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cognacandlilac · 1 year ago

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To the Depths - Part Five - NSFW

(Pirate!Silco x F!Reader) The Pirate's Waltz

AO3 - Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3.1 - Part 3.2 - Part 4

Rating: Explicit/MDNI Chapter Summary: You struggle with the terms of your punishment even as you begin to win over the crew. For a moment, all is well even though you are technically a prisoner. Will the sea allow a moment of peace? Chapter Tags/Warnings: def a little nsfw but not nearly as much as other parts, nothing that hasn't been in past parts. Not beta'd bc I was too impatient to get the update posted lol *edited on 8/5 to fix mistakes that would have been caught with beta reading. There is a lesson here...*

You flee the cabin immediately without another word. Your entire body hums, rages, cries, and begs for release and you know you will not find it in that room. Something stings and burns in your chest, wrapping around your heart and squeezing tight. You’re reminded of Silco’s sea serpent tattoo but immediately shake the thought away. His body is the last thing you want to think about right now.

Especially since the ache between your legs only grows with each step. You briefly entertain the idea of finding a dark, shadowy corner of the ship to bring the relief denied you, but that thought flies out of your mind the moment you see the crew standing idle on the deck, their faces all turned toward the short stairwell you’ve just climbed. You freeze on the last step.

Before Silco dragged you back down to the cabin, you’d passionately declared for all to hear that you were the reason they had to spend the night fighting a violent storm and why thick pools of drying blood now stain the deck. No doubt you’ve made an enemy of yourself to every single person staring at you now.

You could return to the cabin but the thought of being enclosed with Silco is unbearable. You are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. Almost literally.

Luckily, you aren’t trapped in your frozen state for long. Jinx darts into your field of vision, her eyes wide and frantic.

“You look awful ,” she says, cupping your face in her dainty hands. The coolness of her skin alerts you to just how scorching your face is. No doubt flushed, too. “I hope he wasn’t too harsh with you.”

Harsh certainly isn’t the word you’d choose to describe what just happened in his cabin. “I received the punishment I deserved for my error,” You say, hoping to avoid bringing up any particulars of that punishment, not when your ass still stung in the shape of his hand. Before Jinx can ask another question, you make your way across the deck to the poor crewmate you tricked.

“I owe you an apology.” You speak to him with the same grace and dignity you would reserve for a noble. “Tricking you wasn’t just wrong, it was cruel. If I thought for even one minute that things would turn out the way they did, I never would have done it but that does not make it acceptable.”

You bow your head and sink into a half-curtsy.

“Please, accept my sincerest apologies.”

The walleyed crewmember says nothing at first. Your cheeks grow red from embarrassment as you try to figure out what you ought to do next. He saves you from your discomfort when he lets out a loud, cawing laugh.

“All those fancy words for me, miss?” He guffaws. “In all me days I never thought a lady would speak so pretty to me.” He throws an arm around you in a friendly, but rough, manner and you straighten up to avoid falling over altogether. “So, am I forgiven?”

“Ya ran a bad scheme and it bit us all in the ass. We’ve all done it,” he assures her. “But it’s nice to know you aren’t too high and mighty to take the consequences.” Relief floods you as the other crewmates circle around. They give you approving nods, though you won’t go as far as to say they look upon you with trust or friendliness.

“Surely, the Captain requested more than just an apology,” Sevika says with a suspicious glint in her eyes.

“The apology was my own doing,” you say as you approach her. “His punishment dictates that I am to report to you. I am to clean the deck.” Her eyebrows twitch as the corners of her mouth quiver like she’s trying not to laugh.

“I wouldn’t trust someone so soft-handed with the care of my deck but if the Captain insists…”

She trails off as she walks away. You realize you are meant to follow and hurry after her. She doesn’t offer anything by way of instruction. She tosses a bucket and a thick bristled brush towards you, which you fail to catch. The items clatter onto the floor. Your cheeks burn when you hear chuckles behind you. “Get to it,” Sevika grunts. You look at the empty bucket, noticing that it’s…well, empty.

“Where would I find water?” As soon as the words are out of your mouth, you realize your mistake. Everyone who heard begins to laugh.

“I think you can figure that one out on your own, princess,” Sevika smirks before heading below deck.

Jinx appears at your side, silent as a ghost but with the energy of a toddler who has had nothing but sweets all day.

“I rigged up a pulley system so you can fill your bucket. I’ll show you.”

She loops her arm through yours and pulls you across the deck. You fill your bucket with saltwater and approach one of the more gruesome remnants of the morning’s violence. Your stomach heaves as you spot something that might very well be a skull fragment.

Determined not to look foolish or weak, you get on your knees and scrub. You work diligently and without complaint, even when your arms start to ache and the wood remains stained despite your efforts.

It isn’t the approval of the crew you want, exactly. But you are going to be trapped on this ship for two weeks. While you aren’t looking to make friends with your captors, you also don’t want to find your throat slit in a moment of anger.

“How long are you going to keep doing that?” Jinx materializes by your side. Her braids fall into the puddle you’ve created with your scrubbing efforts. She doesn't seem to mind that she might be getting blood in her long hair.

“Is this a trick question?”

“No.”

You lift your head to find wide blue eyes staring at you with curiosity.

“I will keep doing this until the deck is clean.”

She barks out a laugh. “You’re never going to remove all the gross stuff with just water. Didn’t you know that?”

“I don’t often find myself in positions where I am scrubbing up gross stuff ,” you reply. “What else am I supposed to use?”

“Did Sevika not tell you?” Her brows knit together in a mix of concern and confusion.

“Tell me what?”

Jinx studies you for a moment longer before giggling. “Oh, I get it. Sevika’s having a go at you. Don’t worry. Everyone knows you’ll work without kicking up a fuss. I’ll be right back.”

She bounds off, leaving you confused. You take a moment to give your aching arms a break. You are aware of eyes on you, though the crewmates scattered around the deck do a decent job of not staring at you directly. You know this is some kind of test, one you’re determined to pass with flying colors even if the reward is earning the respect of pirates.

Jinx returns with a small tin.

“Watch this.” With a grin, she opens the tin to reveal vibrant purple powder. She sprinkles a little over the blood-soaked wood. “Pour a little water on that.”

You do as she instructs. With wide eyes, you watch the water hiss and bubble. It takes on a pale purple hue as it spreads. It eats away at the blood but leaves the wood unblemished.

“More water,” Jinx instructs. You comply. The bubbles wash away leaving behind smooth, clean wood.

“What is that?” You ask, eyeing the purple power.

“We’re still working on a name. I have several ideas but they always get shot down,” she says as she replaces the lid and tucks the tin into one of her many pockets.

“We?”

“The ship’s doctor. He likes to experiment.”

“This is the same doctor you got that strange drink from before, when I was first brought aboard?” You press.

“Yup!” Jinx beams.

“Well, the Captain tore that drink from my hands and threw it overboard before giving me water. What was wrong with it?” You shudder at the thought of drinking a substance that is capable of dissolving blood and chunks of brain matter being served to you in a cup.

“Nothing!” Jinx raises her hands, palms facing you. “Sometimes it has side effects, but usually it’s completely safe.”

“Usually?” You arch a brow.

“Sometimes it makes your veins swell and glow and you can occasionally develop abnormal growths on your body,” she explains. “But that’s only if the batch is made wrong or you take way too much.”

“None of the words coming from your mouth are bringing me comfort.”

“It’s science! It’s all about trial and error,” she shrugs. “If I thought it would hurt you I wouldn’t have given it to you.”

Despite everything, you believe her. You haven’t seen a hint of malice in her since you were brought aboard.

“But you still haven’t told me what it is,” you press.

“It’s…a tool,” she says with thoughtful consideration. “Depending on how we process it, it can do a lot of things. It can be medicine and poison at the same time. It can clean wood with gentle precision but also dissolve bone. A tricky thing, it is. Truly fascinating.”

“Interesting,” you murmur as your mind wanders to a person who possesses that same versatility. Another tricky thing.

You see Silco’s face in your mind’s eye but quickly shake his image away. You don’t want to think about the Captain right now. You’re still cross from the way he teased you and denied you. You’re even more cross knowing how much you would have begged for your pleasure had he not chosen to punish you the way he did. “Thank you for the help. Can I have some of that powder to help me clean?”

Jinx almost seems like she’s going to agree but she holds back. “I’ll just stay with you. We can talk and I’ll sprinkle a little whenever you need it.”

“That works for me.” You offer her a warm smile, a genuine one. She smiles back and settles between two crates to keep you company as you clean. ******** Though you finish cleaning the blood and gore from the deck the very day they were spilled, Sevika isn’t shy about giving you extra tasks. She never gives you anything too difficult though you know it’s not out of consideration for you, but for the ship.

You’ve scrubbed the deck twice a day for three days. When you aren’t scrubbing, you put your sewing skills to use mending sails. The thick material is hard to work with and the needles are little more than scraps of half-rusted metal but you make do.

With the help of quick hands, fast learning, and the strange purple powder Jinx offers you soon have far too much idle time on your hands.

You aren’t particularly fond of aimlessly pacing the deck. The Captain’s cabin is always open to you, but you spend as little time there as you can manage.

Despite Captain Silco’s demanding schedule, he always manages to be in the cabin whenever you are. The room is small enough as it is, but when you are in there together, the very air seems to struggle for space. You don’t speak to him. You don’t look at him unless you can help it. Yet, he never misses a chance to brush close to you. You feel his eyes on you, always. Even when you sleep.

Sharing his bed is a necessity but you keep your limbs tucked close to you and your body curled toward the cabin wall. He never touches you, which brings both relief and unimaginable frustration.

On the third night, you lay wide awake. Your entire body hums with pressure from the release that was denied days ago. The longing never went away but tonight it’s nearly unbearable.

You listen in the dark. Silco sleeps beside you. His breathing is deep and even. Though there is a soft glow from the ember of his ruined eye, you know he’s asleep. Slowly, very slowly, you shift onto your back. You wear only a borrowed shirt to sleep in. Your legs are left bare and your undergarments never recovered from your unexpected dip in the ocean. Tonight, it’s an advantage.

With great care, you slowly lift the long hem of your shirt until you feel the skin of your lower belly. You part your legs only an inch or two before letting your hand slowly wander between your legs beneath the shared blankets.

You listen intently as you move. Silco’s breathing never changes and you keep the rustling of bedsheets to a minimum.

You find it safe to assume that Silco is a heavy sleeper. Between the winds and rocking of the ship, it would be difficult for a finicky sleeper to find peace here. At least, that’s what you tell yourself. As sound as your logic may be, logic is not what drives you at this moment.

The sensation of your fingertips against your skin is enough to make you shiver. You freeze, silently admonishing your lack of self-control before making another attempt. You don’t need much. Just a few light, indulgent touches. Just enough to remove the biting edge of desire that has taken up permanent residence in the back of your mind since Silco bent you over his knee. The pad of a single fingertip brushes against that sensitive, soaked bundle of nerves at the apex of your thighs. Your teeth sink into your bottom lip, hard enough to hurt. The pain is necessary if it keeps you from making even the softest of sounds.

You wait for a moment, listening to Silco’s breathing. When you are certain there is no change, you allow another slow drag of your fingertip. Then another. And another. Pleasure spins through your mind and soothes the needy ache you’ve carried in your core for days.

Fragmented images from the night of the storm slip through your mind. The memory of Silco’s soft groan when you rode him so slowly sends another ripple of warmth through your body. You can recall the exact sensation of his tongue as he teased your nipples. You can feel the way he throbbed inside of you when you drove each other to maddening releases.

Yet, somehow, you manage to keep your movements minimal, discrete, and silent. Even as your blood heats up and your heart pounds, you have enough self-control to keep yourself quiet as you relieve your desires.

An intoxicating sense of smugness adds another layer to your pleasure. Though it was memories of Silco that fueled that pleasure, he remains asleep beside you. Completely oblivious.

His ability to consistently underestimate you was truly something-

“What do we have here?” His velvet voice slides through the darkness and wraps around you as his hand finds yours. You’re grateful for the pitch blackness of the cabin so he cannot see the redness of your cheeks. Your mind, still caught in the haze of pleasure from your fingertip, struggles to come up with any sort of explanation.

There is nothing you can say for yourself. You’ve been caught.

His hand, still covering your hand, moves. He presses down on your fingers, forcing you to tease yourself. You push your hips down into the mattress to avoid the pressure of your own touch. “Oh, now you wish to follow the rules?” He taunts lightly.

You roll so that your back is to him. You tell yourself that you remain silent because you will not sink so low as to dignify his taunts with a response. Yet, deep in your belly where that spring of desire sits tightly coiled, you know that you cannot trust your own tongue right now. If you open your mouth to slice him with scathing words, there is a chance you’ll simply end up begging for pleasure.

Hatred blooms within the blush on your cheeks. How dare he toy with you in such a way? How dare you struggle so much to keep yourself in control around him? What happened that night, within the violence of the storm, was about control more than it was about pleasure.

But now? You have your hand between your legs, sneaking pleasure when you’ve always been able to go without when it suited you.

He’s made you desperate.

You remove your hand from between your legs and tuck both arms against your chest. You clamp your thighs together and pray that the sweet ache between them fades soon.

“If I catch you doing that again, I will not hesitate to bind your hands behind your back.” Silco’s voice comes through the darkness once more before he falls silent. You continue to say nothing. When the sun rises, you dress as quickly as you can and flee the cabin. Silco sits at his desk and you do not even have to look at him to know there is a smug smile on his mouth. Embarrassment and irritation propel you through your daily tasks in record time. It is not yet midday when you find that you have nothing to do.

The rest of the crew mill about at a comfortable pace. They don’t seem to be in any particular rush. Jinx is nowhere to be found. You assume she’s below decks with the strange doctor you have yet to meet. Disappointment flutters in your chest. As strange as it is, your favorite parts of the past few days were when she would perch near you ask you worked, and ramble on about everything and nothing. She often jumped from topic to topic without rhyme or reason and rarely bothered to make sure you had the proper context to understand anything she said, but you enjoyed listening. She helped you keep your mind busy.

When your mind is not busy, even for the briefest of moments, your thoughts always turn to Silco. More specifically Silcos’s hands. Or his mouth. Or his voice or his cock or his insufferable personality. Without care, it’s so easy for you to lose yourself in a whirlpool of obsessive, never-ending thoughts about that ridiculous, despicable, revolting pirate bastard.

Prickles of pure fury ripple over your skin. With a soft snarl of annoyance, you scan the deck for Sevika. You find her near the bow, watching the calm sea.

“I need something else to do,” you say.

She initially seems as though she does not hear you, but you’ve come to realize that it’s part of the game she plays. She makes you wait before turning slowly and looking at you as though you’re a piece of flotsam.

“Mend the sails,” she says.

“They’re all mended.” Despite their somewhat worn-down appearance, the sails are of remarkable quality. Even after that vicious beast of a storm, little mending was needed.

“And the deck?”

“As spotless as it can be with all of the wood rot.”

“And the spare line?”

“In perfect condition. It may as well be coils of silk.”

“How many pickled eggs are in the barrel?”

“Two-hundred and seventy-three.”

Her thick, dark brows shoot up. “You’re kidding.”

“If you want to double-check, you’re more than welcome but please give me something to do first before I throw myself overboard.”

Several emotions fight for dominance on Sevika’s stern face. You see flashes of surprise, humor, annoyance, and perhaps a little bit of respect though that might have been a trick of the light.

“Arlo is doing one of his big cooking hauls today,” Sevika says. “I’m sure he can use an extra set of hands.”

You had yet to venture below deck to meet the ship’s cook and see the mess deck. Jinx preferred to eat in the open air and had taken it upon herself to bring an extra serving for you at mealtimes.

You find the meal offerings of the Zaun’s Revenge to be, frankly, repulsive. At first, you assumed it was because your palate was used to Piltover’s fresh vegetables, vibrant spices, and choice cuts of meat. But you’d seen the way others look at their meals with disgust and longing and you knew you weren’t alone in your dislike of the cuisine.

Of course, could you truly expect to find something tasty aboard a pirate’s ship?

Sevika does not wait for you to answer. She turns away as though you are not there and focuses her gaze on the sea once more. You wonder if she’s looking for something or simply pondering. It’s not hard to imagine that those aboard this ship have had difficult lives filled with strife. You have more than most ever will, despite your losses, and you often need to take a moment to deal with the weight of it all by gazing at a soothing view. It clears the mind.

You make your way below deck, passing the crammed tables of the mess deck.

Arlo isn’t difficult to find. The mess deck and the kitchen are one and the same. A heavy-set man covered in a light sheen of sweat frantically tosses…something in a wide pan over a massive flame. The air carries a scent of burnt food and vinegar. Arlo watches the pan as though he believes the contents will jump out and bite him. To be fair, that doesn’t seem impossible.

“Hello?” You call softly, over the violent sizzle of the ill-fated meal.

Arlo looks over his shoulder and sets the pan aside, looking relieved to do so before a stern expression overtakes his somewhat doughy features. You can’t help but notice the red tinge to his watery grey eyes, irritated by the fumes of cooking such a creation.

“No early meals. You should know the rules by now, princess.”

“Oh, no,” you shake your head. “I’m not here to beg for food. Sevika suggested you might need an extra hand. She said you were doing some kind of…food haul?” While you understand what each of those words mean separately, you are unsure of the combined meaning of them in this context.

“Aye?” He sniffs as he brings the corner of his apron up to rub at his eyes. “I like to cook big batches of things all at once and preserve them so it is easy to handle mealtimes. This lot is hard to feed.”

“Preserve them?” You ask. “You have enough salt for such a task?”

“Of a sort,” he says. “The good doctor below decks whipped up a preserving powder that works wonders. It tastes like nothing.”

Arlo jerks his chin towards a bowl sitting on one of the stained, cluttered counters. The bowl is filled with a grainy substance the same vibrant shade of purple as the powder that helped you get blood out of the deck.

“What is it?” You ask, leaning forward just a little.

“Beats me,” Arlo shrugs. “It’s not my place to ask questions, especially not when I’m given something helpful for free.”

“I can understand that,” you nod. “Do you need help with your food haul?”

“I won’t say no. Can you cook?”

You hesitate for a moment. “No. But if you have a recipe I can look at, I can surely figure it out.” You’ve always been a quick learner. And so many people know how to cook so how hard can it truly be? You doubt whatever concoctions Arlo makes take much skill.

“I don’t waste my time with recipes.”

“Then how do you cook?” You ask, unsure if you want to know the answer.

“I do what feels right.”

What feels right often leads to grey foods that are both mushy and crunchy at the same time.

“Did you study somewhere to become a cook?” Your training in polite conversation rears its head before you can stop it. Of course, he didn’t train anywhere. He’s a bloody pirate.

“People are trained to be cooks?” He looks at you with utter confusion.

“They prefer to be called chefs, but yes.”

“Ach,” he waves her off. “I’m no chef and I do not pretend to be. I just do my best to use whatever isn’t rotting or foul to keep the crew fed.”

Well, at least Arlo seems to have some sort of self-awareness. “Were you not able to gather more ingredients when we stopped at Port Fairna?” You ask. You vividly remember plenty of spice sellers and bakers lining the dirt streets.

“No,” Arlo answers sharply. “I do not mess about with such things.”

You tilt your head in confusion. “You do not manage your own stock?”

“No.” Came another curt reply. The cook avoids your gaze, choosing instead to look at his own hands.

You decide not to push the matter and instead, turn your attention to the shelves of the well-stocked scullery. Unfortunately, your confusion only deepens. The shelves are lined with rich spices from all over the world that look untouched. You spy garlic, onions, potatoes, carrots, and all manner of staple ingredients labeled and stored with heaps of the purple preservative.

“What are all of these?” You ask.

Arlo looks at the shelves you point to but quickly looks away. “Don’t know. Never seen ‘em before. Don’t know how to cook with ‘em so I don’t use them.”

“But it says what they are right on the containers,” you point out. “Surely, you’ve heard of garlic and potatoes even if you’ve never had them. Right?”

Arlo goes quiet for a moment and you briefly wonder if you’ve made some unforgivable error in an innocent question. “Aye. Yes, I’ve heard of them but I did not know we had them.”

“But they’re labeled. Did you not label them yourself?” He controls the kitchen, does he not?

Arlo’s cheeks turn a patchy red color that is not from the fumes or heat. “No, no I didn’t. I…can’t.”

You stare in confusion before shame and embarrassment creep into your gut. “You do not know how to write?”

“Or read.”

Arlo can’t meet your gaze. He seems frozen in place. Though he is nearly the side of the large, tattooed crewmember that once pulled you from the sea, he looks like a small child.

“Oh,” you say softly. It’s clearly a point of tenderness for Arlo. You don’t wish to upset him even more. “Well, then this seems like a perfect arrangement.”

He lifts his head and looks at you with a quizzical expression. “What?”

“I can read but I cannot cook. You can cook but cannot read. It seems like an ideal pairing to me.” You offer him a smile.

For a brief moment, you wonder at your own actions. You’d never go out of your way to be unkind to someone who did not deserve it and you always try to do what’s right, but you know yourself. You have a temper and a spiteful streak that prevent you from ever calling yourself a nice person, though you like to think you are kind in all of the ways that matter.. Arlo is a pirate. Arlo likely knew of the plan to kidnap you and hold you for ransom. Arlo is one of Silco’s men and, therefore, cannot possibly be a good person.

Yet, you find it easy to be nice to him. Natural, even. He doesn’t seem like a scowling, sneering member of a villainous pirate crew determined to put you through hell before returning you to your father and fiance.

He’s just…a person.

So is Jinx.

You are surrounded by people. Just people.

You shake away the thought. Yes, the crew of the Zaun’s Revenge are people but they are people who willingly follow a terrible man capable of terrible things. There are no innocent people aboard this ship and you cannot allow sentimentality and loneliness to cloud that fact.

Still, if a little teamwork can yield some decent food, you’re willing to give it a go.

With Arlo’s approving nod, you push into the scullery and examine what you have to work with. The stock aboard this half-rotted ship rivals your larder back home. You gather up ingredients you know work well together and read the labels to Arlo. His eyes light up with inspiration.

“If I had known we had such things, I would have used them ages ago,” he says with an excited smile.

“No one helped you until now?” You press.

“In case you haven’t noticed, we’re not exactly a helpful bunch. We handle our own responsibilities and we don’t gripe to anyone else. No one wants to be seen as a weak link in the chainmail. Weak links don’t last long. Asking for help would mean dumping some of my responsibilities on someone else’s lap. It’s just not done, you see?”

“No, not really,” you answer. “Asking for help is not a weakness.”

“We can agree to disagree on that but let me ask you something.” Arlo took a head of garlic and began peeling and mincing the cloves with speed and precision. “When was the last time you answered a call for help?”

You open your mouth to answer but falter. You cannot remember a time you were last approached by someone in need of help.

“Well, no one has asked me for help in recent memory so I cannot say,” you answer.

“And that automatically means that no one around you needed help?”

“I-” you stammer. “I don’t know.”

“I bet you live in a big, fancy house. Yeah?”

“Yes,” you say, your cheeks coloring with embarrassment as you pass a vial of dried green herbs to Arlo.

“And lots of people get paid to be in that house and make your life easier?”

“Yes,” you repeat.

“And you don’t think those people have struggles that you could probably help with?”

You want to say no. You want to believe that everyone working for your family is happy and content with their job as well as their personal lives but you are not that naive.

Except…perhaps, you are.

“I never thought about it,” you admit.

“And they never asked because that’s not how it’s done. Their burdens are their own. My burdens are my own. It is the way of things.”

You let his words sit heavy on your chest as you rummage through the scullery. You’re almost grateful when you smell the thick stench of rot from ingredients kept too long. You clear out everything that doesn’t look right and shove it into a bin to be disposed of later.

You think of your lady’s maid and realize you know little about her. You do not know if she has siblings, a lover, a best friend, or even if her parents are alive. You have no idea why she applied for a position with your family. As much as you’d like to think your family are good employers, you know it’s foolish to believe her greatest joy in life is tightening your corset and brushing your hair.

“Would this be a tasty addition?” Arlo calls, bringing you out of your thoughts as he holds up a jar of dried peppers. You read the label and wince.

“Are spicy dishes popular among the crew?” You ask. “Just one of those would set your mouth on fire.”

“Better leave it for another day, then,” he shrugs. “I don’t want to overwhelm anyone with too many new flavors.”

Though Arlo never had any training, his instincts as a cook come to life the moment he fully realizes just what he has to take advantage of. Vegetables are minced and sauteed quickly. You find some bone broth tucked away in the scullery. There is no shortage of fishmeat to choose from. You read the labels to Arlo who looks on in wonder.

“I thought this was bass and this was carp,” he says, pointing to two containers of preserved fishmeat. “I never knew that was eel. It all looks so different when it’s sliced up and skinned.”

“Who does the fishing?”

“A few crewmembers have a knack for it. All of Sevika’s gadgets make her the obvious choice for skinning, deboning, and filleting,” Arlo explains. “It’s brought to me all packaged up like this.”

It seems odd to you that the systems around food are so sloppy, especially since Silco seems to thrive on order. Upon further reflection, you realize you haven’t actually seen him eat. He left his plate untouched at the tavern. He let you eat his bread and potatoes. You saw him drink from his tankard but you cannot recall him taking a bite of his food.

Surely, he must eat. Though he is a pirate, he’s displayed a sense of elegance and taste on more than one occasion. You simply cannot see him eating the food prepared by his illiterate cook.

But why does it matter to you? He’s obviously eating enough to keep himself alive. Why would you care what he eats?

You don’t care. And you don’t want to think about him. You have an important task on hand that is, truthfully, quite fun. You’ve come across many of the spices and herbs stored in the scullery during your travels. Smelling them brings pleasant memories. While you do not know how to cook, you know how to describe what things taste like. In the event Arlo knows nothing about an ingredient, you are sometimes able to provide some knowledge. It’s a strange system, but it somehow works.

Arlo keeps your mind busy. He even teaches you how to chop a few things. Your hands are clumsy but you make it work. Within an hour, you are dutifully stirring a massive pot of fish stew. While it’s not something you’d choose for yourself, it’s an improvement on whatever Arlo made before. “It’s strange to be a cook on a pirate ship in the middle of the ocean and have access to things I never even knew existed growing up,” Arlo says, holding a potato in his hands.

“You never had a potato until joining this crew?” You itch to ask why he joined in the first place but you allow him to reveal information about himself at his own pace.

“Potatoes grow from the earth, yeah?” He asks. You nod. “Which means they need something in order to grow.” He gives you an expectant look. You know you’re being tested again but potatoes are a safer topic than the unknown personal lives of your staff. “Sunshine, water, and fertilizer, I presume.”

“There is no sunshine where I come from,” Arlo says. “Water can’t be wasted on plants but even if it could, there is no earth. You can’t grow something of the earth if there is no earth for growing.”

“Oh,” you murmur softly. “You’re from the Undercity, then?”

“Almost all of us are,” Arlo says. “I’m surprised you didn’t know that.”

“Well, I haven’t been in a very social mood as of late. Being kidnapped tends to do that.” You offer a small smirk, which Arlo returns.

“Fair enough,” he nods. “You seem like a decent sort for a spoiled heiress.”

“You seem like a decent sort for a pirate who can’t read.”

Arlo barks out a laugh. “Perhaps, your ransom money will buy me a tutor.”

You can’t help but laugh at that as you continue to stir the stew. With a little thrill of accomplishment, you realize that you’ve not only assisted in the preparation of a meal but you’ve done so without thinking of Silco for more than a few moments. He’s hardly entered your mind at all.

Footfalls thump on the wooden stairs leading to the deck. You spot tall, well-kept boots wrapped around slender legs.

It is as if your thoughts - or lack thereof - summoned him like some kind of devilish moth to a flame that would prefer to be left unbothered. “Ah, there you are,” Silco says as he enters the mess deck. “What on earth are you doing?”

“Working,” you reply, keeping your eyes on the stew.

“I did not assign you to the kitchen.”

“You told me to take orders from Sevika. Sevika sent me here. Arlo and I are getting along brilliantly, aren’t we?” You look over your shoulder at the cook who glances between you and Silco with a look of panicked confusion. Eventually, his gaze stops on Silco.

“I didn’t know you didn’t want her working in the kitchen, Captain,” he says quickly. His voice trembles with nerves and you feel anger flickering to life in your stomach.

“I should warn you, Arlo,” Silco speaks as though the cook said nothing. “Our prisoner does not have a talent for following directions. She can be sneaky and disobedient if she believes she can get away with it.”

Your cheeks burn as you understand exactly what he means.

Before you can stop yourself, you pull the wooden spoon from the stew and chuck it at Silco. He dodges, but barely. His good eye widens in surprise as you search for something else to launch at him. Perhaps a nice sharp butcher’s knife. Instead, you find a whisk. You throw it without hesitation.

“Have you gone mad?” Silco snaps, dodging the second projectile. How can someone with one working eye be so good at dodging and judging distance? Although, you don’t know for certain if the ruined eye still has a vision. Could that be possible?

You let out a frustrated groan as your mind tries to give in to your curiosity about the infuriating pirate before you.

“Oh, I see,” Silco chuckles. “You’re just upset I won’t let you cu-”

He is silenced by a spatula spinning through the air as it hurtles toward him. He dodges once more.

“I have plenty of things to throw at you,” you warn him. “And if I have gone mad, it’s entirely your fault so I will not feel bad if I crack your nose with a rolling pin.”

“I don’t have one of those,” Arlo murmurs softly.

“Temper, temper,” Silco tuts before backing up toward the stairs. “Don’t let her poison me, Arlo. I don’t put it past her to try.”

Arlo gives you a concerned look as Silco vanishes.

“Don’t worry,” you say with a bitter note in your voice. “I won’t poison anyone.”

“It’s not that, though I’m glad to hear it,” he said. “But you just threw things at the Captain. Have you lost your bleeding senses, woman?”

“Most likely.” You find another spoon to stir the stew with and continue on as though Silco did not interrupt your work.

“Just be careful,” Arlo warns. “The Captain is not to be trifled with.”

“Neither am I.” ******** The stew is well received, but that’s not a surprise. Even if it still tastes off to you, it’s a massive improvement. The mess deck is packed with crewmembers licking their bowls clean and sniffing out second helpings. You and Arlo made enough stew to last several meals but it is all gone in the span of an hour. Arlo frets about rationing ingredients but his worries are soon put to rest from an overflow of praise. Even Sevika cracks a smile as she sips her broth.

Silco does not eat with the crew, but that doesn’t surprise you. A spiteful part of you is glad that he will miss out on such a delightful meal. It serves him right for being so…so… Him.

As night falls, the crew settles into a leisurely state.

You get to work scrubbing the dirty dishes, eager to have a task that will keep you out of the Captain’s chambers for as long as possible.

“Ach, leave it to me,” Arlo says. “You’ve done enough.”

“I don’t mind,” you protest, even though dishwashing is not an appealing task after seeing the way the pirates eat. “I should be helping.”

“Come have a drink with us,” comes the deep voice of the tattoo-covered man. After listening to the conversation during mealtimes, you gleaned that his name is Locke.

“Oh, I-” You stammer, surprised by the invitation. A slender crewmember with dark choppy hair moves to Locke’s side. You’re fairly certain they go by Ran.

“Come on,” they urge. “You’ve worked hard enough. And none of us have given you proper credit for taking Walley’s punishment the other day. It took nerve to speak up like that. Most of us wouldn’t have done that.”

You look back at Arlo, who gives a nod of approval. Your gaze returns to Locke and Ran. Though they do not look as intimidating as they did when you first came aboard, you wouldn’t call their demeanors friendly, either but that’s something you’ve come to expect. Everyone on this ship comes from a rough place. It makes sense that even kindness looks abrasive in your eyes. “Okay,” you nod. A part of your mind begins to scheme. If you can befriend some of the crew, perhaps you can pull off an escape after all. The other part of your mind is simply glad you have a reason to stay out of the Captain’s cabin. Besides, it will surely irritate Silco that his crew is being so welcoming to you. That’s a lovely bonus to this situation.

You follow Locke and Ran to the main deck where quite a few members of the crew including Jinx and Sevika stand around a cluster of torches bound together in a damp barrel. It doesn’t seem like the safest arrangement, but you don’t say as much. You move to Jinx’s side. She beams when she sees you and throws a playful, but rough, arm over your shoulder.

“It’s about time you started being social,” she says with a glint of mischief in her eyes. You almost want to remind her that you are a prisoner, a captive. Socializing is not a priority. You decide against it. She’s just a kid. She’s happy and she’s aware of the situation. You’ll leave well enough alone.

“Here, princess.” Sevika presses a tin into your hand. You can smell the alcohol even though the tin is nowhere near your face.

“What is it?” You ask.

“The finest vintage imported from uppityland courtesy of Star Crossed Shipping,” Sevika snorts before taking a gulp of her own drink. You try not to bristle at the mention of your father’s company.

“Seriously, what is it?” You whisper to Jinx.

“I don’t know. I only drink coralberry juice,” she shrugs. “Nothing else is sweet enough.”

You’ve never heard of coralberries or their juice. It’s entirely possible that Jinx is making up a random drink for the fun of it. Either way, your cup is filled with something dark and pungent. It is only when you notice that many crewmembers are watching you with curious and expectant looks that you realize they’re waiting for you to drink. They probably expect you to choke and sputter, proving that you’re too soft and fragile compared to them.

You don’t know why the idea bothers you, but it does. You brace yourself and take a drink.

And it is awful.

If you had to guess, you’d say it was some kind of spiced rum but that doesn’t make the burn any easier to bear as you swallow it down. Your eyes water so much that everyone blurs together in a smudgy mess. For a moment, you think you’re going to be sick. Or that your skin is going to melt off. It’s hard to know for sure.

Even when you swallow the liquid down and the feeling passes, your tongue feels numb. Surely, that’s nothing to worry about. Right?

You are rewarded with approving glances but never any outright praise. Not that it matters. Why would you want the praise of a bunch of pirates? Why would you want praise for choking down something that tastes like it was made in a boot?

You shudder as you realize that it likely was made in a boot or something equally foul.

Thankfully, attention moves away from you as everyone settles down to swap stories. Jinx pulls two crates together and urges you to sit on one.

“Every word of these stories is utter shit, but they’re entertaining,” Jinx whispers to you. “I hope Locke tells about the time he caught a deep sea spineshark with nothing more than a stick and some fishing line.”

You listen to the stories and Jinx’s words ring true. It quickly becomes clear that the purpose is not to share experiences, but to outdo each other with fictional feats of glory. Though, when Sevika speaks of punching a ravenous whale right in the eye, you feel as though there is a measure of truth in her words. Especially if that punch was done by her three-pronged attachment.

“I wonder who is going shout liar first,” Jinx murmurs as her eyes scan the faces of those around her.

“What?” You ask.

“Eventually, someone tells a story that’s so impossible, so unbelievable, that someone else calls them a lair. Then they fight over it.”

“Fight? As in, fight ?” You shake your head. How is this considered a fun activity?

“Yup!” Jinx’s eyes sparkle with excitement. “It’s the best part.”

“If you say so,” you shrug and continue to listen.

Sure enough, a skinny sailor with sunken eyes and a permanent scowl tells a tale that is just a little bit too farfetched and it sends Locke over the edge.

“Lair!” Locke booms, spilling some of his drink.

“You wouldn’t know the truth if it bit you in the ass,” the other sailor snarls.

“This is going to be a boring fight,” Jinx mumbles. “No one will throw a punch at Locke and Locke is too honorable to punch someone smaller than him.”

Never in a thousand years would you have looked at Locke and thought the word honorable applies to him. But Jinx’s prediction rings true. The two sailors shout and swear at each other for a little while but they do not come to blows.

“At least I am a decent shot,” Locke grumbles as the argument reaches its head.

“My nan is a better shot than you are and she’s fuckin’ blind,” the other man snarls, earning a round of snickers from the rest of the crew.

“Your nan died three years ago, you twat.”

“Yeah! And she can’t see for shit!”

You nearly spit out your tentative sip of likely-rum at that. You try to rein in your laughter when you realize everyone else is doing the opposite, especially Jinx.

“Bring me a rifle,” Locke snaps. “We’ll settle this now.”

“You don’t have any targets to aim for, you buffoon,” Ran quips as they drain their cup.

“That don’t matter,” the skinny sailor says with a dismissive wave. “I’m so drunk I can see just about as well as my nan.”

“Then how are we going to settle our little disagreement?” Locke demands. “By proxy?”

“Sure, I’ll choose a proxy to defend my honor,” the sailor scoffs. His bleary eyes scan his surroundings before his gaze lands on you. “I bet the little heiress can outshoot you.”

Locke rolls his eyes and your cheeks flush red.

“I’ll bet my life’s earning she’s never even held a firearm before,” Locke mutters.

“Yet she can still outshoot you,” the sailor slurs.

Your apprehension melts away as you realize everything is said in good fun. For reasons you are unsure of, you decide to join in.

“I’ve never held a firearm but I’m certain Locke has never danced a waltz,” you say.

Locke levels you with a hard stare, one brow arched. “Who needs waltzing?”

“Who needs to be a good shot in alone in the middle of the ocean?” You point out.

“Good marksmanship is very useful in piracy,” Locke says. “Waltzing is not.”

“Waltzing requires grace, balance, self-awareness, spatial awareness, and the ability to read those around you. You don’t have only your partner to worry about but other pairs around you. Can the same be said for shooting?”

“Yes!” Jinx exclaims. “Well, maybe not the bit about a partner but that’s all true.”

“What a load of shit,” Locke grumbles.

“It’s true,” Sevika chimes in. Her word seems to make all the difference even if she only speaks up for the sake of her own entertainment.

You look at Locke who still seems to be struggling with the idea that a waltz and a rifleman use the same skillset. “I propose a challenge.”

That gets everyone’s attention.

“If I can shoot better than Locke can waltz, I win,” you say.

“Win what?” Locke asks.

“Bragging rights?” You suggest. You don’t want to trade away any chores since you need them in order to avoid being alone with Silco.

“Done,” Locke nods with a smirk. Despite his menacing appearance, he looks almost…giddy. Like he’s happy to take part in something that’s truly ridiculous. “Come take your shot.”

You stand and approach Locke as Ran brings a rifle to him.

“Do you have any idea how to shoot this at all?” Locke asks.

“Nope,” you admit.

“In the spirit of good sportsmanship, I’ll show you just enough to keep you from hurting yourself,” he says.

“How gallant.”

He shows you how to hold the rifle, which is far heavier than you imagined. As per instruction, you keep the barrel pointed toward the open ocean at all times. As you hold it, your arms start to tremble. Locke prepares the rifle for firing and you suspect he’s taking longer than necessary just to see you struggle.

“If there is no target, how can we know whether I’ve made a good shot or not?” You ask.

“Don’t worry. That won’t matter.”

“But my part of the challenge is a test of marksmanship,” you protest only to be met with a chuckle.

“Okay, princess. Go ahead and fire.” Locke gives you a nod and you gently tap your finger against the trigger. Aiming at the endless, empty expanse of the black ocean, you pull the trigger fully. You expect the loud boom but you do not expect to feel the entire rifle revolt against your grip, slamming into your shoulder. You stumble back with a small yelp, much to the enjoyment of the spectators around you.

Locke tosses his head back and laughs, his shoulders shaking.

“What the hell was that?” You stammer. Ran takes the rifle from you, freeing your hands to rub at your shoulder.

“Recoil. To be honest, I expected to you land on your ass,” Locke chuckles.

“You might have given me some warning.”

“Where is the fun in that?” The pirate says.

“Well, once I confirm that my shoulder hasn’t been launched from its socket, I’m going to make you waltz and we’ll see how you do,” You mutter, still testing the soreness in your arm and shoulder. “If you complete the waltz without tripping, you’ll win. Is that fair?” That seems fair to you since Locke expected the rifle’s recoil to send you to the ground.

“Easy enough,” he agrees.

“Good. Stand here.” You direct him to stand in front of you. “Watch my feet.”

With a phantom partner, you demonstrate the basic steps of a waltz before returning to Locke.

“Got it?” You ask.

“Yes,” Locke nods though he does not seem very confident.

“Good. Remember, if you trip, I win.” You place his hands in the correct positions and do the same for yourself. He’s much taller and broader than anyone you’ve ever danced with. Your arms feel suspended in an awkward way that almost makes you laugh.

“I don’t suppose we have any music?”

“Depends. Can one play a waltz on the side of a barrel?” Jinx asks.

“Likely not,” you chuckle. “It’s no matter. I will count out the beat. That won’t be too difficult for you, will it?” You taunt Locke who only nods.

You begin to count, but nothing happens. Locke stands stock still.

“You’re the man. You’re supposed to lead,” you prompt him.

“Right. Naturally,” he grumbles and waits for you to begin your count. When you do, he steps forward instead of backward, trampling your foot. You hold in your laughter as you shake your head.

“I didn’t think you’d stumble on the very first step,” you tease. “Had I known such a game would be so easy to win I would have joined the fun sooner.”

“I’ve never done any of that fancy Piltover dancing before. Let me try again,” Locke mutters. “It’s a stupid dance. It’s not that hard.”

“If you say so,” you shrug before taking up position again. You begin to count once more. To Locke’s credit, he manages two steps before stumbling, earning a round of laughter from the crew.

“What is the meaning of this?” A voice like a burst of cold wind blew over the deck. Silco stood at the top of the stairs leading to his cabin. The laughter amongst the crew faded into nothing. Only Jinx looked unaffected by the Captain’s sudden presence.

“A friendly challenge,” you explain. “Nothing more.”

“I can see that,” Silco says as he steps closer to the cluster of burning torches. The firelight casts his face in harsh shadows that make him look even more inhuman than he already does. “But I cannot allow the crew of the Zaun’s Revenge to look incompetent. Locke, step aside.”

“Aye, Captain.” The confusion is clear in his voice as he stumbles back. You are unable to fully hide your confusion as well, especially when Silco steps before you and takes your hand.

“The honor of the Zaun’s Revenge is at stake. You will not leave this ship under the misbelief that no one here can execute a decent waltz.”

Well, that’s an unexpected development.

“Do what you are able,” you reply with a note of challenge in your voice that does not go unnoticed by your new partner. You bring your hand to rest on his shoulder as you prepare to dance. “One more thing,” he says before looking to his crew. “Walley, do you still have that old fiddle?”

“Aye, Captain.”

“Fetch it.”

The crewmember scurried away and quickly returned with the promised fiddle.

“Play Across a Sea so Clear and Blue, ” Silco orders before looking down at you. “I doubt you know it but it will suffice for a waltz. Surely, you can adapt.”

“Surely,” you bristle.

Walley beings to play his fiddle. Though you do not know the song, the time signature is well-suited for a waltz. You wait for Silco to lead you into the dance, expecting him to miscount or falter but he doesn’t. The pair of you move across the deck as though you’ve done this a hundred times before and plan to do it a hundred times more.

You quickly adjust to each other’s movements and soon he leaves room for you to add flourishes to the simple steps, which you do without hesitation. Your movements are slow and precise. As you dance with him, you cannot help but think of how different this is from the passion you shared during the storm. Silco leads you through the dance expertly, trusting you to be a competent partner. This isn’t a show of dominance or power but a display of grace and unity. Two bodies moving as one to create something elegant and lovely.

The song ends far too soon, as does the dance. You feel breathless even though the dance was not at all physically demanding. You’re speechless even as your body moves you through the motions of curtsying to your partner.

Thankfully, Jinx appears at your side. She’s nearly vibrating with excitement.

“How did you do that? You looked like you were floating!” She says, looking between you and Silco. Her question is a good one.

Where does a pirate learn how to waltz, let alone waltz so well?

“I…” You start only to trail off. “I need a drink.”

You move away from Silco, back to your abandoned cup. You force yourself to take a sip and you are grateful that it goes down easier this time. The alcohol settles in your belly and dulls the unwanted feelings swirling through you.

Jinx joins you soon and within minutes, the crew is back to swapping stories and boasting as though the waltz never happened.

Your gaze wanders to the bow. Though that part of the ship is kept in darkness, Silco’s figure is even darker and you can see him easily.

Curiosity and something deeper that you do not wish to think about tugs at you. You do your best to ignore it for as long as you are able, but it’s like a persistent buzzing fly hovering around your head.

With a resigned sigh, you get up and move toward the bow. No one stops you or questions you.

You reach Silco’s side and stand quietly in the darkness for a moment. You can hear the gentle lap of the water against the ship’s hull and you can see the sparkling array of stars above, but everything else is black.

“If you’ve come to beg for another dance, I’m afraid I will disappoint you,” Silco says, his voice softer than you’ve ever heard it, as though he does not wish the stars to overhear him.

“I wasn’t going to,” you say. “But I was going to ask where you learned to dance like that.”

“It does not take much to learn how to waltz,” he says. Though you cannot see his face, save for the glow of his ruined eye, you get the sense that he’s avoiding something.

“It’s not just that,” you say. “You dance like a gentleman. You carry yourself like a gentleman. You speak like a gentleman, for the most part. Yet, you’re…”

“A pirate? A sea hound? A scoundrel? A criminal?”

“You could have stopped at pirate but yes,” you nod, earning a soft chuckle from Silco. “But even still, you’re nothing like the pirates my father has encountered.”

“I’ll admit to that,” he says. “I am not like any other pirate roaming the seas. I have no wish to scavenge from trade ships. If I wished to fight for scraps with a thousand other desperate fools, I would have stayed in the Undercity.”

Silco does not need to see your face to know his words have thrown you.

“Is it more believable that a pirate can carry himself well than it is to believe a gutter rat can do the same?”

“I have not known what to believe for several days now,” you say. “I’d be willing to believe almost anything.”

The chuckle that leaves Silco’s throat is dry and humorless. “The Piltover Naval Academy loves bottomfeeders with a sad story.”

Your eyes widen in the darkness.

Of course, that makes perfect sense. He wasn’t daunted by the storm. He runs his ship with precision and discipline one would not attribute to ordinary pirates. He’s managed to instill a sense of both fear and loyalty in his crew. And those who attend the academy are taught etiquette, dance, deportment, and anything else that can shape them into shining jewels of society.

Your mind snaps back to the day you were kidnapped, before everything went to hell. Captain Vander spoke of the academy briefly. There was a moment when a shadow fell over his features as he spoke of his past. And he knew Silco. As did Quartermaster Benzo.

“Did you know Captain Vander?” You ask softly, unsure if you wish to know the answer or not.

Silence stretches out between you and Silco. Even though you are within arms reach of him, you feel as though you may as well be an ocean away.

“Yes.” His voice is soft yet somehow still harsh. Bitter but sad.

“Were you…close?” you ask, unsure if there is a better way to phrase it. The way Captain Vander looked at Silco aboard The Hound went beyond normal anger. There was history there.

“For a time,” Silco replies.

You’re shocked that he gave you any kind of real answer.

“What happened?” You press, wanting to see how far you can take your questions.

“Professional differences,” Silco mutters. “It doesn’t matter.”

“I think it does.”

Silco turns to look at you as silence falls once more. Though you can barely make out his features, you can see he is fighting some kind of war within himself. You are about to take the high road and apologize for prying, as the rules of polite conversation demand, when the ship suddenly heaves hard to one side.

Unable to right yourself in time, you start to fall. Silco’s arm snakes around your waist as he pulls you to him, allowing you to use his body to steady yourself. Farther down the deck, the crew voices their confusion amongst themselves, unsettled by the sudden jolt.

“What was that?” You ask, turning your gaze to the sky as though you expect another terrible storm to blow in out of nowhere. But the skies are perfectly clear and the wind is calm. The ocean, however, tells a different story. The faint light of the torches reaches the water closest to the ship. Instead of the calm, docile sea, the Zaun’s Revenge glided on only moments ago, the water was as violent as a bubbling cauldron.

“Get back,” Silco urges, guiding you away from the railing.

“What is it?” You repeat.

Silco does not get a chance to answer. In the blink of an eye, the sea erupts. At first, you fear the ship has nudged some kind of explosive. You can think of nothing else that would explain the towering column of water rising just off the starboard bow.

The water crashes back down to the ocean’s surface except that it doesn’t. Water rolls off the form of something huge, something that also looks like water. You blink over and over, trying to make sense of what you are seeing.

You spot two glowing orbs that shine brilliant blue, brighter than any star in the sky. They look like glowing stones that are somehow perfectly round. Your stomach drops as the crew leaps to action around you and more torches are quickly illuminated. The glowing stones are not stones at all.

They are eyes.

Glowing, unnatural eyes deeply set into a massive head made entirely of living water. The head boasts a long snout. Water vapor floated like smoke from what you believe to be nostrils. Its long, curving neck ripples as the water that made up its body somehow managed to keep its shape. Its serpentine body vanishes into the sea as its proud head takes in the sight of the ship. Its watery jaw opens revealing long, sharp teeth that look deadly despite also being made of water.

The creature let out a shriek that makes your vision go blurry for a moment. Your mind still grapples with what your eyes attempt to understand but there is one thing you know for certain. You are not safe.

The water monster shrieks once more and dives toward the deck with open jaws.

#silco #arcane #silco x reader #arcane silco #silco arcane #pirate!silco #silco fanfic #silco fic #silco smut #to the depths

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ink-and-dagger · 2 months ago

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I think about DWM every day and during today’s episode I remembered someone asked you, who did Silco get his tattoos for/who was he trying to impress? But now my phone is about to die and I can’t find the ask RIP.

Do u mind sharing who he got his tattoos for?

I've been trying to find the post too with no luck which is a big bummer because I can't remember exactly what I said before :') So apologies if my answer now differs to what I've said in the past.

In my DWM universe young Silco was a fickle whore who favoured the chase. Once he caught his prey he tired of them quickly. Despite Astrid's comment, I don't believe Silco truly got the tattoo for anyone person in particular. I can imagine him maybe getting it around a time he happened to also be chasing the tail of a tattoo artist, but really Silco never does a damn thing he doesn't want to do. I think it will have been the case of him wanting to get a tattoo anyway, and using the opportunity to also bag himself an artistic lover in the process.

#inky answers #drink with me #DWM lore #Silco's tattoo #silco

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mystic-orb88 · 6 days ago

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ARCANE SEASON 2 ACT 1 SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT:

Sorry, but WHY DOES VIKTOR’S SKULL HAVE EYEBROWS?? I love him so much.

youtube

Why the HELL are they wearing all this Modern AU Gymwear?? Kinda weird, but such a fire intro: Turtleneck Caitlyn looking amazing in that one profile shot, Caitlyn holding her hands above her face in stress and casting a shadow that resembles a crown (ergo ‘Heavy is The Crown’ after her mother’s passing), Vi smearing her tattoo over with black paint, Viktor being Arcane Jesus but holding a very plain and undefined mask, the Violyn bit, Ambessa crushing the Black Rose, JINX WAVING THAT REVOLUTION FLAG AHHHHHHHH, and more.

Caitlyn and Sevika fight?? Most satisfying thing ever. Crush her, Sevika.🦾🦾

Alsoo, rip-off Silco. WHO IS THIS MAN?? DID SILCO STEAL HIS CLOTHES AND DYE THEM EVIL COLOURS?? I need answers. I dub him ‘Piltover!Silco’.

Also want to point out, Silco’s orange iris faded away when he died. He has no left eyelid, as I’ve seen an person say. Instead it’s just a black orb that blends in with the scar. You can see it disappearing during his death, similarly to when Vander “died”, the veins affected by a similar variant of Shimmer across his skin faded.

Jayce looks so stupid and tired here. Thank you Ekko for calling him out on his unethical science experiments. Teach him how to do proper science please, this man cannot think straight with everything he’s been through.

I’ll sort of miss Viktor’s gold eyes, but this constantly changing Arcane Opalescent thingy is soooooooo working for him. I know the Arcane might not be at all directly linked to Glorious Evolution, but all hail the church of the Gloriously Evolved.

Can there be a statue of this in Zaun?? This. This says so much. Vi sees not only what Powder could have been, but HERSELF in this kid. I’ve known a few kids like Isha, and even though she hasn’t spoken a word she’s already such a dear character to me. Amazing representation. It’s so understandable how much she looks up to Jinx, and she herself is a symbol or manifestation of Jinx’s followers (The first Inxes, possibly). She’ll prolly die, but I hope not.

Even his cane’s aura is blue. I love the Arcane Messiah.

Heimer and Ekko going into the Spiderverse, but it gives me trypophobia.

Sorry but I was wondering why she’d react this way to being bitten by Cait, likeeee okay she go “Bitch, you seriously think that’s gonna work? I raised JINX. I had my arm clipped off by a BOMB. I seen some freaky action in Zaun’s brothels and ALL are no match for your hoity-toity dainty ass”. It’s funny. So hard to not love Sevika.

No but Jayce didn’t have to draw Viktor’s hair and cheekbones on the board but he did. He’s canonically drawn him not once, but TWICE now. So silly.

#My Arcane #arcane season 2 #arcane season 2 spoilers #Obsevations #Arcane Viktor LoL #Arcane Jinx LoL #Arcane Vi LoL #Arcane Sevika #Arcane Caitlyn LoL #Arcane Ambessa LoL #Arcane Silco #Arcane Ekko LoL #Arcane Jayce LoL #Arcane Isha #Arcane Heimerdinger LoL

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morurui · 2 months ago

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Thinking about what an arcane!Ben design would look like after act 1 happens…I have a bit of a vision so I’ll like try to explain it as best as I can.

When I picture his hair in this au I find that’s its kind of similar to his chaos theory counterpart, except slightly longer and messier as well, with maybe even a small braid thrown in there to tie back to Jinx, I also imagine that before he gets injected with shimmer he wears a customized enforcer gas mask that he found. Why do I think this? Well I feel like even though he wouldn’t necessarily be a germaphobe (like he is pre monorail in jwcc or in this case act 1 in this au) he still wouldn’t want to breathe in the Undercity air until he gets the injection of shimmer and just doesn’t really care anymore, the boy has bigger things in his plate at that point. The only times he doesn’t wear it is when he’s around Tiff (this au’s version of Silco), anytime he’s around Yaz, and during the fight with Darius. For his outfit…I don’t really know I would probably give him a crop top similar to Jinx’s, but more in his style and also give him some tattoos like Jinx has. Also y’know how Jinx marks her stuff with monkeys? Yeah he does that but with ankylosauruses.

#ooo and like I imagine instead of the fire lights in Darius’s case it’s like mosquitoes since that’s how dinosaurs were brought back #AGHHHH I HAVR SO MANY IDEAS NOW #I’ve hit a creativity peak.#jwct #chaos theory #jurassic world chaos theory #jwcc #camp cretaceous #jurassic world camp cretaceous #ben pincus #jwcc/ct arcane au #mor posts

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deltadex · 1 year ago

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Arcane's symbolism: Meaning of Vi

Of all the Arcane characters, I feel that Vi's name carries the most meaning in relation to her character.

Besides being associated with love in general, violets are also linked with lesbian love (thanks to Greek poet Sappho, who's poems centered around the relationships between women, who often wore the flowers). It's clear how this ties in with Vi and her relationship with a certain Pilty...

As for the shortened version of her name, Vi can be interpreted as the Roman numeral for the number six (which her stylised cheek Tattoo alludes to).

In Numerology, the number six is "the embodiment of the heart". It represents unconditional love and is a powerful force of compassion and empathy. The number six's strengths include:

Supportive - will be the first to provide a shoulder to lean on, truly try to understand, and give heartfelt advice. ("You wanna talk about today?", "We've all had bad days, but we learn, and we stick together")

Protective - its unconditional love extends to all people which allows it to speak up for those that don't have a voice. Especially fierce when it comes to family. (e.g. Vi standing up for Powder when Milo complains about her, her willingness to fight for the people of the Undercity)

Romantic - works hard to create peaceful relationships and is fluent in all love languages. Only happy when its other half is happy. (Romance we are yet to see...)

Its weaknesses include:

Passive - in order to keep the peace, six may allow itself to get taken advantage of. Would rather go along with an undesirable option than make waves. (We only really see this part of Vi when it comes to Powder/Jinx. "It's alright Powder, at least you're okay", "We can just go. We can leave and never come back")

Self-sacrificing - so willing to sacrifice itself for others that it neglects its own needs and well-being. Often overlooks the the self-care that would make it feel balanced. (e.g Vi willing to turn herself in to the enforcers. She has little regard for her own safety, putting herself in danger several times throughout the series in order to find her sister.)

Idealistic - expects everyone to treat others the way it does, which it believes would lead to a perfect world. When it realises its ideals are unattainable, it may face extreme upset. ("I grew up knowing I'm less than them, that my place is down there. I want Powder to have more than that and I'm willing to fight for it". Another moment that comes to mind is the council scene, where Vi becomes frustrated with the council for not sharing Jayce's view on stopping Silco. "This is how things are, how they've always been. I was so stupid to think it could change.")

(Going off point here: I noticed that Caitlyn has many of these qualities as well, in some cases exhibiting them even stronger than Vi. In this way, they are more similar than they realise. They both lead with their hearts.)

Let's move on to the third and final meaning, which lies in the realm of Tarot Cards. The sixth card in what is called the "Major Arcana" is, very fittingly, The Lovers.

This card has two different meanings, depending on its orientation in a reading:

1. The Lovers Upright

Represents conscious connections and meaningful relationships. The appearance of this card shows that you have a strong, beautiful connection with a loved one. You may believe you have found a soul mate or life partner. The chemistry between you goes beyond just physical attraction to something that is almost spiritual (AKA CaitVi).

While it typically represents a romantic tie, The Lovers card can also refer to a close friendship or family relationship where "love, respect and compassion flow" (AKA Vi and Jinx's sisterly bond)

The Lovers card is one of open communication and raw honesty. Its appearance is a sign that by "communicating openly and honestly with those you care about, you will create a harmonious and fulfilling relationship built on trust and respect". It's an invitation to open your heart and be vulnerable around someone (the scene that comes to mind is the one where Caitlyn and Vi are lying on the bed, and Vi talks about the childhood game her and Powder used to play. She shows a surprisingly amount of vulnerability, which leads to an intimate moment between her and Caitlyn. By being vulnerable, Vi instigated progression of their relationship. )

On a more personal level, the card is about defining your beliefs and values and staying true to them. You are figuring out what your philosophy is and what you stand for. (This is something we see Vi struggle with throughout the series. Vi's ideologies are constantly challenged and therefore evolving. In Act 1, it's through Vander's teachings, and the rest of the series, it's Caitlyn challenging everything she thought she knew about enforcers and Topsiders in general. Even so, the biggest threat to her value system is in the finale, where she is faced with whether or not she should choose to put some of her own values aside to maintain her relationship with Jinx. I think we will see a continuation of this personal journey in season 2: Is she going to follow Vander's example or forge her own path? Will she choose to believe the Piltover and the Undercity's relations can improve, or will they forever be "oil and water"? Who is she when she isn't constantly striving to reconnect with her sister? Will she ever be able to forgive her for everything she's done? Will she ever be able to forgive herself?

At its heart, The Lovers is about choice. Who you want to be. How you want to connect with others. This card is often a sign that you are facing a moral dilemma and must consider all the consequences before acting. It is advised not to make a decision out of fear, guilt or shame. Your values system is being challenged, and "you are being called to take the higher path, even if it is difficult."

Finally, The Lovers card encourages you to unify dual forces and bring together two parts, one that are seemingly in opposition, to form a harmonious "whole" (very fitting for a show whose central theme focuses on duality). This is where I see Vi and Caitlyn working together to forge peace between the two sides of the city, which is the reason she eventually becomes an enforcer. And, naturally, acceptance of this unified duality may also lead to the initiation of a relationship with Caitlyn.

2. The Lovers Reversed

Reversed, The Lovers can signal a time when you're out of sync with those around you, especially your loved ones (and it's no secret that Vi and Jinx have become "out of sync"). You're relationship is strained and communication is difficult. Depending on the case, you can either try to bring love and compassion to the situation, or you can accept that you've grown apart and move on (this is the harrowing decision that Vi is facing).

The Reversed card may reflect that there are feelings in a relationship that aren't mutual. One person may be more emotionally involved than the other which, down the line, can lead to disappointment and insecurity. You may also be reluctant to open your heart for fear of getting hurt. (This is basically the "oil and water" scene beat for beat. Vi is afraid of opening up to a relationship with Caitlyn and shatters the prospect of "mutuality" by stating that it "wasn't meant to be". And then there's Vi's relationship with Jinx, which also has a lack of mutuality, at least from Jinx's point of view: "I thought, maybe you could love me like you used to, even though I'm...different". i.e Why can't you love the new me like you loved Powder? It hurts because it's not that Vi doesn't love her, it's that she doesn't love her in the way that she wants her to, thereby leading to her choosing Jinx over Powder. She can't go back to being Powder. After all, "she fell down a well".)

Not only does the card refer to relationships with others, it also speaks to self-love and respect. To what extent do accept your identity and the value you offer the world? (I doubt Vi has any self-love and respect left, which is really sad. Her self-worth was already damaged in childhood; "I grew up knowing that I'm less than them. That my place is down there." This feeling of worthlessness was only exacerbated by her time in prison, where she was beaten senseless by the gaurds on a regular basis. You can tell by the way she carelessly throws herself into danger that she doesn't believe she's of any value except for being her sister's protector.)

The card encourages you to be mindful of when you look at other people and wish you were more like them. "Understand that if you can recognize these traits in others, it is because you have them within you." (In other words, what you perceive in others is a way for you to recognize your own strengths. Vi looks at Caitlyn and sees this amazingly kind, good-hearted and empathetic person. But what she doesn't realise is that she has these qualities as well. Caitlyn even points it out: "Despite it all, I can tell. You have a good heart ". Despite her constant cynicism towards Caitlyn, this quality still managed to shine through, enough for Caitlyn to notice it. My hope for next season is to see Vi get in touch with her tender side again after having to be tough for so long.)

If the Lovers Reversed shows up in a reading, you might face a tough choice with significant consequences (Vi faces the ultimate choice in the now infamous "tea party" scene, where Jinx presents her with the question: "Where should I sit? That's your choice, really." But what Vi doesn't expect is the way she has to answer that question: by choosing whether or not to kill Caitlyn.)

Instead of making a decision based on your values, you feel tempted to cut corners. (Vi tries to evade the dilemma by suggesting that they leave together. Nevertheless, this only makes the situation worse by riling up Silco.) The Lovers Reversed encourages you to reconsider and choose the path most in alignment with your values - no matter how difficult it might be (this might be a hint to Vi letting go of any prospect of a having a normal relationship with her sister again)

Lastly, this card can also suggest inner conflicts and being at war with oneself, rather than with external forces. You may be punishing yourself for something you have done or consider yourself responsible for. (Vi clearly has an extreme sense of guilt. She was the big sister that was in charge of taking care of her siblings, and when it came to it, save Vander. Even though there are several factors at blame, she feels responsible for the death of her family and her sister's poor mental health. Not only that, she also feels guilty for not being able to support Ekko and Powder in the time following that fateful night. It must eat her from the inside out: If I just hadn't gone through with the heist, none of this would have happened. Why did I have to hit Powder? Why did I have to call her a jinx? I have no one left, and it's all my fault. I'm the real jinx.

Now, let's take a step back and see what the running theme is here. Considering each of the three meanings her name represents, it's easy to see: Vi is the human embodiment of the heart. And love is the force that drives her. Nevertheless, sooner or later she's going to flatline. A heart must both give and receive blood for it to continue beating.

From what we've seen, there is NO DOUBT that Vi is able to give immense amounts of love; it's literally permanently tatooed onto her. But the question remains; will she be able to let herself receive it?

Sources:

fnp.com

numerology.com

biddytarot.com

#arcane #vi #vi arcane #arcane analysis #arcane meta #this got longer than expected #if you got this far #thanks for reading #feel free to ask questions or share ideas you might have #it was so interesting to find how deep a meaning vi's name has #the more i dug the more i discovered #and now i share with you this insanely long post of my findings #these meanings cannot be a coincidence #i feel like vi is a very misunderstood character who people are quick to blame #so i wanted to share what i think some of her motivations and struggles are #ones that you may resonate with yourself #lots of love for vi

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am-i-interrupting · 2 years ago

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Jinx with a witch? Or someone who can use magic?

Jinx Dating A Mage

Being a mage is illegal in Piltover, be it in the Topside or the Under City so it’s probably be a while before it is revealed to Jinx that you have magic which is honestly for the better

Even if you have tubes etched into your skin, Jinx wouldn’t think anything of it. People in the Under City have all types of weird tattoos.

She probably wouldn’t put it together unless you were trying to hint it at her or she walked in on you doing magic— it’d be better to give her clues.

It’s not that she’s ignorant to magic, it’s simply rare.

She’d think it’s really cool at first and definitely try to convince you to be a test subject and try to amplify her creations with your magic.

As soon as she saw you perform magic, all bets were off though.

It doesn’t matter what color or form it comes in, it quickly reminders her of the explosion, the death of her family, the betrayal of her sister.

Silco would be absolutely pissed if he found out your magic caused her to have flashbacks. He would not let you see her no matter how much you tried unless she told him herself that she wanted to see you.

Eventually she’d sneak her way beside you, she wouldn’t say anything. She’d just hold your hand.

Her excitement died a little after the flashback but she still cared about you so you just agreed to not mention it without even mentioning it.

You didn’t bring it up and neither did she.

That is until one day she asks what all you can do with your magic seemingly out of no where but you tell her.

She listens and asks questions.

Eventually she asks you to do one of the smaller things you can do with your magic.

Over time she begins to get used to it but only in small doses, you can’t do anything big without causing her distress.

She does love your magic though.

She kisses your hands and tells you how much she adores them.

It’s a work in progress but it works and she doesn’t care about you any less, she maybe even cares about you more.

#jinx arcane x reader #jinx x reader #jinx x you

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m-feline · 4 months ago

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To adapt, to survive, to live - ch 25

Silco x Freader

Tags: speaking of prostituitions and violence, Canon typical swearing , fighting and shouting, domestic violence;

Masterlist

Previous ->

I woke up feeling something on my right palm. Something cool and sticky. When I tried to move my hand, I felt fingers holding it tightly and keeping it in place. I opened my eyes, and I saw Silco sitting on the bed next to me and applying salve to my palm where the cut was.

“I’m sorry, dear. I didn’t mean to wake you up,” He apologized while he still treated my hand. “I noticed that you had wound on your palm. It was healed, but skin around the scab was getting dry. By the looks of it, it was a deep one, too.”

“It wasn’t too deep, but it was wide,” I said, still feeling sleepy. “It was intentional.”

“What? why?” Silco asked in shock.

“Someone…” I yawned. “… was getting on my nerves.”

“You should have cut their hands, not yours,” Silco said, sounding a bit like a dad scolding his child.

“Oh, Jolynn wished that too,” I said and closed my eyes again, enjoying Silco's hands on mine. “But I told her no. I will deal with…”

And I slipped back to sleep. The book warned that the host of the signia would get more sleepy when using snakes that live outside the body. It takes energy to keep them alive. Good thing I only used one. When I woke up again about an hour later, Silco was gone. When I checked the time, I realized that I had simply slept in a couple of hours. Another good thing is that today, I had no appointments with anyone. Well, except the one I had deal now before someone dies.

I haven't visited Babette's in ages. The last time I recall was when Vander was still alive. I have seen Babette a couple of times after my wedding but outside her establishment. However, coming to the place felt strange and alien to me as I walked to the entrance and knocked to the waiting for the door man to recognize me and Jolynn. As we walked the corridor past the rooms where people were enjoying their own fantasies and time, I couldn't help wondering if I was walking into unpleasant conversation or a flytrap.

“(Y/n)?” Babette asked when she saw me enter to her office. “Why are you here?”

“I need to speak with you,” I said as I went to sit on the couch in her office. “It is regarding one of your workers.”

“If it’s Miguel, then I have nothing to say. That Sevika should have better control of her temper,” Babette said defensibly.

“No, it is not Miguel. And I don’t give a damn about what Sevika does or says,” I corrected. “I’m talking about your girls that worked yesterday evening.”

“I have many girls. Several of them worked yesterday,” Babette said.

“And how many of them have a snake tattoo?” I asked. I smelled fear, and it came from Babette. “You know who I’m talking about.”

“You know we get a lot of customers, and some of them have…peculiar fantasies,” Babette said.

“Babette,” I called her with an icy tone. “You should consider yourself fortunate that it is me sitting here on this couch and not my husband.”

I didn’t need to explain more. Babette knew what I meant. If Silco knew that someone, even if it was a private fantasy, was screwing his “wife”, he would end them. And not just them, he would end this place as well for ever “selling” that fantasy. To make it worse, Babette was one of the original establishments of the Lanes. Ever since Silco created the Chem barons, most of the “entertainment” businesses belonged to Margot. There still were a few independent places like Babette’s but they weren’t as organized or “Well protected” as the establishments belonging to the Chem barons. If it were one of those places, Silco would have a hard talk-to with Margot and ban the customers from all services. But since it was Babette, that only meant that Silco would end not just her but her entire place till nothing was left of it. Babette knew this too, so she sighed and called someone to bring one of the girls. Since she asked for only one girl, it meant she knew who I was looking for.

“You do know many of my girls have no say of how the customers want her,” Babette reminded me.

“I also recall that you try to keep your girls without a tattoo. The customers prefer a clean slate,” I said.

“Yes, which is why we use henna,” Babette said. “We create a certain type of motif that attracts attention. Sometimes, the customers have their own preferences.”

“Did it ever occur to you that someone would ask for a snake and turn it into a sick fantasy of the ‘Snakewife’?” I asked.

“I’m not surprised about it. What worries me is that someone is dumb enough to go out and boast about it,” Babette said.

“Believe me, we both dislike the idea,” I said. Soon, a young girl entered the room. When I gave her a quick look at it, I realized that she indeed could pass as the Snakewife. She was definitely younger than me and had the same quiet demure as I used to have. And a snake made with henna, which was a little worn off now, was very good work, and it looked good on her collar. But that’s where the similarities ended. Her hair was dyed green and blue, giving the iridescence effect similar to some snakes. Her eyes weren’t (e/c) like mine, and she was way too skinny. And if I had to guess, she was new to this work as well.

“You called me?” The girl asked nervously, glancing at Babette and me.

“Yes, dear. We have guests who are… hunting your last night’s customers,” Babette said.

“Oh, I’m not hunting them. My husband will do that later,” I said. “I’m here to confirm and make clear that I never cheated him with some airhead pigs.”

“And who are you?” The girl asked again nervously.

“She is the Snakewife,” Babette said. Instantly, the girl's eyes went wide, and I could smell how nervousness became fear.

“Ma’am, please, it… it is not like have a choice. They wanted me to…” The girl started to explain.

“First of all,” I cut her. “How long have you worked here?”

“Not long. Umm, a couple of months. Ma’am, “ The girl answered.

“Are they your only customers?” I asked.

“Umm, no. I have served two other customers while I substituted Janet, but they have returned to her once she got back from sick leave,” The girl said.

“What else you do here besides… the obvious?” I asked.

“I clean the rooms and make them, and girls look pretty. Actually, I started taking on customers last week,” She said.

“Why do you wish to work here?” I asked.

“Oh, well,… I…”

“She had no place to go,” Babette said. “Here at least she gets meals and security from unpleasant people.”

“Yeah, in exchange for her body and dignity,” I said.

“Now, (Y/n), you know how things are around here. We can’t all be pure and innocent like you,” Babette said. That made me laugh so hard that I almost hurt myself. Pure and innocent? Maybe once upon a time, before the signia. But now, now I was as vicious and deadly as a snake can be, making the name Snakewife even more fitting. Yes, I used to be pure till the end of the ritual. But so can anyone else if only they use their head.

“It is hilarious when you use that to describe me,” I said as I got my laughter down. Then I turned to the girl. “If you could, would you leave here or continue this work?”

“If I could… I would do something else, but things aren’t that easy,” She said.

“No, things aren’t that easy,” I said. “At least, most of the time.” The girl seemed to hesitate, so I continued. “But sometimes you need to take a chance, and for a long run, it will get better. Trust me, that’s how I got this.” And as I said that, the snake moved to my face to the right side. And when the girl saw it her eyes went wide, both in horror but I also sensed something else. Amazement, perhaps? “So, tell me, sweety. If you could, would you do anything else for a living?”

“Yes,” The girl was still hesitant, but there was a small hope rising inside her. “If possible, I would rather not be here surrounded by men who try to… use me. But so far, that was never my job, doing other chores like cleaning and preparing others. If I would only do that I…”

“Say no more,” I said as I waved my hand and turned to Babette. “Is she for sale?”

“No,” Babette answered with a neutral tone that told me she already knew where this was going.

“Does she have a contract?” I asked.

“An unofficial contract, which can be terminated fast if she wishes,” Babette said. I smiled and turned to the girl again.

“How about instead of tending adults, you come with me and tend some children?” I asked. “You would have do chores like cleaning, preparing their meals, and see that they stay out of trouble. In exchange, you will be under my protection, and you will live with them and eat with them. The only downside is that there won’t be any fancy clothes or accessories to adorn you. And your personal pay will be very small, but you still get it. And if you cause trouble for me or the kids, you will be thrown out.”

“That’s all?” the girl asked.

“That’s all,” I said. “What happens after that will be entirely up to you.”I thought that the girl would hesitate more and hink about it. But instead, she just swallowed a gulp and gave her answer.

“When could I start?” She asked. I grinned when I heard her answer. Half of the problem was resolved. Now to the rest.

“I believe I don’t need to tell you that you no longer offer the ‘Snakewife’ as one of the fantasies,” I said as I turned to look at Babette.

“Yes,” Babette sighed, feeling tired. “But if something does pop up, it won’t be because of us, but because the customer.”

“Oh don’t worry, I make sure the customers know about it,” I said as I got up from the couch. “It was a nice talk. See you later, Babette.” I walked next to the girl and looked at her. “What is your name?”

“Sophie,” She said not as meekly as before, but she still acted a bit submissively.

“Sophie, go pack your bags, and when you are done, come to the Last Drop and ask for me or Jolynn,” I said. “We shall get you officially under my wing and under my employment.”

“Oh, I have very little to pack. Can I come today?” Sophie asked.

“Sure. After you are done packing and saying your goodbyes, come look for me,” I said, smiling. “See you later then.”

After I got back to the Last Drop, I went to prepare the meal. Jinx was having something simple and easy to eat today since she was working on another project. For Silco, I prepared something smooth and tasty since apparently someone was going to go through hell. I would have a bit of both for myself, and if I had time I’d prepare something for the fellows of the Last Drop. As I made the meals, I heard the noise from the lounge, as more patrons came in or left, and how some minions of Silco arrived, which told me that Silco had also arrived. I had finished Jinx’s and Silco’s meals, and I was halfway preparing the batch for the minions when I heard noise of something breaking from another room. That room being Silco’s office. Considering that I could hear anything over the music and that the kitchen wasn’t next to the office, it meant that Silco was pissed. Apparently, he didn’t get things fixed for today. I heard rushing steps as more than one person ran out of the office and downstairs to the lounge. I would need to figure out who screwed up so I know who isn’t eating today. I was almost about to finish the cooking when Sevika came to the kitchen and remained at the door.

“Thanks heavens, you were here,” Sevika said. I didn’t say anything except gave her a warning look. I had clear rules regarding my kitchen. No one is allowed in unless they actually help with cooking or cleaning. Sevika did neither of the two, so the entrance was as far as she was allowed to get in.

“You have to come with me,” Sevika continued.

“He is pissed, huh?” I asked while I stirred the soup for the gang one more time.

“An understatement of the century, he is furious,” Sevika said.

“Well, give me a moment, I bring his meal while I go to the office,” I said and covered the pot with a lid, and went to check Silco’s meal.

"I doubt he is hungry,” Sevika said. “He wants to see you.”

“I’ll go once I have his food ready,” I insisted.

“No, you don’t get it,” Sevika said her tone had a hint of urgency. “He wants you in his office. Now.”

“Two fucking minutes. He can wait that long,” I hissed at her. She didn’t say anything else. Either she knew that she won’t get through me or she noticed the snake coming to my face from the left. Since Silco’s meal was ready I just needed to plate it. As I did that, I wondered how shall I punish the person who soured Silco’s mood so badly that he asks me to his office that way. If they are dead, I can’t do anything to them. But if they are somehow alive, I could make things a bit uncomfortable for them. Or more uncomfortable. Depends how much alive they still are.

I got the food done and under the cloche, when I was about to take it out the kitchen, Sevika quickly took it from me. I didn’t see anything wrong with it. Usually it was either me or her who delivered the food to Silco. Now she just gave me the worried look that told me to prepare for whatever was coming. So he was that angry. This happened once before. Someone messed Shimmer order one time, and caused it to go to the wrong place at the wrong time. The mess it caused even caused me to take precautions for my business and my charity work alike. It took an entire month to sort it out. A during that time Silco was extremely angry. One time, as I took his meals to his office, I had to immediately butt in his conversations as one of his guest was about to lose their heads. Food was last thing in Silco’s mind but me coming in and diffusing the situation helped the poor guy to keep his head and whatever else Silco was about to cut off. I ordered everyone out and simply made Silco sat with me on the couch while he calmed down as he rested his head on my lap. It took a long while for him to relax but in the end it worked. The situation now sounded something similar.

I walked with Sevika to the office past the noisy corridor. When I knocked the door, I could hear past the music how Silco angrily shouted and asked who it was. My answer was just opening the door and showing him it was me. In the room, Silco was standing in front of his desk, facing Jolynn who stood firmly as if facing an Enforcer about to arrest her. Why was Jolynn here? And why was Silco looking at her as if he was going to throw her out? Or kill her. The latter seemed more possible with the look Silco had in his eyes as he lifted his eyes to look at me. Jolynn turned to look at me as well, her eyes were cool as always but there was a hint of concern in them.

“You called for me,” I said as I walked into the office. Sevika closed the door behind us and took the cloche to the side table, and remained there as Silco marched towards me and met me in the middle of the office.

“Where were you?” He asked hissing.

“In the kitchen cooking,” I said as if it was obvious.

“I meant where you were today,” Silco added his voice as menacing as before.

“I went out to take care some things,” I said, adding my own touch of menace to my voice. Whatever made him pissed, he didn’t need to let it out on me.

“Take care of some things?” Silco repeated my words as if he didn’t believe me. “At Babette’s place?” I had a bad feeling about this. I wasn’t shocked that he knew where I was, but the way his tone became dark could mean one thing.

“Hold on, Silco, you don’t think…” I said, but Silco cut me short.

"What kind of business can you possibly have in a brothel?” He asked angrily.

“Believe it or not, many kids work there to earn a coin,” I said back a bit harshly. “But I didn’t go there for that, I went there for other reasons.”

“Other reasons?” Silco repeated the words I said. Before I could say anything else, he grabbed my hand and pulled me closer, but not in a loving manner. He was angry, furious even. His grip hurt. And the angry look he gave me made me recall time when he had killed his own men when they really screw it up. “My wife is going to such a place for ‘other reasons’. Do you have nothing else to say?” O-oh, I think I got it now what was wrong. But there’s no way he would come to that conclusion on his own.

"No, Silco, listen..,” I tried to explain.

“I have been hearing how sump rat goes around and brags how he has been enjoying my wife, and you. You have been visiting a brothel for ‘other reasons.”

Oh shit. He has heard the pigs making noise. But no way will he believe I actually did any of that, right?

“No, that wasn’t me…” I tried.

“Not you?” Silco asked in outrage. “There is someone else with a nickname Snakewife?”

“You don’t actually believe that I…”

“I don’t know what I believe,” He shouted. “At first, I thought someone was under some other drug than Shimmer. But then I hear you visiting Babette’s without telling me. What am I supposed to believe?”

“I went to resolve the situation,” I said. “I met with Babette and talked with her and…”

“Do you have ANY idea what this causes for my reputation? Your reputation?” Silco shouted. I’m not an idiot, of course I know. But clearly, Silco wasn’t listening anymore.

“Silco, will you calm down and listen.. “ I tried.

“You expect me to calm down?” Silco shouted. “My wife goes to brothels for ‘other reasons’, there is a piece of shit bragging how you are whoring around, and expect me to calm down?” Okay, that was too much. He didn’t just call me a whore, did he? I tried, like really tried, to maintain calm but it was going to be difficult.

“Silco, just shut up for once, and let me explain,” I said, trying not to shout back. “It was not me.”

“What were you doing in Babette’s?” Silco asked, still angry.

“To resolve some issues,” I said. I can’t tell him it was Babette’s girl who was pretending to be a Snakewife before I had her under wing. Otherwise, Silco will finish her and Babette. Once, she has made a contract with me, Silco can’t touch her, and then I say that it was Babette’s place and that the person working there that time is not longer working things will cool down. But only after.

“What issues?” Silco hissed.

“I too heard the ridiculous stories, so I went to Babette’s to inquire about it,” I said.

“Jolynn said you hired one of the workers for your side,” Silco said with a cold tone. Oh, shit. I glanced at Jolynn, who looked worried and shamed at the side. It seems she felt bad that it was her words that made him misunderstand me. But if Silco was like this when he talked to her, then it is possible that even when she said it right, he only heard the most incriminating pieces. This was going to get nasty.

“Listen..,” I tried again.

“I’m trying to listen, but I hear just more excuses,” Silco growled.

"No, you don’t listen!” I shouted. I was reaching the limit. “I’m trying to explain what I was doing, but you just accused me of being unfaithful to you.”

“You went to a brothel,” Silco shouted again.

“Oh, shut up,” I shouted back. “It isn’t the first time I visit there. Sometimes I have to go there when Sevika stays too long on her nights. You never complain then. Or is it because I need your permission to go to brothel to clean up your messes?”

“Be very careful what you say next,” Silco growled.

“What? I’m speaking the truth. You go to different brothels as well, and I never accuse you of going down on a whore…”

I didn’t get to finish when the palm of his hand hit my cheek. It was as if the whole world stopped for a moment. He hit me. He hit me before Jolynn and Sevika. Has he lost it? How could he? I thought this was the worst when my eyes caught a flash of blue at the roof beams. Jinx. No. Not before Jinx. He… he went too far. I was so angry that and couldn’t even feel the snake moving in my skin anymore. Well, it was a bit difficult as it quickly slithered to my eyes when my face was still turned away from Silco because of his slap. I wanted someone to suffer. So, badly. But I’m Jinx’s mother. I should set a better example to her than any of these shitheads. Even better than this man I called my husband.

“You are never leaving this place again,” Silco growled. Oh, he thinks I can’t get anything done from here. Fine, let’s see what he has to say when I finish my business under this roof. I glared at him, but I quickly turned to Jolynn.

"Inform me when my guest arrives,” I said as coldly as I could. Jolynn just nodded frantically, and she rushed out of the office. After she left, I glared back at Silco. “May I go and change clothes, or does that also count as prostitution if you aren’t there?” I saw anger rise in Silco’s eyes, and he was about to slap me again for insolence.

“Sir.”

Silco’s hand stopped in midair when Sevika called him. She had moved closer to the window behind the desk.

“They are here,” She said. Apparently, Silco had another meeting for today. Or maybe it was something else. Anyway, it got Silco to take a step back, and forget what I said.

“Go then,” He said with a deep breath as he calmed himself. “And once you’re done, you come back here.”

For him to ask me back, could mean two things. It was someone important, and he had to show me off. Which usually happens when one of the Chem Barons came. Or Marcus. Or someone who I had to read if they lied. Whichever it was, he wanted me present. I didn’t say a thing but turned and left the office and marched to the bedroom. I was furious. I wanted to shout at Silco and punch him. How dare he doubt me? He didn’t even listen to me. He hit me in front of Jinx.

I went to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. The snake was barely reaching my left eye from my left ear. Interesting. Usually, my snake comes to my eyes from the chin or the cheek. Is it because Silco slapped me? I have to read about that in the book, but not right now. I need to get Sophie under my wing before I bring out that Babette was the place where the so-called “Snakewife” was offering her “services”.

I fixed my face to make me look still unfaced yet still powerful. I changed into a dark grey long dress with straps and an open slip. I choose different leather necklaces and chain earrings. Whoever is coming now will surely have heard the story of the Snakewife, so I would rather not let them think any less of me. I gave one more look that myself and went back to the office.

The club was as busy as ever, which always made this time the best time to receive guests. No one could hear from the outside what happened inside the office. It did tempt me to use that time to yell at Silco, but I decided to be the better person. Once things are settled, I will make him regret everything he said moments ago. When I opened the door, I realized he had already begun to settle things.

Before the desk were three very familiar looking fellows. When the door was heard, everyone turned to look at me. Silco, Sevika, the twins, and the three noisy loud mouths who started all this mess. I almost let out “You were fast”, but I was still mad at Silco, and I was really mad at these jerks. Instead of saying anything, I just walked into the office around the desk and came to stand next to Silco’s chair. Silco barely spared me a glance, but he was more focused on the three soon-to-be-corpses and their reactions when they saw me.

“As I was saying, a very loud word is going around that you have been screwing the Snakewife,” Silco spoke to the three. “ A. Very. Loud. Word. Were it just a rumor, a whisper, or a drunken slobber, I would let it pass as foolish gossip or tale. But you. You have the nerve to go around and brag about it.”

“L-look we didn’t mean… I mean, it was all just a game,” One the three said. I recalled that he was the one bragging.

“A game?” Silco repeated in confusion. “Going around saying you did another man’s wife is a game to you?”

“Whoah, hold it,” Second guy said. “First, he really didn’t do it. The gal was a hooker from Babette’s. New one at that. Second, it was only words. He has never even seen the real Snakewife.” Wow, talk about pathetic. They think words won’t do anything here. True, this isn’t Piltover, where reputation is everything to the people, and they try to look good no matter how bad they are. But that doesn’t mean Undercity is not interested in reputation. Drugs, weapons, and danger, perhaps but not lies. Information and accurate one at that is something necessary here as well.

“Do you know what happens to the people who screw another man’s wife in Undercity?” Silco asked. The three didn’t say anything, although, by their looks and smell, one didn’t seem to even care. “They are neutered. Will it be painful? Yes. Will you die from it? Perhaps. Some did when it was done wrong. If you survived, then you were the scum that even sump rats won’t touch.”

“Look my pal didn’t do your wife,” The third one said. “He screwed some whore with a snake tattoo, that was it.”

“My wife has a snake tattoo,” Silco growled. He was close to lose his patience. I wonder if I could make it worse for them.

“Well, she had it… dude, where she had the tat’?” Third guy asked the first.

“On her collar,” The first one said. Immediately, I moved the snake in my skin till it came to my neck and collarbone. It came from the right side, and it didn’t look like Sophie’s but it was close enough. When the three saw the snake move and that it was where they said it was, their eyes went wide, and I smelled some panic in one. “I-I meant her shoulder.” Again, the snake moved to the shoulder. “I meant her arm.” Snake moved again. “I meant her side…”

Silco slammed his hand to the desk and silenced the guy. Yup, he lost his patience. Silco didn’t see my snake move, but he could tell it did, when he saw the reaction of the guys. And as the answer changed all the time, he knew I was doing it on purpose. Sevika saw it herself, and she was getting both annoyed by the guys but also worried as to why I was pushing it.

“Are you making fun of me?” Silco growled deadly to the guys. I couldn’t help smiling. Yes, I enjoyed this, I enjoyed the fear of the three guys. And how close Silco was about to lose it. It was fun for me to change the location of the snake. I’ve done it before if someone else had a snake tattoo too, just to mess with them. I wonder how far I could take this? There was a knock on the door. Silco called angrily for the identity of the interruption. When it was Jolynn saying there is guest for me, I knew my time was up.

“If you excuse me,” I said.

“Who the hell is that?” Silco asked angrily.

“My ‘other’ business,” I said before I opened the door and saw Jolynn and Sophie. Both looked very nervous, and when Sophie saw the men, she became even more nervous. “Ah, good you’re here. Let’s finish our contract then.” I simply went to the side table where I kept my papers and got out one sheet of paper with a clipboard. When I came back to her, the three guys also turned back to see.

“That’s her,” The first guy said. “That’s… the Snakewife we…” He didn’t get finish his words when Silco had made a small gesture of hand, and one the twins smashed guy's head to the floor. That made Sophie jump of fright, but I just gave a contempt look at the lot.

“Do you mind, I have business to take care of,” I said annoyingly before I turned to Sophie with a smile. “You can read, right? Good. Read the contract, and if you agree to it, just sign here.”

Sophie had to read the paper a couple of times as she couldn’t stop glancing at the three men who were before Silco desk. But in the end, she managed to get it through and hurriedly signed the paper.

“Excellent,” I said as I took the clipboard. “As of now, you are my people, and under my wing. This comes with responsibilities as it does with privileges. Jolynn will now take you to the main house, they will decide where you stay and where you work.”

“Yes, t-thank you, ma’am,” Sophie said nervously.

“Don’t mention it, just do your part and I’ll do mine,” I said and bid farewell to her before Jolynn took her out of the office. Since Sophie was now under my wing, I had no need to hide my fangs anymore. “Now, where were we?”

“Care to first explain what that was?” Silco asked with a cold tone.

“My. Other. Business. I told you before,” I said just as coldly.

“That gal was at Babette’s. She is the…” The first guy tried again. But this time, I kicked him to the side.

“No one was asking you,” I hissed at him before I turned to Silco again. “And yes, she used to work at Babette’s. Which is why I had to go there to get her to work for me.”

“Why on earth would hire a prostitute from Babette to work for you?” Silco asked, his voice going sour. It seems he was about to get the big picture.

“Why indeed,” I said back as if I didn’t care anymore. “I heard some interesting tale about someone screwing the Snakewife. Obviously, it wasn’t me, but I was still curious. So, I did my own digging and found out a girl at Babette’s was asked to get a snake tattoo. Apparently, clients have the right to ask how they want their partners to look like. Isn’t it true, Sevika?”

“Y-yes, that’s correct,” Sevika said. She obviously didn’t want any part in this mess, but I didn’t care about that.

“The girl was new to the work and had no idea what she was asked to do. I went to see what sort of gal has the guts to pretend being Snakewife, but it turns out she was a rookie. She resembled many of my other workers, so I offered her the same deal I offered them, and she took it.” Silco’s face wasn’t as angry anymore as he had been. But instead, he looked very sour now. Possibly now realizing that I was indeed innocent to all his claims.

“My next task is to handle the people who have been making ruckus of the Snakewife, but… you already got things in warps so I guess, I don’t need to dirty my hands in this,” I said. Silco straightened himself in his chair, and his demeanor had gone down a notch. Yup, everything was now clear to him, and now will be my time to make things hard. “The question is now, what will you do to them?” Silco was silent for a moment, his face going sour again.

“Since they really didn’t sleep with you, cutting their balls won’t be necessary, “ Silco said, sighing. Really, that’s what he is thinking? But he has a point that would have declared everyone that they really had screwed me. It angered me that only now Silco admitted it.

“If you are suggesting letting them go with just a beat up, I will not be happy,” I said, growling.

"No, they should have more than that,” Silco said, and the three guys kneeling before the desk all reeked of fear. “Going around slandering about sleeping with someone’s wife will have it’s own consequences. Losing a tongue will be the least of the results. This might cost them even their jaws.”

“Well, any way I want never to hear about this again,” I snorted. “And now if you excuse me, I rather go back to the kitchen.” Without looking back or listening any responses, I turned and left the office. Had I stayed a second longer, I would have seen the face Silco had on. It was a mixture of anger, tiredness, and regret.

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