"That's certainly surprising, Li Ke. How did you do it?"
Silco looked at the Glow Modified Person on the ground, then looked up and asked Li Ke.
Seeing that Jinx was all right, he had already recovered from his moment of panic.
"It was simple. I jumped down, then slammed into him," Li Ke replied.
"Li Ke, you never used to talk to me like that. I remember you always ran whenever you saw me." Silco looked at Li Ke, who seemed so composed, and suddenly said.
Li Ke laughed. "You said it yourself, Uncle. That was the past."
At the word "Uncle," Silco narrowed his eyes slightly. Then he heard Li Ke continue.
"People change, don't they? Just look at you—you've changed far more than you used to be."
"Me?" Silco shook his head and said evenly, "I haven't changed. You're the ones who've changed, especially you. Your transformation has been astonishing."
Li Ke set Isha down and patted her little head, then pointed at Jinx.
Isha looked up at Li Ke. First, she hugged his leg and rubbed her little head against his thigh. She mouthed her thanks to him without making a sound, then ran over to Jinx, wrapped both arms around hers, and helped her to her feet.
Just then, a sound came from above. Amid the rustling, Vi jumped down.
After spending so many years in prison, she hadn't grown any less nimble—in fact, she was more agile than ever. She landed lightly from the height, looked at Jinx first, and let out a sigh of relief when she saw she was all right.
Then Vi turned to Silco, narrowed her eyes, and pressed her lips tightly together. She cracked her knuckles as she walked over to Li Ke, glaring at Silco as if she wanted to swallow him whole.
"Silco, do you fucking remember me?" Vi shouted.
Silco saw Vi, then looked at Jinx. When he noticed Jinx's eyes had fixed on Vi the moment she appeared, a hint of sorrow crossed his face, but vanished almost immediately.
Looking at Vi, Silco sneered. "Vi Olay, you really did learn every last bit of Vander's street-rat attitude. Vander had already left his past behind and become a different person while raising you, yet you're just like him. Should I say you're too much like him, or that you're nothing like him at all?"
"Don't you fucking dare bring up Vander! Silco, who the hell do you think you are, talking about my father?" Hearing Silco mention Vander, Vi flew into a rage. She bent forward, ready to charge at him.
But a hand blocked her. Vi froze and looked at Li Ke, who had stopped her.
"Let's talk, Uncle," Li Ke said to Silco, his back to Vi.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"Hmm."
"Let's talk about what you'll have to do now if you want to leave here in one piece." Li Ke vanished from where he stood. Silco's pupils contracted; in the blink of an eye, Li Ke had appeared behind him.
Resting his right hand on Silco's shoulder, Li Ke smiled. "What do you think?"
"Looks like I won't be able to leave safely unless we talk," Silco said calmly.
Behind Silco, Sevika didn't dare move. She was the only person there who had experienced Li Ke's strength firsthand.
"Of course. Just look at Vi's face," Li Ke said, pointing at her.
Hearing that exchange, Vi immediately flew into a rage. "What's there to talk about with him? Li Ke, why haven't you killed him yet? What are you waiting for?"
"Kill him already!"
"Kill him, and all of this will be over!"
"Shut up!"
It wasn't Silco, Sevika, or Li Ke who had spoken.
It was Jinx. She held Isha's hand and looked at Silco with a terribly complicated expression.
"B-Boomer?" Vi stammered, looking at Jinx.
"I told you, call me Jinx, sister. How many times do I have to repeat myself?"
Vi froze. Seeing Jinx's serious face, her anger surged back.
Just as Li Ke had said, Boomer had suffered so much over the years. She'd been wronged. But hadn't Vi suffered too?
Her father had died, her friends had died, and she'd been locked up in prison. All that time, she'd thought only of her little sister, Boomer. But when she got out, everything had changed!
Boomer had become Jinx. Her own little sister had become the adopted daughter of the man who'd killed their father. What the fuck was this supposed to be?
If Boomer was gone too, then who else in Zaun did she know? Who else did she recognize, who else was she connected to?
No one!
"He killed Vander! He did!" Vi clutched her chest and said to Jinx, overcome with emotion.
Jinx looked at Vi, and her expression suddenly turned mournful. She spoke softly.
"He killed him? That's not right."
"Not right? I saw him with my own eyes—he..." Vi started to say, but Jinx's muttered words cut her off.
"But, sister, have you forgotten?"
"I was the one who killed Dad. I was the one who caused his death—and theirs. You told me yourself that I was a curse."
Jinx's words left Vi speechless.
The hurt she'd felt when Jinx stood up for Silco faded. In that moment, all Vi felt was regret.
She looked at Jinx, who had tilted her head toward her, and suddenly realized that she really had done something wrong.
Jinx looked at Li Ke, a flicker of pleading in her eyes. "Li Ke, let him go."
Her expression caught Li Ke off guard.
He'd known Jinx for nearly half a month, and they'd spent every day together. He'd seen all kinds of expressions from her: joyful laughter, crazed cackling, anger, frustration, and sadness.
But he'd never seen Jinx like this.
"Understood." Li Ke nodded.
"Uncle, go back for now. I'll come find you at the Fugen Tavern later. I know the place well," Li Ke said to Silco.
Silco took a deep breath. He looked at Jinx, his lips moving as though he wanted to say something, but Li Ke suddenly held him in place. Lowering his head, Li Ke spoke in a voice only he and Silco could hear.
"Don't provoke her any more, Silco. She's close to breaking."
"If you really love her."
"Go back."
Silco fell silent. After one last look at Jinx, he turned and addressed everyone.
Sevika nodded and raised a hand. The people Silco had brought with him followed her.
Soon, they had all left, leaving behind Vi, looking utterly lost as she stared at the ground; Jinx, held by Isha; and Li Ke, standing off to the side, watching them.
Li Ke rubbed his head and felt a headache coming on.
Seeing Silco today had been a complete accident, and he'd never expected Jinx to take Silco's side against Vi.
In his mind, the person Jinx loved most was Vi, followed by Vander and Silco. That had been clear at the end of the Twin Cities animated series, too: in her panic, Jinx had shot Silco and hurt someone close to her yet again.
But she'd done it to protect Vi.
And now, she was arguing with Vi for Silco's sake?
Had something gone wrong?
Li Ke shook his head, pushed aside his thoughts, and looked at Jinx.
"Come on, Jinx, Vi. We should head back."
Jinx walked over to Li Ke with Isha's hand in hers. After hesitating, Vi followed.
She suddenly had so much she wanted to say to Jinx.
But she didn't know how to begin, so Vi looked at Li Ke pleadingly.
Li Ke didn't look at Vi at all. He only gave her his back.
Because he was looking at Jinx.
"It's okay. I won't hurt him, I promise," Li Ke said softly, putting an arm around Jinx.
Jinx looked at Li Ke, her expression growing more animated.
"Really?" she asked.
"Really," Li Ke said.
Before you continue