Chapter 74: Jinx: Damn Chef!
After Ren and the girl stared at each other in silence for a long, tense moment—a standoff between a tea-drinking chef and a gun-toting maniac—Ren was the first to break the quiet.
He lowered his teacup to the saucer with a gentle clink.
"Uh… um… Miss," he said, his voice calm despite the heavy weaponry pointed in his general direction. "Are you here for a meal? Or perhaps to rest for a while? We don't usually allow heavy artillery indoors."
The girl didn't answer Ren's question immediately. Instead, she tilted her head, her long blue braids swaying like pendulums. She looked at Ren a few times, blinking her large, erratic eyes as if trying to process his nonchalance.
Then she turned to survey the environment of the Shop. The warm wood, the soft lights, the smell of stew.
After a long moment, she shrugged.
Clatter!
She threw the massive machine gun onto a nearby chair as if it were a bag of groceries.
She then hopped onto the table next to the machine gun, spread her arms wide, and kicked her two long legs in the air a couple of times. She bit her lip tightly, her body shaking.
Finally, she couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Hahaha! HAHAHAHA!"
She burst out laughing, a sound that was equal parts joyous and unhinged.
"Those stupid Enforcers! Those dumb Cops would never have guessed I'd come to this place! I lost them! I totally lost them in the transition!"
Ren watched the girl, who had suddenly shifted from fugitive to cheerful tourist. He put down his black tea completely and leaned forward slightly.
"Then, Miss, you are…"
"Jinx!" she shouted, striking a pose.
"Hmm? Is that your name? Or a description?"
"Yes! It's Jinx! Jinx stands for Jinx! Durr!" She hopped off the table and walked up to him, invading his personal space. "You look much more pleasing than those stiff Cops from Piltover! What is this place? These shiny things don't look like Hextech! Where are the gears?"
She pointed at the ceiling lights.
Ren was surprised, then smiled. "These are just ordinary electric lights~. Tungsten filament."
"Oh? These are much more exquisite than the lights in that Piltover noble's collection room that I blew up a few days ago. Less explosive, though. So, where is this place? Is it Zaun? It smells too clean for Zaun."
Ren glanced at the girl's abandoned machine gun, noting the custom paint job. "This is a Restaurant. In words everyone can understand, this is a place to eat. Of course, you can also come here to rest your feet from running."
Jinx nodded, then suddenly smiled, a manic glint in her eyes. She patted the machine gun affectionately. "You seem very interested in this child? Her name is Pow-Pow!"
Before Ren could speak, Jinx continued, talking a mile a minute. "Right! I'm very interested too! Especially when firing it! There's nothing better than this! The noise! The flash! Rat-a-tat-tat! It makes people dance!"
Ren said nothing, just quietly watched the girl. She was a whirlwind of energy, a stark contrast to the peaceful night he had planned.
After the girl talked to herself for a while about explosions and "Fat Hands" (whoever that was), she stopped abruptly. She turned to Ren, narrowing her eyes.
"Hey! You haven't said anything since just now! Are you boring? Or scared?"
Ren smiled, pouring himself more tea. "I didn't interrupt you because you were speaking so enthusiastically. It's quite interesting listening to your... perspective. I didn't expect you to be quite brave~."
Jinx paused. She grabbed one of her long blue braids with one hand, swinging it around like a lasso as she laughed. "You're a weirdo. You're the first person who's quietly listened to me talk without trying to arrest me or scream!"
Ren asked naturally, "Why weird?"
"Because I'm a lunatic!" she declared proudly, pointing a thumb at her chest. "The kind with a doctor's note! Certified crazy! Loose cannon!"
Ren looked at Jinx for a while. Beneath the grime, the tattoos, and the manic energy, he saw something else.
Under Jinx's intense gaze, he smiled and shook his head.
"Indeed. But no matter how I look at it, you're just a very cute girl~."
Jinx froze. Her brain seemed to stall.
She pointed at herself, her mouth hanging open slightly. "Hey! Buddy~ Cute? Are you talking about me? Did you hit your head?"
"Otherwise? Is there anyone else here?"
Jinx's eyes twitched. She stood up, walked in front of Ren, and bumped his shoulder aggressively.
"I didn't expect you to be quite sturdy! But remember this well, Pizza Face! Although it's a friendly word, this kind of talk won't fool me! I'm not one of those Piltover princesses!"
She suddenly moved. Her hand flashed to her leg holster.
"Hey! Hey! Give it back to me!"
Jinx had quickly pulled out a pistol-like object—her shock pistol, Zapper—intending to give Ren a little zap as a lesson. Because Jinx had a surprisingly good impression of this place (it was quiet and weird), she didn't want to kill him, just scare him a little. Maybe make his hair stand up.
But before she could pull the trigger, her hand was empty.
The pistol was directly taken by Ren. He moved with a speed she couldn't track. He also tapped Jinx's forehead lightly with his other hand.
"I don't know what kind of place you live in or what kind of people you've seen, but this isn't your world," Ren said calmly, examining the weapon. "And as for what you said about 'talk,' you completely don't need to overthink it; I just stated a fact~."
Jinx reached out twice, jumping to grab it, but couldn't reach his raised hand. She stomped her foot, frustrated.
Then she grinned.
She hoisted the shark-mouthed rocket launcher from behind her back.
"Fine! Have it your way! Say hello to Fishbones!"
She aimed the massive weapon at him. The next moment…
Swish.
"Give it back to me! I was just joking with you! Hey! If you don't give it back, I'm going to get angry! I'll scream!"
Ten seconds later…
Jinx was sitting on the floor, empty-handed. All her weapons were gone.
"Ugh… Are you a devil?! A demon?! Give me back my friends! I really was just joking! I wasn't gonna blow you up! Maybe just the wall!"
Ren sighed and put all the weapons—Pow-Pow, Fishbones, Zapper, and three flame chompers—behind the counter. He placed a magical barrier over them.
"I'll give them back to you when you leave. For now, you need to calm down. And weapons can't be your friends~."
"I have many friends! But the best one is Fishbones! At least give me back Fishbones! He gets lonely!" Jinx wailed, reaching out.
"Fishbones? That rocket launcher? An interesting name. But no one doesn't need human friends. You're the same. Can those metal friends of yours even be called friends? At most, they're accomplices."
Jinx sat in the chair, clenching her fists, her face twisting. "I am Jinx! I don't need people! People leave! Guns stay!"
"Nobody here knows you're Jinx~. To me, you are just a customer."
"How is that possible?! Everyone in Piltover knows my name! I painted it on the moon! Wait…" She paused, looking around. "What did you just say? This isn't our world?"
Ren smiled and said, "It seems you've realized. This isn't your world. Otherwise, how could you have come in, but those Enforcers who were chasing you never did? They passed right by the alley."
Jinx's purple eyes lit up, and she jumped up on the chair again. "This is so exciting! You must be a magician! A wizard! Did you turn them into frogs?!"
"No. But I am a Chef."
"A Chef? A food wizard?" Jinx laughed. "As long as you're not a Cop, it's fine! Indeed, anywhere but Piltover can help me calm down! Hey! Since you've given me such a big surprise, I won't be angry anymore! But you have to give me back my friends eventually!"
"I told you people can't be friends with weapons, but you can treat them as companions. After all, you still need them to survive in your world."
Jinx rolled her eyes, frantically scratching her blue hair. "I suspect I'm talking to an idiot! I told you! I'm a lunatic! I talk to my guns! They talk back! Fishbones says you're boring!"
"Your doctor probably isn't quite normal himself if he let you keep the rocket launcher," Ren retorted dryly. "Alright. Find a good place to sit, and you can stay here today. Hide out. Leave when the Restaurant closes in the morning."
"Are you ordering me?!" Jinx bristled.
"Do you believe me when I say…" Ren leaned in, his silver eyes locking with hers. "For the duration of your stay, as long as you don't cause any trouble, every customer who comes here will be very willing to be your friend, and they'll all think you're very cute. No one will see you as a monster."
Jinx paused. Her manic energy faltered for a second. She waved her hand with a laugh, but it sounded a bit forced. "That's impossible. Everyone hates Jinx. Jinx ruins everything. Besides... Why would I play this boring game with you? It's not good for me."
"If you win, you can hide here for a night and safely escape the chase. If you lose... well, you get a free meal. And you can gain a few friends, a few friends who are willing to listen to you talk without judging~."
A hint of anticipation flashed in Jinx's eyes—a longing she usually buried under explosions. Then she snorted and said, "Alright! I'll show you how wrong you are! No one dares to get too close to Jinx! Oh… except for a good 'accomplice'! You should believe the doctor's note!"
"I only trust my own judgment~. So Jinx, what would you like to eat?"
Jinx ignored Ren and turned her head away like a pouting child, crossing her arms.
Ren smiled, then walked towards the kitchen. "Then I'll just make something for you~. Do you want something sweet? You look like you have a sweet tooth."
"Do I look like an immature little girl?! I am a criminal mastermind!" she shouted at his back. "I want spicy food! Super spicy! And alcohol! The strong stuff!"
"No alcohol. You're underage, or at least act like it. As for spicy food... I got it. Just wait patiently~."
Jinx gritted her teeth, watching Ren enter the kitchen. As soon as he was gone, she tiptoed towards the counter, reaching for Fishbones.
She grabbed the handle. She pulled.
It didn't move. It was stuck to the counter as if glued by magic.
"Eh? What's going on? He really is a magician!"
Ren's voice floated from the kitchen. "Of course, I'm not a magician~. Just a careful shopkeeper."
"Hmm? Mmm mmm mmm mmm!"
Jinx suddenly felt something warm envelop her face. She couldn't see anything.
"Ha! What is this? A trap?!"
When she pulled it off, she saw it was a hot, wet towel. Ren was standing there, smiling.
"Hmm. After wiping it clean, you really are still very cute. The gunpowder hides your complexion."
Jinx blushed furiously, scrubbing her face to hide it. "Enough! Don't say that word again! I am terrifying!"
Ren tossed the towel into a basket and placed a small object on the table. "Wipe your hands. Oh, and this is for you too. A previous customer left it here—Momo-chan forgot it. You can take a good look at yourself later."
"What is this? A mirror?" Jinx picked up the small compact. "Why are you giving me this? To start a fire with the sun? Or cut ropes with the glass?"
"What are you thinking? Always destruction." Ren shook his head. "This is for you to look at your face more. To see that you are not a monster. Now, go back and sit down. You won't be able to take these weapons before dawn. I locked them spatially."
"They're friends!"
"Weapons~."
Jinx glared at him, sticking out her tongue. "You... Hmph! You bastard Chef.... Fishbones hates you!"
But she sat down. And for the first time in a long time, she waited for food instead of trouble.
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