"So how do we find the Firelights?"
Inside the tent, Vi was laying out her blankets on the floor. She was, of course, determined to stay with Powder, hoping her sister would talk to her, maybe even lie in her arms like when they were little, listening with an adoring face as she told her stories.
But Jinx didn't go near Vi. She just glanced at her several times before joining Leo and Isha. The three of them had their sleeping mats together, separate from Vi's.
Vi was tormented by this, but then she remembered that her relationship with Powder had already improved somewhat. She patted her cheeks, giving herself a little pep talk, and then sat obediently on her cushion, watching Jinx talk to Leo.
Leo noticed Vi's expression and found it amusing.
In the original story, Jinx was the one frantically searching for Vi, blocking bridges and running to Piltover to snatch Caitlyn. And now?
Vi was the one shamelessly clinging to Jinx...
Honestly, as someone on Team Jinx, Leo was quite enjoying the show.
Mistreating your sister is a thrill; winning her back is a funeral pyre!
"Find them? We can't." Jinx shook her head in response to Leo's question.
She was eating a piece of candy. Hearing his question, she looked over at Leo and said, her long legs crossed, "Those guys are like rats. No one knows where they're hiding. Silco has sent people to catch them more than a few times, but he's failed every single time."
"If you ask me, they should change their gang's name to the Wild Rats. I've never seen people who are so good at running away." Jinx crossed her arms as she spoke, puffing her cheeks out in frustration. "Last time Sevika was on a job Topside, her cargo got hijacked by the Firelights. And in their group, there's a girl who looks just like Vi—"
Jinx suddenly stopped talking. Her gaze shifted away from Leo's face and flickered over to Vi.
Jinx had a habit of staring directly into people's eyes when she spoke, never looking away. So, Leo naturally noticed this small movement.
And Leo knew what Jinx was talking about. It was the Firelight girl from Arcane who looked just like a young Vi, the one she runs into after she's grown up.
Jinx looked at Vi and saw that she had been anxiously running her hands through her hair, but the moment she noticed Jinx looking at her, Vi's eyes lit up. She immediately sat up straight like a little puppy, her hands placed neatly on her knees, watching her.
Seeing this, the corner of Jinx's mouth curled up in a subtle arc before she quickly looked away again.
Jinx shifted her gaze once more.
Leo was right. I have to treat her like I'm fishing, dangling the line. Otherwise, my sister will never cherish me.
That's right... this was what Leo had taught Jinx.
Vi: "..."
"So if we want to find them, we'll have to think of a way to lure them out, then intentionally let them escape. Only by tailing them can we find their base."
Jinx's mouth opened, the candy caught between her small white teeth. She bit down hard, and the candy shattered with a crack. Lacing her hands behind her head, she said, "Interrogating them after you catch them is useless, too. The Firelights are all extremely loyal to their leader. Silco tried torturing some of them, but it always failed. They refuse to say anything and will even bite their own tongues to commit suicide."
Leo nodded.
Of course the Firelights were loyal. Because the Firelights... were less of a gang and more of a community. A home.
Under Ekko's leadership, the Firelights were thriving. Why were they so loyal? Precisely because they knew that even if they died, their families and friends would be taken care of by Ekko within the Firelights; they could continue to live good lives.
But what if the Firelights were gone?
Then that beautiful reality, that future filled with hope, would all turn into a soap bubble, popping at the slightest touch.
They weren't really fighting for Ekko; they were protecting their home.
The reason Leo had asked Isha to help get Jinx talking about the Firelights was that they were a powerful force.
Of all the gangs in Zaun, the Firelights were the only ones who consistently opposed Silco, destroying his smuggled goods on more than one occasion. And yet, Silco was completely helpless against them. For that reason, Leo wanted to win over Ekko and the Firelights.
To unite Zaun, the Firelights were essential!
Leo lowered his head, deep in thought.
"Do you need my help?" Jinx asked, watching the contemplative Leo. She propped herself up on her hands and crawled toward him like a cat, a serious expression on her face. "I can help you, Leo."
"I'm good at this kind of thing."
"You don't need to do this kind of thing," Leo immediately replied, shaking his head.
"You don't trust me?"
"That's not it at all. Catching fireflies is a job we can give to someone else. I have other things I need your help with," Leo said, reaching out to ruffle Jinx's hair.
This is tough. Jinx is a textbook "landmine girl"...
She's beautiful—take away the makeup and dark circles, and calling her sweet and cute wouldn't be an exaggeration at all. But it's this personality...
Honestly, if Leo didn't know the reasons she became this way, and if he hadn't grown to truly like and sympathize with her after watching Arcane*, dealing with her would be exhausting.*
Because you never know when you might accidentally step on one of her triggers, upsetting her, and then... she creates huge trouble.
Still, she had already changed a lot. If this were before, Leo saying something like that would have resulted in her pulling a gun on him eighty percent of the time. Or her eyes would glaze over, and she'd stare at him with a dead look in her eyes.
But now, she didn't do that. She just pouted, a little unhappy.
That was a huge change, okay?!
And hearing what Leo said, Jinx nodded, her mood brightening. "So what do you need me to do?"
"I want you to help me change this place, Jinx."
"I need your mind, and I need your talent," Leo said.
Jinx blinked. "Weapons?"
"Not weapons, Jinx. I need you to create technology that can improve people's lives."
Jinx froze. She grabbed her hair, rubbing her head, and said with a bit of a headache, "But Leo, I only know how to make weapons."
"You've only ever made weapons," Leo corrected her, shaking his head.
Since there was no friendly way to get the Firelights to come out, then he might as well not be in a rush to find them for now.
After all... Leo had just laid down the law with Silco. He needed to produce some results, to show Silco what was possible, and start changing his extremist mindset.
And...
Build a community. One like the Firelights...
No!
It had to be better than the Firelights!
Leo was going to build a community right here in the Lanes that was better than what the Firelights had. A community without Shimmer, without hatred, without hunger and cold.
He looked at Jinx and took a deep breath.
"For the foreseeable future, I think we'll be living here. That home we have in the mid-level plaza—we'll go back tomorrow to bring down anything we need."
Jinx nodded.
She didn't care about the home in the plaza; she cared about the people in it.
Leo then looked over at Vi, who was also looking at him. Leo smiled. "Big Sis Leader, I've got something I need your help with too."
"I'm very..." Vi had been watching Leo and Powder interact for a long time, and the sour smell of jealousy had long since wafted over to Leo's side. Hearing that Leo needed her help, she was naturally reluctant.
But seeing that Powder was also looking at her, Vi quickly changed her tune:
"I'd be happy to help."
The corner of her mouth twitched into a smirk that wasn't a smile. "Boss."