can be a very generous lover. The skinny boys always packing the meat, and he also knows it. In the beginning it might be all about his pleasure but once he starts to give two shits, he will find ways to tease and please. Silco is also a bit of a sadist. He will draw that shit out until you're begging him.

Don't play coy or the tease with him. He doesn't have time for that bs.

He might play with you at first. See if you're worth more than some quick shags. Then he'll test you. Just how loyal are you? Little by little and this could take some time before he has the TINIEST bit of trust in you.

At this point, you're probably the sidechick but more than a quickie.

If your patience and dealing with his constant bs and mood swings have paid off, he just might consider you partner material. He still doesn't share everything and keeps one foot firmly planted on the ground, keeping his emotions in check (as always), but he's allowed you just enough and if you're not ok with that, your ass is getting kicked back down to sidechick or he's decided he's done. Again, trust.

If you're looking for romance, chances are that isn't happening. He might do it to fuck with you. A game. He might offer small gestures to let you know he sees you, shows a bit of tenderness when no one is watching. Granted that 'tenderness' might be him giving you a warning before surprising you with anal sex tonight.

Jinx better love you. If not, it's all over. She is #1 so you better be okay with that.

If he has put Sevika or one of his goons to guard you, you know you know mean something. Unfortunately, if that's the case, Silco knows others will see you as a liability and possible weakness, so now you're a target. I hope you're ok with that.

Granted, if anyone does come for you (and misses), you'll know by now that Silco will Fucking.Go.To.TOWN on their ass. Silco, I believe will burn the world for the person he cares about.

[melmedarda]

why do you find sevika so interesting? :)

cracks knuckles. let's take a deep dive.

sevika is my second most adored character in arcane. yes she's bad-ass but that isn't it alone. she's loyal. she's loyal at the risk of it all, and i simply adore her for it. her love for zaun runs bright through her blood, and if you just watch her, it inspires, truly. she went up against vander because she thought that his love for his kids was so skewing his judgement. the kids went free, but the rest of them would suffer. that is why she left to follow silco. because she thought he really had the momentum to really bring change to zaun.

i think, that on some level, she and vi blame each other what everything that went down. vi blames sevika for betraying vander, and sevika blames vi for the softness in vander, just like she blames jinx for clouding silco's judgment. but even in silco's tenderness towards jinx, she does not betray him, because she still believes he has the ability to change the undercity.

her loyalty is fueled by hope. a tender hope for a better tomorrow for herself and her city. to some extent i believe that sevika's devotion to silco was nothing short of religious. he was her icon, the physical embodiment of her faith. so if he had a plan, she'd accomplish it, no matter what had to be done to do so. and that's why i find her so interesting. making a choice to chose a brighter future even if her hands are bloodied in the present.

and then, i've already spoken multiple times about how she choses people who never choose there in the end. there's a loneliness to that, and she's always been on the rougher end of things. it's a life i don't think she wants for anyone else (e.g. she gives silco advice about jinx even though she had a failed relationship with her father). she's a woman of many paradoxes, but then again, i think that's what makes her so great. anyways, bottom line. i love her.

[sandraharissa]

ig it's time for me to share my headcanons but also at this point prediction when it comes to Vander and Silco's relationship cos there's plenty of things I assume about them cos we know next to nothing. We know they used to be 'brothers', that they co-lead the uprising, believed in the Nation of Zaun and at some point Vander tried to drown him.

So first of all, and while I don't think this is controversial it is a speculation, I don't think they're bio or adopted brothers, I think they were brothers in arms. more on that later.

If they were each other's closest person, and that's what it sounds like, and they led an uprising together, then I assume they also lived together in the Last Drop before the betrayal. Started/owned it together. There's even a line about how Vander built the Lanes, so bcos they were co-leading back then and out of the two Silco is the one with talent for business, I assume it's really 'Vander and Silco built the Lanes' cos the Lanes are a black market. When you think about it Silco going on to sell Shimmer isn't that dissimilar to him (and Vander) starting an illegal bar where there used to be none at all before. Both alcohol and drugs are highly addictive substances that sell like hot cakes.

Silco keeps on repeating these lines like "The sons and daughters of Zaun deserve more than their runoff.", "You know what bore us through those times? Loyalty. Brothers and sisters back-to-back against whatever the world threw at us.", "We came from a world where there was never enough to go around, Finn. That is why we fight. Do you remember?" and so I get the impression during the first uprising he experienced this kind of comradery and unity with other ppl from the Undercity, but then the betrayal erased that. So while he still believes in it and somehow values it it's not how he currently functions at all. All his business and relations are based on money or violence, he doesn't rely on trust or loyalty cos the person he trusted the most tried to murder him.

Which bring me to my next point, I think that the betrayal resulted in a split where Vander got everything and Silco got nothing. In one moment Silco loses his whole support system and his home and everything he ever owned. The line "What is truth, but a survivor's story?" really solidifies it for me that Vander probs came up with some sort of lie so Silco had no business going back to the Lanes cos no one would take his side.

Which btw would also contribute to his 'we can't trust anyone' mentality and the isolation it brings cos if that happened then by the time of act I he seemingly just accepts his bad reputation and decides that it doesn't matter what ppl think cos he's not gonna trust them or value their opinion anyway. He essentially considers Vander a traitor but we never see him trying to publicly smear his reputation for the sake of improving his own. Vander actually even gets a statue built for him. The only exception to that seems to be Sevika who's present for when Vander corroborates Silco's version of events. Which could have been the final nail in the coffin for her (I think it's very likely she, Vander and Silco go all the way back, so she could have been one of the ppl Vander lied to about Silco).

With no one, homeless and with a rotting eye Silco hides somewhere in the caves and finds Singed, who heals him for free and likely treats it as an opportunity to study a unique malady. He probs surgically removes Silco's eyelids and supplies him with Shimmer (or an alternative, or maybe Shimmer-as-medicine was discovered by Singed before Shimmer-as-weapon). They start working together (and living together at the giant window base that could have originally been just Singed's lab). Bcos Silco in act I already has gold to pay Marcus with, I assume he was already up to some other business venture in between the betrayal and Shimmer. He probs funded Singed already at this point and so Singed worked on building him weapons. Upon Silco taking over the Last Drop he moves there permanently cos he doesn't need to crash at Singed's place anymore.

Now to the most self-indulgent but also imo super likely part (unless s2 drastically changes our perception of their relationship ig). Vander and Silco seem to me like platonic life partners. They spent what was probs years building a life and a home and a future together. They don't know the term queerplatonic and so they say 'brother' instead. Or maybe they were in love with each other but were in denial cos they didn't want to fuck each other cos they're aces. Anyway, I interpret them both as falling somewhere on the aroace spectrum. Imo them being two a-specs in a relationship is the most canon compliant interpretation of their relationship, more than them being gay or straight bros. It just fits so perfectly where 'straight bros' or 'gay' don't fully explain their relationship as we know it right now. How many gay ppl call the person they're in love with 'brother'? ig you could argue gay ppl sometimes get confused lol. Similarly how many straight friends attempt to live a life together (as roommates *gasp*) only with each other and never with any significant other?

[space-blue]

Another very interesting What If scenario that's been haunting me: what if Jinx didn't misunderstand Silco's speech at Vander's statue? Either she reached him before he got there and he was able to explain to her the situation with Jayce, OR she did listen to his speech but it was much clearer (instead of speaking in his usual Silco way, he just straight up says "I'm never giving up my darling Jinx lol" leaving no room for misinterpretation).

Keep in mind, at this point Jinx has already kidnapped Caitlyn and Vi is currently going on a rampage through Zaun fighting Chemtanks. Vi has not reached Sevika yet, as in the show Vi only reaches Sevika after Jinx has already kidnapped and tied up Silco. So at this point, with Silco revealing his loyalty to Jinx and swearing to her that he will not give her up to Jayce, how will Jinx proceed? How will Silco proceed?

Will Jinx present Fishbones to Silco? Will he regroup with Sevika and maybe try to parlay with Jayce again? And if Jayce refuses to compromise on Jinx, then Silco chooses war right? He'd probably lie to Sevika about Jinx being the issue, he'd probably claim that Jayce refused his terms on sovereignty and access to the Hexgates...

Will Jinx still interrupt Vi's rampage and kidnap her to bring her to the warehouse? At this point, Silco's loyalty to her has been confirmed, so she wouldn't need to bring him. It would only be Vi and Cait at the dinner party as only Vi's loyalty to Jinx is still under question (the last time Jinx saw her, Vi left the bridge with Caitlyn).

Theorize away Bluedaddysgirl!

So, I'm a little limited here by the fact you want me to theorized based on canon, but canon wants and needs Jinx's tragedy to realise itself. Everything goes towards it, the ugly inescapability of it.

If I were to give you what I want, it wouldn't be 'what happens if—' but instead me spitballing fic setup ideas.

And TBH there's a clear issue that's easily addressed is Silco and Jinx talk things out :

Silco could send Jinx to capture her sister to 'talk reason into her', while he goes and does the obvious thing : find a blue haired girl who looks vaguely like Jinx, promise to pay her more money she ever dreamt of, and to care for her family while she does a little spin in Stillwater. Yeah, it'll suck, but Silco can promise to smuggle her out in a few months or a year.

Also Jinx's heart to heart with Vi and Cait may look a lot different if she's not struggling as much with shimmer. She may not set up the table for a "choice" if she's already chosen to be Jinx and Silco's daughter. And this especially if Silco gets to dote on her/be emotional in that moment that he was dead worried after the operation, that he's unsure what Singed did to her and wants to know how she's feeling. Basically all the stress of thinking her dead coming down in an intimate setting and dispelling any doubt Jinx may have that this guy loves her.

I think Jinx would still want to go through with challenging Vi with Cait. She wants her sister back. But the idea may be less hinged around 'we go together' and more 'Vi gets to stay with us'.

I wonder if Silco would let her do it? Or would let her harm Cait. She's too valuable, and at a crucial time like this, her death would bring everything down. I think he could talk sense into Jinx. At least if she gets to 'keep Vi', things would be different. Because where would Vi go? To Piltover?

Besides, Cait wouldn't be able to free herself from her bonds because Jinx wouldn't be distracted by Silco's end of the table. She'd be solely focused on them. Again, assuming the voices aren't that bad, because a lot of her stress was vented out during the emotional conversation with Silco. She'd feel secure in him (who would sacrifice everything for her), and having Vi at her mercy, she'd feel in control.

I know this sounds dark, but I definitely believe that Jinx would feel more in control because Vi is bound and can be "kept". She won't leave with the enforcer lady, because Jinx controls who goes where.

Would be interesting if Silco is so caught up in the dilemma presented by Jayce's terms that Jinx is the one who comes up with the idea of giving them a fake girl. Bonus points if the blue haired girl has to have Jinx's braids weaved in as extentions, and Jinx dyes her hair pink and looks EERILY like Vi.

Extra spook points if she does all that after capturing Vi and Cait, but before confronting them.

It would make sense that Silco immediately goes to Jayce to surrender fake Jinx, so Cait isn't around to ID her. The girl could be all theatrics and 'How can you do this to me?!' and Jayce this big gullible goof ball would not look past any of it. He and Silco would sign off on a program to dismantle shimmer factories, which of course doesn't mention or encompass Singed's lab.

Of course the biggest deal is returning the gemstone, which I don't think Silco could do. He could, however, if he has time, or extra cunning, present Jayce with a blown-up wreck of a fishbone prototype, and shards of broken gemstone.... Assuming any could be combed out of the wreckage of the cannery, it'd be perfect to hand them out as like "the weapon was destroyed in the struggle".

Or he could always lie, and when Jayce asks a flustered "and you expect me to believe that??", Silco could retort that the weapon would be no use to him if Jayce and the Council don't believe they have it. After all the Council has been making this entire ruckus on the assumption alone that they had the gem and may weaponise it. Hidden, secret weapons are of no use to Silco as leverage. His goal isn't to destroy Piltover, but to be free of them — which this deal guarantees — and to grow economically and make good deals — which threatening with secret nukes would make difficult.

Jayce would reluctantly believe him, with maybe some caveat like "If anyone in Zaun so much as sneezes...." And Silco could be like yes, yes, whatever.

The beauty of hextech is that the gems power anything. Some seem to be embedded inside the weapon, like in his hammer, but in fishbones, it's put in and out. Silco could have Jinx devise something incredibly powerful and useful to Zaun and power it with the gem, and have fishbones be a last recourse solution.

If Viktor heard of Silco trying to create pure air or clean water in Zaun via a hextech purifying system, you bet he'd be all over this to help. This is what he wanted initially right? To help people?

Anyway, the issue with Jinx is that we don't know if the monsterification is temporary (while she has shimmer in her system, the same way it was only for a while in the first arc) or forever.

Assuming she can "come down", then having a longer conversation with Vi after she's calmed down may be a little more productive. But more importantly, if the deal is struck, Vi would only need to witness this to know that Silco fought for the type of rights she's always wanted, and actually achieved it in the mess of things.

Oops, awkward... When the guy you hate is kinda right... and kinda wins your people's freedom... And kinda lets you walk around, so long as you promise to not harm is beloved kid or try to take her away... Which you couldn't do anyway cuz you're a penniless ex-con 2 days out.

Sevika, having not been beaten to a pulp, would probably be a lot more amenable, in this situation. Picture her tasked to escort Cait back upside safe and sound. But now imagine her in a great mood knowing their hard work paid off and Jinx being insane the past 2-3 days was fucking worth it, because now this... finally, Zaun. Finally, freedom from Pilties.

Imagine her, a true believer in Silco's cause, a loyal soldier for a decade or more, talking to Cait as they walk? Explaining what life was like for her here. How long they've worked for this peace. Imagine Cait asking about shimmer and getting good, actual answers. Cait understanding it was a tool used to unify the powers that be in Zaun and keep infighting down to try and achieve freedom, so that the violence and pollution that destroys and keeps Zaun down can finally be corrected? Imagine Sevika making a whole lot of sense, and Cait not appreciating the means, but appreciating the goal?

How things would get recontextualised... Imagine Sevika asking her to please stay out of it (don't makes a fuss about the jailed "Jinx" for example), but that she's welcome to come hang out if she thinks she can be useful. Sevika respects strength, and Cait is a cool head version of Jinx when it comes to shooting. And of course, having a Councilor's daughter in your good graces would be a massive plus.

Cait might ask if she can see Vi again, and Sevika would say whatever, but let the sisters get used to each other, and that she can't promise Jinx won't kill her if she shows up again, but Vi is a free woman and she can do whatever she wants.

Not antagonising Silco and Jinx would then become a necessary part of getting to see Vi.

Silco becoming a Councilor would be a very important change that would allow Vi to see Cait in that setting, assuming she's able to mend her relationship with him—and he certainly couldn't ever bring Jinx along.

Silco then finally meeting Mel would be the development that solidifies Zaun's position. I think politically they'd hit it off, and Mel would be a very important ally for Silco to have on the council (besides Jayce, who can't be shown to have been wrong on his deal), because the more money-greedy Councilors are bound to regret their decision the minute their factories start costing them more money or get nationalised from under them lmao.

It would be good timing for an external enemy to remind them of who they are, and that they stand more of a chance together, but I think Silco would have to be very careful that a war/preparation for war doesn't undermine the independence with efforts being 'delayed' and Zaunite factories being co-opted and such.

Was that enough what if ramblings?

[rinandsketches]

Ever wonder why Jinx hated Sevika?

The casual view might see it as just a rivalry for Silco's top spot. However its clear Jinx had that place and that's more then likely why Sevika disliked Jinx HOWEVER! If Jinx was never in a place where she was threatened by the orge. Then perhaps it was just Jinx being a typical teenager who annoyed the elder.

I don't think so. I think that deep down, Jinx was still loyal to Vander. Think about it. Powder was there when Sevika riled up the bar and called him weak. Jinx knew Sevika betrayed Vander first. I believe this is why Jinx has a huge dislike of her, there was no way she was ever gonna trust Sevika after that.

But if this is the case then why was she still loyal to silco? Wouldn't Jinx think differently if Silco told her the story of Vanders betrayal over and over? Again, I don't think so. Jinx may have listened to the story and understood where Silco was coming from but that doesn't mean she agreed with him about Vander...at least not openly. She mocked Silco for telling her the story again at the lake, and during the tea party, Jinx acknowledges and shows visible anger when she mentions Silco stabbing Vander in the back. In the end Jinx more then likely only followed silco because she had more in common with the king pin. This doesn't mean she was ready to dislike Vander, they had a good relationship. Jinx had no reason to hate Vander.

The hate Jinx has for Sevika is possible proof Jinx can be loyal to anyone she deems worthy of her loyalty.

[independentzaun]

Random notes about my Jinx cause I can.

Jinx was taken in by Silco when she was around 11 and 1/2, and she looks younger than she is.

The first kill Jinx consciously made was when she was 13 to 14, and it was (generally speaking) because of someone insulting Silco. She enjoyed it.

She doesn't know when her actual biological birthday is so when/if she celebrates it is up to whatever her and Silco agree on. Whenever/if she celebrated it with Vi/Vander/etc it was a date based on one special event or another.

She remembers almost nothing at all about her biological parents.

Jinx started getting hints of her hallucinations about a year, year and 1/2 after Silco took her in. Her first full hallucination was when she was around 15.

She has naturally large canines that became more or less fangs after the shimmer "treatment" by Singed.

She's on the autistic spectrum.

Jinx has understood death and people going permanently away almost her entire life. Violence is something that was always around her, and one of the reasons she's so determined to be a predator is because she still remembers what it is like to be prey and she hates that.

She enjoys taking small bones, cleaning them, and making things out of them like bracelets and what not. There's a very good chance she gave Silco a bracelet made from cleaned bones. She doesn't want to stay in Zaun, but doesn't believe she will ever get to leave. She also doesn't think Silco will achieve anything more for/in Zaun than he already has and that Zaun is as free as it will ever be, but she helps him out of loyalty to him. Her loyalty to Zaun goes as far as "Fuck Pilties, and Enforcers, STAY THE FUCK OUT of my home."

Jinx doesn't think Zaun will improve past what it currently is which seems fine except for the fact Jinx sees herself as an example of what Zaun is, and believes that since Zaun wont/cant improve neither will she.

Deep down inside she's still worried about Silco deciding she's not worth having around. She also is convinced that what he does is not for her, but for Zaun itself. She believes he cares yes, but not as much as he does for Zaun. That belief mixed with her devotion to him makes it nearly impossible for her to imagine actually leaving Zaun. She likes dolls, mannequins, and animatronics.

Jinx has complicated sensory needs, and issues. There's a reason she wears the clothes she does, but than also has music and other things for stimulation. She also dislikes most of the food in Zaun due to textures and the textures not being consistent because of different vendors and shops which is why she eats a lot of food with as few bites as possible and has no gag reflex.

She genuinely does not see anything wrong with killing Enforcers. I could go into why, but at the end of the day that's what it comes down to. She sees nothing wrong with it.

She doesn't like pitch black darkness, or small spaces she can't get out of. If she can move around and make progress forward/out of she's fine with it.

Jinx assumes Ekko knows how Vander/etc died, and that he blames her, and that she never had a chance to meet up with him. Even Vi walked away from her (she believes) so "obviously" there's no point in going to Ekko cause he'd do the same. She's demisexual, and demiromantic, and on a fundamental level just does not care about most people. She doesn't hate them she just doesn't care about them on a personal level.

I could go on, but that's enough for now. Might add to this later.

[zaunrising]

Time is a funny thing.

It was late at night, or perhaps early in the morning. That odd in between time when no one was quite sure if they should be saying good eve, or good morn. It didn’t particularly matter regardless. This, was The Last Drop. Time wasn’t measured in terms of night or day. It wasn’t measured by breakfast and dinner, sun and moon, or even by the normal working hours of the various businesses around it. No, time here was measured by drinks poured, the loudness of conversation, and the music being played. A period with lots of drinks, conversation bustling throughout the club, and hard pounding music might be the high time. Daytime, one might say, or if one preferred the “good” time of the evening. No customers, and boxes getting moved in and out for supplies might have been dusk or dawn. Anything in between? Late at night, or early in the morning, to one degree or another. Time never truly obeyed any conventional rules at The Last Drop. Some conversations stretched throughout an entire day, but only lasted for an hour or two. Some games lasted for a few hours, but stretched nearly out a day entirely.

Time? Inviolable? Tell that to a man who cared. Tell that to a Piltie. Not to the owner of The Last Drop. Not to Silco. Not to one of the most powerful men in the area who ruled his territory as he saw fit.

People created time, and measured it as they saw fit.

Control people, and you create their time.

You, tell them how to measure it.

Outside The Last Drop, time moved as it always did. Obedient to clocks, the sun, the moon, day, night, and human schedules. Silco was not outside The Last Drop however, he was inside, and time shifted.

Late at night, so very late it was near dawn and so in truth it was so very early in the morning. Almost no one else in the club except for a few employees attending to things, and perhaps some minuscule number of patrons. Quiet, peaceful, and for a moment it seemed as still as things could ever be. Leaving his coat in his office, Silco had ended up in the middle of the dance floor with his sleeves rolled up to mid-forearm, as he had used to wear them years ago. Head tilted ever so slightly, he could very nearly hear the bustle of a tavern he’d spent time at, so long ago it felt now like another life. One eye closing for a second so brief it seemed more like a blink, Silco’s other eye stared blazing forward, reminding anyone that glanced over of the truth of who Silco was. Silco’s blurred vision rendered near useless with an explosion of orange, and fiery red reminded him that whatever bustle he might be hearing from the past… was, in fact, from another life. A life that had died in a river with a friend standing over him, and a moment of desperation. Two men as close as men could be, both left with scars, and both changing irrevocably as a result.

Sometimes, though, the past could return in some small way. Even if only for a short while.

Struck by sudden impulse, Silco moved forward to the jukebox and punching a quick series of numbers into it flipped to a record few could access. He wasn’t ashamed of it, and couldn’t be bothered to hide it, but it wouldn’t do to have the atmosphere in The Last Drop suddenly shift because of someone hitting the wrong kind of song. A song years old, and one that brought him back to his childhood for a few short minutes. Eyes open, and staring into the past, his lips parted to sing softly along with one particular song as his hands rested on the jukebox.

“Jesse got trapped in a coal mine, digging in the dark black pearl. Jesse got trapped in a coal mine, never did marry his girl. There ain’t no air, and there ain’t no light, and there ain’t no way to make it out alive. His wedding was planned for the 5th of July, but Jesse got trapped in a coal mine and never did marry his girl. Your hands get black and your eyes get burned, your lungs get tired and poor. It draws you in like an opium den, and beckons you back for more.”

The vaunted Eye of Zaun for three minutes and fifty-three seconds stood at a jukebox softly singing along to a song. His voice soft enough few could hear, but the club was quiet enough it could be picked up if someone wanted. A song about, of all things, a miner who never made it back and a woman left to grieve alone. No revolution, no strife, no call for violence. No deep pounding beat to get people dancing, no soft sounds of love for people to smile to, but also no easily ignored background noise this. Just a song about a miner, and loss, and a reminder that sometimes people don’t make it even when they fight as hard as possible. Of course, just because people don’t make it doesn’t mean they aren’t remembered.

Sometimes, Silco wondered how long it took for Jesse to meet his second death.

How long before Jesse was forgotten by all, and died a second final time.

Sometimes he wondered which was more important.

That Jesse had tried as hard as he could to make it back, or that the man had died.

Did the attempt alone grant its own kind of honor, and respect?

Could failure remove all the honor, and respect?

“Down, down on her knees, she cried. My love is somewhere in that mountain.”

As the song faded, Silco’s one good eye blinked, and he pulled himself back into the present. Hitting a button had the jukebox flip to some random record. Silco couldn't care less what played next. One slow steady calm breath as he turned, and pulled his sleeves back down to their normal position, buttoning them properly while heading to the bar.

Time was malleable. Time shifted, and could at times be hard to define. Time, however, always passed, and always moved forward. Not even Silco could change that. Not even in The Last Drop could that be changed. Time moved forward, and so it was time for Silco to return to the present and move with it.

Some, however, might say Silco had never moved with time. Not really. You might say he had been frozen in time during one particular night.

A night on which trusted, perhaps loved, hands had shoved him underwater. Trusted hands tried to kill him, and although he’d never admit it… had.

One man had been lost in pitch black, polluted water.

Another man, seemingly immovable, and unstoppable, had climbed out of that water. Someone that refused to bend, or change with time. Someone that deep within still felt that water drip from him, and that pain in an eye suddenly lost. A man who, even as he climbed out of the water, had kept so much of it with him, he might as well have never left. Time passed, but some moments never quite ended. Some moments kept a person frozen within them, and made it near impossible to step away.

On some nights though, be it for a minute, three minutes, or five minutes, for however long a particular song might last. A frozen moment thawed, and someone else pushed forward.

On some nights… a person might catch a glimpse not of Silco the Industrialist, the revolutionary, the Eye of Zaun. Some nights a person might catch a glimpse of Silco the miner, a man who years ago had fought, and drank, and loved, and worked right alongside everyone else. A man who had died in a river.

A man who still on occasion awoke, and wondered what Zaun was becoming.

A man could stand in another’s boots, on some nights, for as long as a song. After that, however, the owner returned, and a cold gaze turned to anyone who thought to question him or his choice of song a moment earlier. After all, time never stopped, and it never went backwards. At least, not for long.

Not even at The Last Drop.

[huntinglove]

love-a-lot bear!!! 💞 I wanna hear from as many f/os who wanna say something!!

(or just one. no pressure haha)

Hi hi!! Thank you so much for the ask!!

Love-A-Lot Bear 💞 - What moment made you realize that S/I was "the one"? Be as detailed or vague as you want!

Oh man... For me things were a bit all over the place. After the whole ordeal with Golb and the almost-end-of-the-world, I was really confused and panicked.

I still have some of Ice King's memories and a lot of them are about Ocean Princess...

It took a whole month for me to be able to process everything, Marcy was the one who explained it all to me.

She also helped me get the courage to go and talk to Ocean Princess again.

Some of Ice King's feelings about her were still in me, I suppose. It didn't take that long for me to actually fall in love with her myself!

The way her eyes light up when she sees me, the way she treats me like the only person that matters.. It's a bit intense but I really enjoy how strong her love is, because mine is just as strong for her.

- 📚 Simon

My heart was dancing and singing like a bunch of maracas right when I saw her!

Plus she was the only princess who never played hard to get, she was always really cool and nice to me!

Hanging out with Ocean Princess always makes me happy!

- ❄️ Ice King

It was... Complicated.

We frequented the same restaurants and shops a lot of the time, because we have similar tastes in a lot of things.

Eventually she just became accustomed to me and started small talks when we were in the same place. Later on I started reciprocating, out of politeness at first, but a while later she actually managed to catch my attention whenever we spoke to one another.

She was never judgemental or creeped out by me, I felt safe around her. Then I got a stupid crush on her. I tried my best to shake it off, but I couldn't. So eventually I confessed to her and we ended up getting together.

You can imagine how awkward it was to have a crush on someone who works for some of your greatest enemies.

I will get her out of there, even if it's the last thing I do.

- 🖤 Tokoyami

She was one of Silco's subordinates, I'm pretty sure!

I've seen her around all the time, always working or drawing, especially when she would hang around the bar!

I got curious so I just started following her around and then we became best friends!

Then after that we got even closer together, she's the cutest girlfriend ever! It was just a "right person, right time" deal

You would never suspect that someone squishy like her is just like me, deep down!

- 💣 Jinx

I saved her life from a tuxedo wearing demon, then she never really left after that...

I appreciated her determination to "pay her debt" to me, and I was honestly surprised that she was even able to survive being around a demon for as long as she did...

So I presented her to the master and decided to have her be a student and train with all the hashira, myself included. If she didn't meet the expectations of the corp, I would take her life.

Luckily for her though, I ended up getting a bit... Soft towards her. Even with all the training, all the demons and all the missions that she was put through, she never lost her loyalty to me, and she never lost her smile.

She ended up reminding me of myself when I was younger... I don't know why, but it just made my heart flutter whenever she was around.

So eventually we got together.

- ☁️ Muichiro

They've saved my life multiple times... Helped me take care of my wounds and face my fears...

They made me be a better man, a better version of myself. If that's not love, I'm not sure what is.

They tell me that I've done the same for them, I hope I'll be able to believe them one day.

- 🐺 Muriel

Eris was always just so present and nice to me.. She was the only person that didn't expect me to do anything for her to be proud of me.

She took care of me when I was sick or hurt, she stayed with me when I was hurting and when I was upset...

She listened to me when I talked, she let me enjoy whatever I wanted without judging or being annoyed with me.

She made me feel like I mattered, just for being myself. And I wanted her to feel like that too!

- ⚜️ Hunter

♥️ I mean... Have you seen that [redacted]?! How's a guy supposed to NOT fall for that??♥️

In all seriousness though, she's just not like other girls! ♠️ Probably because she's an alien... ♠️ But still!

♥️ She showed me what actual activism is, told me that there's a lot of issues where she comes from too... ♥️

♥️ She's also one of the only people that don't actually want me dead, I'm pretty sure. She even listened to my mixtape!♥️

- ♥️ Zebruh

When they moved into the valley things started changing for the better... The whole community felt more united and happy

Plus, they made me feel like a person again, they always took time out of their day to come talk to me and even give me gifts

We did so many things together, things just escalated pretty quick. We just clicked I guess

We saved each other in the caves, played D&D together, hung out while I was coding... It felt like someone actually cared about me for once.

Then I just... Couldn't hide it anymore. We went for a ride and I took them to the top of the mountain, so I could show them the view of Zuzu City

That was the first time we kissed, and when I told them that I was in love with them... I don't regret a second of it. I'm pretty sure I married the right person

- 💧 Sebastian

[elisethetraveller]

Continued from; zaunrising

There was no smile on Silco’s face. If there was any expression, it was a somber, quiet one. An adult tired of the complaints of children, and yet one who was called upon once again to step between those who as far as he was concerned should know better. All the same, in his dark ruined eye there was a strange gleam. That fiery orb seeming a touch brighter than normal, or perhaps it only seemed that way due to his blue eye seeming colder. Another difference was Sevika’s presence, the strong woman who was Silco’s right hand standing behind him and to one side. Close enough to step up, and in if need be, but with no sign of intending to do so unprovoked. In this moment Sevika was not a threat, and seemed as composed as ever with her shimmer fueled arm at a standby. She was, however, a warning. For as friendly as Silco had been to the new foreign chem-baron, that could change if need be. “Are you finished?” Before The Table, before he had nearly died, before things had changed, Silco would have been more measured in his response. Now, however, he found his patience lowered. It was a dangerous thing, patience sliding away reminiscent of when he’d been a young man, but with the self-control and consideration of an older man with years of experience. There had been Silco, who worked with Vander and had crawled out of the mines. Silco, betrayed, and who had found power in the shadows that allowed him to pull Zaun upwards into something new. Zaun, the Enterprise, on the way to the Free Nation of Zaun. Now, however, there was a different Silco. Exactly who he was, and what he was capable of, was something many had yet to see. One thing however was for sure. He was still one of the primary powers in Zaun with Sevika still standing by his side. “If I was here to “rush along negotiations”, on her behalf, it would not be only myself and Sevika standing here.” Voice quiet, and controlled, this was clearly not the sociable Silco that had visited Elise more than once. This was the Eye of Zaun who be it through information, shimmer, strength, or any number of things ran far more than most thought he did. “No, I am here to ask a very simple question, Elise.” This new chem-baron had a weakness, but it was one Silco could respect. She cared for her people, or at least cared enough about what they could do for her, that it might as well be the same thing. Certainly, she cared more than most other chem-barons, and that created a kind of loyalty. Loyalty, which by its very nature, would go both ways. A weakness of a sort because it’d guarantee certain behaviors, but it was also a strength as it’d make it harder to turn her people against her. Sad, really, that Elise was what Silco had originally hoped the chem-barons would be, and she wasn’t even a Zaunite. Still, she also wasn’t a Piltie, and if a yordle could be a chem-baron… well why not? “How far are you willing to go, to get your people back?"

Most people would call Elise a trusting individual who wore her heart on her sleeve. She wasn't a politician or a liar. Most people would be wrong. One had to be a liar to look a parent with a dead child in the eyes and tell them everything would be okay. And she had seen far too many failing institutions to trust any of them. Perhaps that was why she walked into the room alone. Because while there was no reason to believe Silco was here for blood, the little voice in the back of her mind insisted otherwise, and she would be damned if someone else's blood was spilt over this. So Elise sat there with her empty, pleasant smile, eyes sharp and drifting from Silco to Sevika.

"Yes." Was that a rhetorical question? Most likely. Elise didn't care. The mage held no pretence that Silco didn't deal with his own garbage-can of issues every day, but as far as she was concerned, he was here to help, or he was in the way. And the thought he was here to help felt delusional. She was an outsider; she got it thrown in her face every time she tried to deal with this sensibly. Why would he choose to help an outsider?

Though Silco's arrival was a relief. No matter why he was here, it would shake things out of the frustrating stagnation. She didn't have the resources to go into the other territory and get her people, but her own territory was well-protected. The other chem-baron couldn't force their way to the valuable water. Despite all of Zaun's technology, this was a siege.

"What do you propose?" It was the first time Elise moved, and she could feel it in every muscle. Residual energy dispersed like an anxious breath escaping through gritted teeth. Leaning forward, her fingers drummed against the table.

"I can't just go in and get them. There are too many people for me to get them out safely." And while she could survive the gunfire, they wouldn't. "And I am not throwing fifty people at a problem when half of them won't return." There were plenty of people who wanted to volunteer, even after they had discussed the odds and chances. The loyalty was heartwarming. But it was also dangerous. Sooner or later, they would try to rush the territory despite her insistence not to. They weren't of the temperament to wait things out.

( @zaunrising )

[shimmerbeasts]

@dcyseeker cont. from here. the hiss she makes sounds metallic as it leaves her mask , violet eyes glancing over the wound in the flesh arm . she feels mildly sorry for the poor fool stood next to her , sowing the sitches into her arm . one wrong move and her metal hand could end up around his next . part of her is somewhat impressed that someone had managed to sneak up on her , tried to kill her , but the other is convinced that they clearly don't fear her enough . that is a wrong that she would soone put to right .

the chem baroness looks up at the familiar voice , expression blank as not to give anything away . they were business partners , not friends , and so his concerned tone makes her scoff somewhat . in her opinion , anyone who made out they cared purely just wanted to be on her good side . she holds her tongue . her arm flinches as another sitch is made , a glare being thrown at the man at her side before her gaze returns to silco . " it is not the worse injury i have ever had , the fool that did it is in a much worse position ." she choose not to illaborate , the news of the mans condition would surely spread around zaun soon enough , a reminder not to mess with her . " besides , it didn't halt my plans like they hoped it would , everything is still moving as planned . "

Despite being business partners, Silco and Renata Glasc had two very different ideas on how to conduct themselves. While Silco tended to allow hints of an almost compassionate tone to slip into his voice, Renata stoically stayed strictly professional. There were merits to both of their ways. Silco preferred building a somewhat trusting relationship with his partners. Loyalty was a two-way street and trust was the asphalt, supporting that same street.

At the same time, Silco could understand that Renata didn't want to reveal any signs of weakness and he tactfully did not initiate such. Wounds were a part of life in the Undercity. Claiming someone wounded was automatically exposing weakness was a very stupid idea. The wound itself was already your weakness. There was little point in hiding pain when people could see the blood dripping down your body and seeping into your clothing.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Renata", Silco spoke as she remarked how she had immediately retaliated against her attacker. No doubt he would learn of his state in the coming days soon enough. "And of course, your plans are not stalled. Most of those attacks feel more like children lashing out than a cohesive plan. They believe that cutting down the leader of a gang automatically halts their entire progress."

A fundamental misunderstanding of gang structure as far as Silco was concerned. A part of him didn't fear death for he knew that even if he were to die, his deputy would simply take his place as the leader. Silco hadn't just made one of the most competent people his deputy, but also someone who was just as obsessed with the Cause as him. If Zaun didn't become liberated within his lifetime, Sevika would fight for his same goal until her last breath. Meanwhile, Jinx was becoming more and more like a living embodiment of Zaun itself. Just like Sevika, she would continue the fight. Silco knew it.