If She Could Behave, She Wouldn't Be Jinx

It would have taken quite a while to clean the whole house.

So Li Ke focused on cleaning a few places, like the bedroom the two of them would share and the bathroom.

After he finished, he and Jinx found somewhere in the Mid-level Plaza to grab a bite. By then, night had fallen.

"Li Ke, can't we sleep together tonight? I don't want to sleep alone."

In the mid-level corridor at night, on the second floor of the house, Li Ke wore pajamas. The fabric wasn't anything special, but they were far more comfortable than those ragged clothes.

Jinx had just finished bathing and came to his door clutching a pillow. Her loose blue hair was still damp, clinging to her body. She wore the Pink Nightgown she'd bought at the shop that afternoon. Stretching her neck to peer at Li Ke, she looked at him with bright, hopeful eyes.

Li Ke thought it over, then nodded and stepped aside.

"Come in."

Being around Jinx helped increase his Energy Bar!

Of course Li Ke wasn't going to pass up this chance. He'd been wondering how to spend more time with Jinx, and now Little Jinx had come to him of her own accord. Why would he refuse?

Joking aside, even if he didn't consider how Little Jinx could increase his Energy Bar, she was beautiful. Li Ke couldn't think of a reason to turn her down.

With Li Ke's permission, Jinx cheered, clutching her pillow, then ducked her head and dashed into his room.

The little house had two floors, with two rooms downstairs and three upstairs. It was fairly spacious, but Jinx insisted on sleeping with Li Ke.

Lying on the bed, Jinx kicked her legs restlessly. She held a storybook and looked at Li Ke.

"Want to hear a bedtime story?" she asked him.

Li Ke immediately shook his head.

Listen to Jinx tell stories?

He'd heard more than enough over the past few days!

The strange thing was, Jinx would hold a storybook while she told a tale, but the story she came up with had nothing to do with what was written in it.

Jinx's mind always wandered, and she'd keep adding her own ideas to the storybook. Before long, she'd drifted away from the original tale, putting on an exaggerated voice and acting everything out for Li Ke.

There were things like terrifying stinky bugs and sharp-toothed monsters. Li Ke had asked Jinx in detail what kind of creatures they were, since they sounded so impressive. But then she'd go quiet and start awkwardly changing the subject.

If Li Ke kept asking and got on her nerves, Jinx would even hit him.

She really had no manners.

After turning off the lights, Li Ke looked over at Jinx and saw that she'd fallen asleep facing him.

Her lips were parted around the thumb she'd painted with nail polish, and she curled up like a cat. Asleep, Jinx was as docile as a pretty little kitten. The wildness and neurotic edge she usually carried had vanished, leaving her utterly quiet.

Perhaps she lacked a sense of security, with unease always hanging over her. Even in sleep, she curled up, and the sight couldn't help but stir a feeling of tenderness in Li Ke.

Li Ke watched her, ran a hand through his bangs, then closed his eyes too.

Interestingly, Jinx no longer slept with her back to him. Now she faced him.

That was good news. It meant Jinx trusted Li Ke a little more, even if there wasn't much difference between her front and her back. Both were flat as boards...

In the morning, Li Ke got out of bed and rubbed his aching right arm. Looking down, he spotted a wet patch on his sleeve. Jinx had gotten up before him and changed clothes; now she was perched on a chair, fiddling with some little toy she'd found somewhere.

"We're going out to make money today, right?"

"Right, but you need to stay home today," Li Ke told Jinx.

"Stay home?" Jinx knocked the toy against the table and looked at Li Ke. "Didn't we agree to make money together?"

"But we haven't even discussed our money-making plan yet. I'm just going out to check things out today. I'll be back by evening." Li Ke picked up his clothes and changed, then looked at Jinx with a smile. "What do you want for dinner?"

Jinx was clearly unhappy. Hearing Li Ke, she hugged her knees and muttered, "Anything."

"Then I'm off." Li Ke smiled and put on his hat.

Sevika had already seen him with Jinx, and Silco should know by now too. The Sump was surely in an uproar, with Silco's men searching everywhere for him and Jinx.

Li Ke went downstairs and left the house. When he looked back, he saw Jinx leaning out the window, watching him. Their eyes met, and she waved.

Li Ke saw her and waved back.

Then he adjusted his hat and headed toward the crowded streets.

After spending some time looking around, Li Ke got a sense of what was happening in the Sump.

Just as he'd expected, the Sump was a total mess again.

Silco's men had started barging into places all over the area. They'd also sent word to the Alchemical Barons, telling them to help find Jinx.

As a result, the Mid-level Plaza was packed today. Many people had fled the Sump to escape the chaos.

What Li Ke didn't know was that about ten minutes after he left, the little house's door opened. A cloaked figure crept out, with a glimpse of bright blue showing beneath the hem.

"What did you expect? If I could behave, I wouldn't be Jinx."

Taking long strides, Jinx walked backward down an alley in the Mid-level Plaza, sticking her tongue out at the path ahead.

Then she pulled a spray can from her hand and looked around. Seeing no one, she began her graffiti masterpiece.

Li Ke had gone out and told her to stay home?

Ha! As if. She wasn't going to do that.

Being home alone was way too boring!

With her tongue poking out, Jinx shook the can and sprayed paint onto the wall.

"Just like that~"

"Mm, let's add a little over here. Cool~"

"Whoa, I really am a genius!"

Getting more and more carried away, Jinx broke into a jog. The spray left a crooked, wobbly blue line across the battered wall, and she grinned as she let herself get swept up in it.

"Ow!"

She suddenly crashed into something and toppled backward, landing on the ground. She rubbed her head, then looked at the little thing that had tumbled into her arms.

The girl wore a gray-black jacket and a mismatched pair of yellow pants. Her messy brown hair was fluffy and tousled, and she stared up at Jinx in terror with big orange-yellow eyes. She looked just like a Scruffy Puppy.

"She's over here!"

"Fucking hell, she can really run!"

"We've finally got her cornered!"

Shouts rang out from deep in the alley as several tattooed men rushed out. A few more appeared behind them, blocking the way out.

Scruffy Puppy glanced at them, then instinctively burrowed into Jinx's arms, bristling as she stared at the group of men.

Jinx looked down at the little thing pressed against her, then at the bunch in front of her, and rolled her eyes.

This was nothing new.

Jinx had run into the Alchemical Barons of Zaun snatching kids plenty of times. Whether they wanted more hands for their operations or planned to send them to work in mines and wastewater pools, orphans living in the Sump rarely made it to adulthood in one piece.

"Hey, you're squashing me."

Jinx reached out and poked the kid in the back.

The girl ignored her.

The men stepped up to Jinx.

They reached out to grab the child.

The girl struggled with all her might, but when she raised her hand, she hit Jinx's hood.

The cloak fell away, revealing her blue hair and braids. Jinx lazily scratched the back of her neck, then lifted her head.

"This has nothing to do with you. Get lost as far—"

The man in front froze. He stared at Jinx's face in shock. "You—"

He'd only gotten a photo of her from his boss the night before. The whole Sump was looking for her now!

Jinx smiled, the corners of her mouth curling upward. Her hand slid from her neck to the left side of her pants, and with a swish, she whipped out a pistol.

"Hello~"

Her little mouth closed, then opened again as Jinx narrowed one eye.

"Bang~"