"Good day, Mrs. Laurent."
Jerk already has them using Mrs. for me. "Good day. Hello. All that stupid nonsense." Jinx looked around the little shop. What the heck do I do? "So I need to buy a useless trinket."
She should have just been quiet, done jobs, and been like a robot. Instead, now that her accent was better, she was able to leave the house whenever she wanted as long as she had a pair of guards with her. She was even able to buy trinkets. Trinkets being useless things that were super expensive, could feed Zaun quite well, but just sat around looking pretty. Anatoly made deals with them once a month so that she could get something in their shops for free. Anything she wanted.
It was pretty nice. She thought she was doing pretty fine in life. But. "Anything new?" Screwdriver. A trinket of a screwdriver. "That one."
Jinx took it and held it. Normally she shouldn't just grab it but screw it. It felt like a really mini screwdriver. She wrapped her hand around it comfortingly. It wasn't the prettiest trinket, but those weren't the ones she wanted. She never wanted any of them. "Gimme this."
"You bet, but is there anything wrong, Mrs. Laurent?" They wrapped it up for her.
She lied with a no and she took it home.
She took it to her room and pulled out a trinket of a gear, and a spring, and a wheel and a nail. She held the trinket screwdriver up and pressed it into the nail. It doesn't match.
"PJ?"
She looked toward Shields coming in. "Wanted it to screw in." She gestured toward it. "I really thought the screwdriver might fit the nail."
"PJ, the souchitem's only make glass. That's all glass."
"I wanted it to fit the nail!" She yelled at it. "Why couldn't it fit the nail?!"
"PJ, take a deep breath."
"Why, is something going to change if I calm down?!" Jinx pushed her head down on the boudoir. "Nothing's gonna change for the better! Nothing ever changes for the better!"
"PJ, you must relax."
Jinx spun around in the chair. "I don't wanna! Leave me alone, Shields!" It wasn't fair! Their lives were on her! She couldn't run, she couldn't kill herself, she couldn't pretend to mess up a mission, he'd easily get revenge by letting them just die! "I'm doing a great job, aren't I?"
"More than wonderful," Shields told her. "I don't think when Mister Anatoly spoke to you, he was counting it in the realm of bad job thi-ings, PJ?!"
She took her gigantic diamond on her engagement ring that was given to her that morning, and started to carve the side of her boudoir with it as Shields called for Sword.
"Hijinx, stop." Swords came over toward her. "Stop that."
She felt a sedative enter into her system. Oh no.
"It'll be okay. It's just one thing," Shields tried to talk to her.
That's what was bugging her. He gave her the wedding ring this morning, and urged her to find more sweet trinkets around town, like she would as his civilized wife. "I have two weeks to kick his butt in five minutes." Two weeks.
A nice wife. Satisfied walking around town, for a damn trinket collection! She craved creation! Shields and Swords both went through books and activities, to give her something else besides dirty unorganized inventing. She tried a musical instrument. Singing lessons. Crocheting, which was always thrown away because they were messy looking. Everything.
"Jinx." Shields was still trying to talk to her, now using her original best loved name. "It's okay. Everyone has a break every once in awhile. It's okay." She rubbed her hair, not really caring about the styling at the moment either. It was something she did like about Shields, she didn't care about the trivial pampering when she needed to talk to her. "This is good so far. You have been doing great. You couldn't ask for a better ending."
"I need to create."
"Do you want us to get you a clock building collection again?" Swords asked.
"No! No. I. Want. To. Make it."
"But you do make it," Swords said to her. "Powder-Jinx."
Adding both names together was not going to help. "Punching out cardboard is not creating!"
"Some of it is thin sheet metal Mister Anatoly allows."
"Those kits have stickers in them. Do you know why? Because they were made for children." Jinx could yell, but she couldn't move, and even her yelling was taken down several notches with the sedative. "How come, no matter what I do, I can't earn the right to create something non-destructive?"
"What is going on?"
No, no, no. Anatoly was right by the door. Shoot! Shields spoke to him for a little while about how the ring had caused a small triggering break.
He wasn't happy and that stressed her out more. He'll cancel the mission. He'll cancel the mission. "I'm scared."
"Of what, Jinx?" He came toward her.
He was still using that. What a jerk. "I don't want anything to happen to the mission," she said. "I want to make it. I want them to be okay. I lost too many."
"Oh." He patted her hair.
Sword and Shields weren't saying anything. They were letting her go on with the lie.
"Yes, I can tell you are very upset and worried," he admitted. "It will be okay. I promise, no matter what, that mission will go off without a hitch. I know it's important. It's okay. Everyone will be ready for it. You are just sad and worried because it was once your home. It'll be okay. You are going to be better before you know it."
"Yeah." Even though she was lying, it was working, since she was upset and sad and worried. If I run, I might die, I might not. The shimmer. Maybe I could survive, but he'll get rid of them.
He stroked her hair, and kissed her forehead. "I promise. It will be okay. Things only get better from here. Do you want me to consider letting Shields go with you too?"
"Shields? You never let her come." He wanted something.
"Sure. Sure, I can be in a neutral area for you," she insisted.
"Who is watching Cake?" Swords asked.
Yeah. Swords was not happy with Shields about something.
"I'll take Cake," Shields insisted. "It will be fine. I'll be in the Piltover area you said would be safe to meet up. Is that good?"
"Yeah." Right. That'd be fine. Nothing bad happened in Piltover. For once, that was a good thing.
"Go ahead and lie down for the day." He noticed her ring and the hijinks it had been up to. "Are you really trying to create destruction with your brand new ring?"
"She's more out of it, Sir. She was breaking. This whole thing with her hometown just got to her," Swords covered for her. "She didn't mean anything by it. She will get better."
"I realize that. I tolerate it all for her, for now. Soon, you'll be fixed." He picked her hand back up and looked at the ring. "It seems okay still. Just be careful," he said firmly. "It was expensive."
Everything was expensive and he never mentioned the cost. That trinket could feed all of Zaun for months. She watched him pat her hands and kiss her hand the new ring was on. "I want Shields and Cake." Going home for the final time, she definitely did not want to mess this up. She might need her if she got too stressed. What did he want?
"If this is too dangerous, we can always let you wear it later. You will have your wedding ring to wear after all in a couple of months. Won't that be nice?"
He's touching me right now. Get him too mad. Just a touch. Everytime he touched her, there was always an edge in her. If that was it. No matter his mood, if she pushed just right. "Yeah. Two weeks. Greatest day ever. I want my ring, I'll be good. I want Shields and Cake. One more chance? Please?"
Either way, she had to play nice until the Firelights were safe. Ekko and the others aren't getting killed, just because I don't want to be here. He kissed her cheek. "The ring, Cake, and Shield. Please?" It wasn't what he wanted. "Afterwards, we can go out in Piltover. I'll wear an evening dress for you."
It wasn't what he wanted either. She really messed up with the ring. "You can kiss me." Good going, Powder, you just jinxed your first kiss.
She closed her eyes. Half sedated, half trying to pretend it was someone else, and half hoping she was too out of it to ever remember it.
He looked happy and slipped her ring back on. "Of course, Jinx, but not now. I am not abandoning all morals I was taught. It will be kept for our wedding day. It's only two weeks away anyhow. There's no rush. It should be one of the most memorable moments on that day."
Damn it. Not for me.
Jinx watched as Shields pulled out a chalkboard. With the news, she wasn't doing so hot. At all. But, Shields promised she would be feeling better at the end. Well? She'd see.
She titled it Did I Reach My Goal?
"Okay." She turned around toward Jinx. "You originally came here to do what, PJ?"
"Become a better person and build something new."
"The truth," Shields called her out.
"I want to be like the Other Powder. I want to be a good version of myself ." Yeah.
"Okay. Let's look at that." Shields pointed out how she never took jobs that were against her own feelings on small villages or small militias. They only took jobs that seemed like they were on the right side of a war.
Overall, good.
"Now. Let's talk about this unprecedented event that is happening to you." Shields erased all the mercenary stuff and wrote down Marriage. She circled it. "You put your life on the line more than once to try and do the right thing, to you."
"If you call it the right thing now."
"No, no. Not the bomb," she corrected herself. "Look. You put yourself in danger, to try and do the right thing, instead of the wrong thing. Especially being a mercenary, it couldn't have always been easy."
She wrote down 100. "There are always about 100 people in the village that need cared for. In an emergency, everyone needs one bottle of predistributed magic. For non-emergencies, they still need a healthy supply if they don't touch Anatoly each day. At least a week."
"Yeah, I get it."
"If the source of this dries out, everyone dies. The last pieces would be fought over. Right now, there are two power holders rooted in the village. While it's not right away, soon there will only be one. Anatoly is going to have to cover everyone by himself even now, his father can't make enough for everyone."
"I get it."
"It's a lot easier to do by touch, but getting around to everyone in the village each day is tough. They get more power because of that, but if he can't handle all of the predistributed magic gathering, then things could get dire. You see?"
Jinx watched her write . . . "Big, fat, stupid hero."
"Yes." She smiled. "You are the hero, that brings everything back to balance. Anatoly can handle the village for so long, but it will get harder, and it will drain his magic more. The sooner you have a baby, the easier it will be on him. It doesn't hurt to touch after all." She put the chalk back down. "Well?"
" . . . eh."
"I was hoping for more." Shield rolled her eyes. "You were willing to throw away your life to do the right thing, and this is not even your life."
"It's just my future, and that was a different time."
"It is a future where you ensure people in the village are taken care of. Everyday you'll be able to feel better by helping anyone you want in the village. The bakers. The cookers. The artists."
"Artists." Creation. "I could create with them?"
"I-"
"I want to create so bad, it's my passion, and I've been denied it over two years, Shields!" she warned her. "I want to create."
"As a village leader, you would be able to help anyone. It would be your job. You would also be teaching your children how to do the same thing. Help the village. It makes you a better person," Shields urged her. "Helping others. Being a better person. Those were your goals to see your sister again. Understand? No more worries about you. No more ruining lives, you are saving lives. Tighty ninety, not even a weighty eighty."
"Raven could have done this. Alicia would have dumped Michael on the alter for this," Jinx pointed out. "Not even nifty fifty."
"He doesn't like them. He likes you, and the more he likes his wife-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Well?
"He's not out of the realm of attractive. He is very much so, PJ."
Yeah, everyone fawned over him. "He is." He was. It was honestly kind of nuts that she wasn't more nuts over him. "He's not attractive though in a very important way."
"What?"
"He won't let me create!"
"I think you've discovered your way around that," Shields pointed out. "As a village leader. Plus, you will be creating. Sculpting future leaders."
"Liked the first part. Hated the second."
"It really shouldn't be that hard. He helps the village. He's sweet. He's endearing. He's-"
"Better than his father by a longshot." So far. "He's not . . ." He wasn't . . . "He hasn't done anything wrong. I don't think? I mean. Besides correcting betrayal, you know what I mean? He hasn't gotten anyone . . ." That look?
Shields looked like she had a sad expression on her face. "You never know?"
True. Why did Shields look so sad about that? "You okay?"
"Oh. Yes. We really need to get this done for you." She pointed to the board and wrote Zaun. "You wanted someone more like where you were from? That had your values? Maybe, but we are all living, breathing creatures. So."
She held up her hand. "Someone basic from Zaun." She held up her other hand. "A life where you can't make a wrong choice. All you can do is help. No one is going to be dying around you."
She wrote on the other side of Zaun, Laurent Village. "Destruction. Wanted criminal. Emptiness. Sadness. That's all there." She pointed at Zaun. She circled the words Laurent Village. "This is calm. Peaceful. You do nothing but help. Have made a ton of friends. No one fears you. No one hates you. You are wanted, only in the sense of belonging. It wouldn't be the same without you."
"All I do is help." She was right.
"Right. No more thinking or wondering if things will backfire. You can't mess it up. All you have to do is be with Anatoly. That can't be hard."
"Sure, and it's got nothing to do with the fact you are my closest friends in the village, and they will go after my closest friends first when I say no?"
Her face went pale. "It's best to be careful. You know how his father is."
"His dad was wicked to his mom. What if he's ordering things behind Anatoly's back too?" Even if she talked him down, what if his dad was talking it up? Maybe they liked the temporary mage thing?
"Yes, that would be bad. Very bad."
Jinx smirked. "Yeah. I get what you are doing, Shields. I'd lie my butt off too about this being good for my family's survival. I was just a name, in Zaun. I was just something that . . . that refused . . . to take responsibility. I tried to once, but it also wasn't the right way. I guess?" Right. "It's not about happiness. It's about helping others. Saving people builds something new."
/// "If you could use all of that explosive potential for good, like you did in Zaun!///
Vi. "Vi."
"She would be there for your wedding. She would also be there for each of your children's births. She could even visit on special occassions. The village would open up for her. Any of your Zaun friends."
"If I saw it as a good thing." Then Vi would see it as a good thing. "I'm helping others." Yeah, but, it would be way better if she found a way to set everyone free instead. If they are here, I could get them that liquid. They could look at it. Ekko could honestly probably solve this thing so fast. If I knew he could, I could bust out of here, and we could come back and cure everyone. Still. Marriage to get it done? If he didn't see any hope, that was it. Marriage. If he did? They could grab a ton and get out. Figure out the next step later.
Guards would be down. A nice little punch to the other local scientist's face and they could get a good look at all of this stuff.
It could save her. Save the village. Maybe even save Zaun somehow one day.
Yeah. Marriage. It was worth the risk.
"If you dedicated the rest of your life to truly doing just good, maybe it would even create more forgiveness to older friends?" she pointed out.
"Like Ekko." Ekko would really approve of it, she knew it. He was always selflessly trying to better Zaun. This was her best chance to break the shackles.
"You said that the only reason he forgave you is from seeing another Powder. A good you. This would allow him a chance to see something good in you instead. Not another you, in you."
"Ekko." I want that, I want that, I want that! "I want that so bad. Can I . . .?" Could she really get that?
"When you first began your life, you always said you felt like a good person, and then when you went to live with a villain you said you tried to act like a villain, before actually becoming one. When you met with your father again with your sister, you said you started to feel the 'good' again. You've been feeling that good for some time, right?"
Ooh. "I kind of scared Margaret a little bit, telling her how many times I almost offed her kid." Anatoly didn't ever kill, but damn it, he was still the one that kept her there. He could free her. He could free Shields and Cake. He could! He was even forcing this dumb marriage thing that was putting them all in danger!
Yeah, Shields wasn't happy about that, but honesty was policy. "Okay then. I want you to realize that you are not a villain anymore. You have been changing again into a new person. A leader. A good leader that would do anything for her village. You aren't messing anything up. No foul ups. No screw ups. So, it's time to stop acting like a leader, and become it."
"I don't like the way your phrasing that, Shields."
"You want to help the people you love. That's all you've ever wanted. You helped your family. Tried to help your family. You wanted to protect Silco. You wanted to protect your sister Vi. All of these were all taking dangerous ways where it was easy to mess up, and they eventually failed. All but Vi."
"Listening."
"Who do you want to protect now?"
"You guys."
"Right. Now, there are two choices. You can oppose this role and you know that things . . . will happen to us. No one should bother hiding that. They will keep getting rid of those you care about until you succumb. Or? You can not object and cause trouble and just be a big, fat, stupid hero from the beginning," she teased. "You aren't messing with bombs. You're not messing with guns. There doesn't have to be death, suicide, or real violence. All you are doing is a ceremony. A big fat stupid ceremony. There's no real threat. A calm life with calm people in an environment where you can continue to feel safe and warm and loved with us."
A leader. "That would make me a better person."
"There is no big kaboom for the change. Just wear the ring. Go through a ceremony, and it'll move however it needs to. No life on the line. No one getting hurt. Just don't object. It's simple, PJ."
"You think. You think Ekko would really care about this Powder if I did this?"
"Yes. We can invite him to the wedding as well if you wish."
Huh? "I know. I."
"Yes. Yes, I know," Shields simply said. "Heroes happiness follows after everyone elses."
"I created the mess of my life. I have no one to blame but myself. I am going to take full responsibility for this." Right. "Okay. Okay!" Right! "Alright, Shields." She looked at her wedding ring. "For Vi. For Ekko. For you, Cake, Swords, and everyone in the village!" She took her fingers.
To protect them. To get Ekko that liquid, to give everyone there a shot at freedom. Maybe even give Zaun another shot.
She straightened her top two fingers. She curled her two bottom fingers. She held up her thumb. She aimed at herself. "Poow."
No more Silco. No more attempted kills on Anatoly. No more thoughts about walking out to die and letting everyone else die.
She'd sacrifice herself, in a different way.
She got up. Action. Action was decisive with her. "Anatoly."
She saw him, talking to the local glass maker. She moved swiftly to him. She hugged him. "When I go to Zaun, I want to invite people to the wedding."
His voice spiked high. Excitable. Happy. "Of course, Jinx."
"PJ," she told him. "Powder-Jinx." One name, and one person. All parts of her had to accept this action.
"Of course. PJ." He hugged her back tightly. "You don't know how happy this makes me that you are accepting this. Father had to do terrible things, and I . . ."
"Just don't hurt anyone. Be nice. And if you touch Vi or Ekko or anyone coming to the wedding, I will kill you and let everyone burn in hell forever." He pulled her away slightly to see her.
"Yes. Of course. I'm glad that kind of fire still burns with you." He stroked her hair. "You have one more chance to fight me too. Just one. Okay? We can put all of this to rest soon. Although, we should go over one thing? Not Ekko."
Not Ekko? "Why not Ekko?"
"Darling, he tried to kill you."
"Yeah, so did my sister, what's your point?" she said.
"I imagine your sister was more playful."
"Not really. Killing is killing."
"He took you down so bad, that you had the shimmer done, PJ."
"That was really a bomb. My own bomb," she pointed out.
"Do we . . . really need everyone?"
"Yes!" At least an invitation. "He's a friend."
He sighed. "Very well."
"I want more things," she told him. "I'm giving up a lot here, to do this to be a better person, like everybody wants. But I . . ."
"Name it. Your friends at the wedding, that is granted. Everything is free too, just like they were a villager."
"I want Bear in a safer place. He can learn to make freaking bread, he doesn't need to be a mercenary," she said.
"Yes."
"I want Cake and Shields freed."
"Oh." There was his stopping point.
"Yeah, I thought so." Had to keep it over her. She couldn't even put past that he didn't already do something to Shields. She was extra jumpy. "I want to have creation stations with the glass designers and sculpturists and artist sections."
"-uh"
"I am marrying you and sacrificing everything to be a better person for everyone! The least you can do is give me somewhere to create! Not gears. No metal. Fine. I will look in on the other villagers too, like a good leader would, but I want to work at those stations!" Happiness followed. It should follow.
He nodded. "You can work at the stations as long as you don't build certain things. They will be watching what you build. No weapons are allowed. No grenades, not even just smoke bombs. Understand?"
"I just want to create."
"Do you want to sell your creations as trinkets too?"
Sell. Trinkets. "Some maybe."
"Okay. For you. Granted. After the marriage. You will get certain days where you can go and see them, and make safe creations."
Creations. Creations. Finally! She hugged him again. "I'll be a good leader. I'll be helping others. I can do this." She could do this.
"Great. I have no doubt you will be a wonderful wife, Powder-Jinx."
"Does it hurt?"
Shields looked toward her side. "Sword."
"Does it hurt to warp her like that?" he called her out. "I like you Shields. I like you more than I should. But these are the reasons I can't be with you." He gestured to the scene. "You know she shouldn't be there. You know what he's been doing to her. It will only get worse."
"She's going to be there anyhow, it's just that, people are going to hurt first," Shields told him. "If I make her happy about it, then it won't hurt as much, and she goes through it and the village is protected. It's the right thing to do."
"Manipulating someone who already suffers-"
"-I do the best I can with what I am allowed to, Sword," Shield corrected him. "Anatoly would get rid of me like that if I badmouthed him. You know that. I play a dangerous game of balance. What is good for her, what is right for the village, and what is going to get me and Cake killed! I play that game everyday. You just watch the medication, so don't tell me that."
She looked away angrily. If she could, she would tell her everything as it should be. One wrong move, and just his touch.
Could. Scorch. Everything.