"So how are we supposed to find the Firelights?"
Inside the tent, Vi hugged a blanket to her chest and spread it out on the ground. Of course she wanted to stay with Powder. She was still hoping Powder might talk to her—maybe even like when they were kids, curling up in her arms, staring at her with that look of worship while she told her stories.
But Jinx didn't go near Vi. She only glanced at her a few times before walking over to Logan and Isha. Their bedding was over there—separate from Vi's.
That left Vi miserable. Still, thinking her relationship with Powder had improved a little, she patted her cheeks to psych herself up, then sat properly on the cushion and watched Jinx talk with Logan.
Logan noticed Vi's expression and almost laughed.
In the original story, Jinx was the one who went insane trying to find Vi—blocking bridges, storming Piltover to grab Caitlyn, the whole thing. And now?
Now Vi was the one clinging to Jinx like her life depended on it.
Not gonna lie—Logan, firmly on Jinx's side, found it incredibly satisfying.
Treat your sister like trash for a moment, and later you'll be crawling through hell to win her back.
"Find them? You won't." In response to Logan's question, Jinx shook her head.
She popped a piece of candy into her mouth and looked at him, sitting cross-legged. "Those guys are like rats. Nobody knows where they're hiding. Silco's sent people after them plenty of times, and every time it's a failure."
Honestly, they should rename themselves the 'Wild Rats.' I've never seen anyone so good at running away." Jinx crossed her arms, cheeks puffing out in irritation. "Last time Sevika was working in Topside, the Firelights hit the shipment too. And in that group there was someone who looked like—"
Jinx abruptly stopped talking and shifted her gaze off Logan's face, glancing at Vi instead.
Jinx had a habit when she spoke—she'd lock onto someone's eyes and never look away. So the tiny movement of her avoiding his gaze didn't escape Logan.
And Logan knew exactly what she'd been about to say: the Firelight girl Jinx ran into during the War of the Twin Cities—the one who looked a lot like Vi when she was younger.
Jinx looked at Vi and saw her—who had been raking a hand through her hair in frustration—instantly light up the moment she noticed Jinx looking. Vi straightened up at once like a puppy, sitting upright with both hands on her knees, staring at her.
Jinx's lips curved without her meaning to… and then she immediately looked away again.
She shifted her gaze.
Logan had been right. You had to keep your sister on the hook, like fishing—otherwise she'd never learn to cherish you.
Yes. Logan was the one who taught Jinx that.
Vi: "…"
"So if you want to find them, you need a way to lure them out," Jinx continued. "Then you deliberately let them get away. Only someone tailing them can find their base."
She bit down hard. The candy cracked between her small white teeth. With both hands laced behind her head, she went on, "Catching one and interrogating them won't work either. Firelights are loyal to their leader. Silco's tried breaking them—failed every time. They won't say anything. Some of them would rather bite their tongues and die."
Logan nodded.
Of course they were loyal. Because the Firelights weren't really a gang so much as a community—a home.
Under Ekko's leadership, the Firelights were thriving. Why would they be loyal? Because they knew that even if they died, their family and friends inside the Firelights would still be protected—Ekko would help them, and they'd be able to live on.
But if the Firelights were gone…
All of that beauty—every future packed with hope—would collapse into nothing, like a bubble that burst at the slightest touch.
They weren't serving Ekko.
They were protecting their home.
And the reason Logan had asked Isha to try to coax information about the Firelights out of Jinx in the first place was because the Firelights were powerful.
In Zaun, only the Firelights had the guts to openly go against Silco. They'd destroyed plenty of Silco's smuggled shipments, and Silco still couldn't do a damn thing about them. Which was exactly why Logan wanted Ekko—wanted the Firelights.
If Zaun was going to unite, the Firelights mattered.
Logan lowered his head, thinking.
"You need my help?" Jinx watched him, then braced one hand on the ground and crawled toward him like a cat, her expression serious. "I can help you, Logan."
"I'm good at this kind of thing."
"You don't need to do that." Logan shook his head immediately.
"You don't trust me?"
"It's not that. Catching fireflies—leave that to other people. I've got something else I need you for." As he spoke, he reached out and ruffled Jinx's hair.
Honestly, it was hard not to laugh—Jinx really was a walking minefield.
She was pretty. Without all the makeup and the dark circles, calling her sweet and adorable wouldn't even be an exaggeration. But that personality…
Truthfully, if Logan didn't know why she'd become like this—and if he hadn't watched Arcane and ended up genuinely liking her, hurting for her—being around her would be exhausting.
Because you never knew when you'd accidentally stepped on one of her triggers. The next second she'd be upset, and then she'd blow up your entire world.
But she'd changed. A lot.
Because if this had been before, the moment Logan said something like that, Jinx would've already pulled a gun—or she'd go blank, eyes dead, staring at him like something inside her had just switched off.
Now, she didn't.
She just pouted, clearly unhappy.
That was a huge change, okay?!
And the second Logan said he needed her help, Jinx brightened again and nodded eagerly. "Then what do you need me to do?"
"I want you to help me change this place, Jinx."
"I need your brain. I need your talent," Logan said.
Jinx blinked. "Weapons?"
"Not weapons. Jinx, I need you to make tech that can actually improve people's lives."
Jinx froze. She grabbed her hair and messed it up, looking like she'd given herself a headache. "But Logan… I only know how to make weapons."
"You've only ever made weapons," Logan said, shaking his head.
If there was no way to lure the Firelights out peacefully, then fine—he wouldn't rush it.
Logan had just finished laying down a hard line with Silco. Now he needed results—something Silco could see, something that could start pushing back against Silco's extreme way of thinking.
And…
Build a community. Something like the Firelights.
No.
Better than the Firelights.
Logan was going to build a community right here in the Lanes—one better than the Firelights. A place with no Shimmer, no hatred, no hunger or cold.
He looked at Jinx and took a deep breath.
"For the next while, I want us to live here. Tomorrow we'll go back to the Entresol once, grab what we need, and bring it down here."
Jinx nodded.
She didn't care about the place in the Entresol.
She cared about the people in her home.
Then Logan looked at Vi. Vi was already looking at him, too. Logan smiled. "Vi—there's something I need your help with as well."
"I'm—" Vi had been watching Logan and Powder interact for ages. The jealousy rolling off her was so strong it was practically drifting into Logan's lap. Hearing that Logan needed her help, she clearly didn't want to—
But then she saw Powder looking at her too, and Vi immediately changed her tune:
"I'd be happy to help."
Her mouth twitched. The smile she forced onto her face didn't reach her eyes. "Boss."
TN: As a thank you for this week's Power Stones, I'll be uploading a bunch of chapters today. Thank you so much!