Cleaning an entire house from top to bottom takes a lot of time. So Logan focused on the key areas—mainly the bedroom they'd be using, and the bathroom.
After that, he and Jinx went to grab something to eat somewhere along the Mid-Tier walkways, and by the time they got back, it was already night.
"Logan… can't we sleep together tonight? I don't want to sleep alone."
Up on the second floor at night, Logan was in his pajamas. The fabric wasn't anything special, but it was still way more comfortable than wearing rags.
Jinx stood at his door hugging a pillow. She'd just showered—her loose blue hair was still damp, clinging wetly to her skin. She was wearing a pink nightgown she'd bought from a shop that afternoon. She craned her neck to look up at Logan, hope written all over her face.
Logan thought for a moment, then nodded and stepped aside.
"Come in."
Staying close to Jinx helped his energy bar go up!
Of course Logan wasn't going to pass up this chance. He'd been wondering how to spend more time around her anyway—and now she was practically delivering herself to his doorstep. Refuse?
Yeah, right.
Even setting aside the fact that she could boost his energy bar, just the fact that she was pretty was reason enough not to say no.
With Logan's approval, Jinx cheered, hugged her pillow tighter, then charged into his room with her head down.
The little house had two floors—two rooms downstairs, three rooms upstairs. It was actually pretty spacious. And yet Jinx still insisted on sleeping with Logan.
Once she flopped onto the bed, Jinx's legs wouldn't behave, kicking and tapping restlessly. She held a storybook and looked at Logan.
"Want a midnight story?" she asked.
Logan immediately shook his head.
Listening to Jinx tell stories?
He'd heard more than enough these past few days.
And the weirdest part was—Jinx was clearly holding a book, but the story she told was never the story that was actually on the page.
Her brain jumped all over the place. She'd shove her own ideas into the book, and before long she'd completely wandered off the original plot, switching to a dramatic voice and exaggerated gestures like she was putting on a full performance for Logan.
Some "terrifying stinky bug," some "fang-and-claw monster"… Logan even tried to ask what kind of creatures those were because they sounded ridiculously strong—
And then she'd go quiet, start mumbling, and change the subject.
If Logan asked too many questions and pushed her, she'd just start hitting him.
Zero manners.
When the lights went out, Logan glanced over and saw that Jinx had fallen asleep facing him.
Her mouth was slightly open, thumb in her mouth—thumb nail painted. Curled up like a cat, sleeping Jinx looked like a pretty little kitten. The crazed, twitchy energy she carried during the day was completely gone, replaced by a quiet stillness.
Maybe because she lacked any real sense of safety, anxiety always clung to her, making her curl up tight even in sleep. It was hard not to feel sorry for her seeing that.
Logan watched her for a moment, ran a hand through the hair on his forehead, and closed his eyes too.
What was interesting was that Jinx wasn't sleeping with her back to him anymore—she was facing him now.
That was good news. It meant she trusted Logan a little more.
Not that it made much difference whether she was facing forward or backward—she was flat as a board either way…
————
In the morning, Logan got out of bed and rubbed his sore right arm. Looking down, he saw a wet spot on his sleeve.
Jinx had already gotten up before him. She'd changed clothes and was crouched on a chair, fiddling with some little toy—no idea where she'd even gotten it.
"Today we're going out to make money, right?"
"Yes," Logan said, "but you're staying home today."
"Staying home?" Jinx knocked the toy against the table and looked at him. "Didn't we say we'd make money together?"
"We haven't even properly talked through our plan yet. Today I'm just going out to check the situation. I'll be back by evening." Logan grabbed his clothes, changed, then looked back at her with a smile. "What do you want to eat tonight?"
Jinx was clearly unhappy. Hearing him, she hugged her knees and muttered, "Anything."
"Alright. I'm heading out." Logan smiled, pulled on his hat.
Sevika had already seen him with Jinx. And by now, Silco definitely knew too. The Undercity was probably getting turned upside down, with Silco's people searching everywhere for both of them.
Logan went downstairs and stepped outside. When he turned back, he saw Jinx pressed against the window watching him. When their eyes met, she waved.
Logan lifted his hand and waved back.
Then he pulled his hat lower and headed toward the busiest part of the Mid-Tier.
After spending some time asking around, Logan quickly learned what was happening below.
Just like he'd predicted, the Undercity was—again—an absolute mess. Silco's people were barging into places left and right, and word had been sent to the Chem-Barons too, ordering them to help search for Jinx.
The result was that the Mid-Tier Plaza was packed today—lots of people had fled up from the Undercity to avoid the chaos.
What Logan didn't know was that about ten minutes after he left, the door of the little house opened.
A cloaked figure slipped out, sneaky as a cat, and a striking flash of blue hair showed at the edge of the hood.
——————
"If I actually listened and behaved, then I wouldn't be called Jinx."
With long legs taking exaggerated steps, Jinx walked backward down an alley in the Mid-Tier Plaza, even sticking out her tongue at the space ahead of her.
Then she pulled out a can, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, and started her masterpiece.
Logan went out and told her to stay home?
Yeah, no. Nice try.
Staying home alone was way too boring.
Pursing her lips, Jinx shook the can and sprayed paint onto the wall.
"Just like that~"
"Mm, a little more here… cool~"
"Woah, I really am a genius!"
The more she painted, the more she got into it. Jinx broke into a light jog, the spray leaving a crooked, wobbly blue line on the crumbling wall as she giggled to herself.
"Ow!"
She slammed into something and toppled backward, landing on the ground. Rubbing her head, she looked down at the small thing that had stumbled into her arms.
A gray-black little jacket, mismatched yellow pants, messy brown hair like a puffed-up furball—big orange-yellow eyes staring up at her in fear. The kid looked exactly like a scruffy little stray dog.
"She's over here!"
"Fuck, she can really run!"
"Finally boxed her in!"
Noise erupted from deeper in the alley. Several tattooed men rushed out—and behind her, more men appeared, sealing off the way out.
The scruffy little stray dog immediately looked over, then instinctively burrowed into Jinx's arms, trembling as she stared at the men.
Jinx first glanced down at the little kid clinging to her, then looked at the group in front of her and rolled her eyes.
Yeah. Same old story.
Chem-Barons snatching kids—Jinx had run into that kind of thing plenty of times. Whether the kids were being taken to fill out their ranks or dragged off to work in mines and toxic waste pits, it didn't matter. In the Undercity, there weren't many orphans who got to grow up safely.
"Hey," Jinx poked the kid's back, "you're crushing me."
The little girl didn't respond.
And the men had already reached them.
They extended their hands to grab the child.
The kid fought like hell—and when she swung her arm up, she accidentally slapped Jinx's hood.
The cloak slipped off. Blue hair and braids spilled free. Jinx lazily scratched the back of her neck, then raised her head.
"This isn't your busi— Get the hell out of—"
The lead man froze. His eyes widened when he saw her face.
"You—"
He'd just gotten her photo from his boss last night. The entire Undercity was searching for her right now!
Jinx smiled, the corner of her mouth lifting. Her hand, already near her neck, slid smoothly down to her left waistband.
With a sharp motion, she drew a pistol.
"Hi there~"
Her lips closed, then opened again. Jinx squinted one eye.
"Bang~"