Chapter Text
Jinx got bored sometimes, and she didn’t cope well with the feeling. Boredom became uncomfortable as it grew inside of her, building up, up, up, like a pressurized bomb. Before long, it would bubble under her skin and push behind her eyes, and she would have to find a way to let it out before it drove her mad.
… Well, maybe it was too late to stop her from going mad.
Robbing Pilties was fun, and it was interesting enough to keep her boredom at bay. Jinx got a rush from finding shiny new trinkets to take home, leaving the site of her thievery with a BANG, and watching enforcers buzz after her like a swarm of angry bees. Sometimes her sister and her tophat-wearing girlfriend joined the fun, which always brought a spicy dash of drama to the game!
However, once she’d cased every rich family across the river at least three times over, it started to feel like Jinx was going through the motions. Everything became so predictable that she might as well have been living the same day over and over again! To make matters worse, the enforcers weren’t even trying to make things fun anymore! Jinx had caught Fat-Hands and Tophat telling their buddies not to give chase or engage with her, that they should just let Jinx slip off so that she would cause less damage and hurt less people, and it was infuriating!
Big, mean sis! She knew. She knew that Jinx needed this! Why did she want Jinx to be bored and miserable? Didn’t she care at all?
Well, if she couldn’t get her kicks in Piltover, she wasn’t sticking around by the river to play with those soil-sports! It was time to mix things up and find new people to play with!
It was time for Jinx’s big, bad, burglary tour of Runeterra!
So far, she’d swiped nine knuckle knives in Noxus and five fur frocks in Freljord, and she was having the time of her life! Each place she visited had rich families to scope out, security to weave around, and new authorities to piss off on her way out. She should’ve done this ages ago!
She kinda missed having familiar faces to play with, though. Scaring strangers was nice, but there was nothing quite like pissing off someone you had history with, like Sis and Cupcake. But what was Jinx supposed to do? Stick around somewhere, make friends, and wait for things to get boring again? No, it was better for her to keep moving.
Now, in the regal nation of Demacia, Jinx had her heart set on stealing a dozen diamonds! Naturally, she wouldn’t turn down any other shiny collateral that caught her eye, but the diamonds were essential for her to win this game she’d cooked up for herself.
Jinx found herself sneaking through the halls of an estate owned by the Crownguard family. She couldn’t help but be impressed at the digs – this place was even fancier than the Kiramman’s mansion! The grounds had an older, more established feel, and the rows of ancestral portraits lining walls of white stone really nailed down the fact that this family had old, old money.
Now, where do they keep the jewels around here?
She sniffed her way past several guards and into countless rooms, but had yet to find anything resembling a vault. There’d been plenty of fancy, metal cutlery in the kitchens and even some cool swords mounted on mantles downstairs, but no diamonds! Undeterred, Jinx decided to scope out some of the bedrooms and see if she could locate a rich dame’s jewelry box.
Scaling to an upper floor, Jinx paused briefly by a door, pressing her ear to the ornately-carved cedarwood to check if anyone was inside. Reassured by the lack of sound, she moved with the silence of a phantom, placing her hand on the gilded doorknob and turning it slowly. The doorknob didn’t squeak thanks to Jinx’s deftness, and neither did the hinges whine as she pushed the door open and peeked inside.
Now this was promising! Arranged around the room, Jinx saw a neatly-made bed topped with several fancy pillows, a sturdy desk laden with leather-covered books, and a vanity sporting a round mirror framed with platinum and blue stones. Practically shivering with excitement, Jinx darted inside, jumped onto the bed, and bounced several times, taking pleasure in watching the airborne pillows flop messily onto the floor. Once she’d gotten the urge to bounce out of her system, she hopped off the bed and raced to the vanity.
Jinx pulled open the top drawer with her lip between her teeth. Hell yeah! There was some expensive-looking shit in here! Necklaces, bracelets, rings, a horse-shaped brooch, and… Oooh, a dagger! Fun!
Lifting the dagger, Jinx admired its sharp, shiny edge. Someone had been maintaining it well; the blade appeared to be freshly-touched by a whetstone. Turning her attention to the hilt, Jinx admired the warm, ruddy sunstone at its center, a jewel about the size of a grape. Around the sunstone sat a ring of pinhead diamonds. Grinning, Jinx tossed the dagger into the air, catching it by the hilt when it fell.
Perfect! This’ll do!
Placing the dagger’s tip against the bottom of the vanity’s drawer, Jinx carved out a choppy JINX WUZ HERE, then added a smiley face for good measure. She then deposited the dagger in a side-pocket of her backpack and retrieved a can of pink spraypaint. Popping the lid off, she shook the can a few times, aimed it at the mirror, and…
... Footsteps thundered down the hall.
Jinx perked up, listening raptly. The footsteps were loud, and they were getting closer. Where was this person going? Would they pass the room, or was it time for Jinx to trade her paint can for a chomper and initiate her fiery exit?
Deciding that she might as well let herself be discovered and add a new player to her game, Jinx set her paint on the vanity and waited.
She didn’t have to wait long.
SLAM! The door bounced harshly against the wall, and a blonde woman around Jinx’s age leaped into into the room, panting. Jinx swiftly looked her up and down and became fascinated by an aurora of light encompassing the woman’s hands. Jinx couldn’t see her holding anything shiny, so maybe she’d dipped her mitts into some sort of glow-y chemical? How daring!
The woman was so preoccupied that she didn’t notice Jinx at first. Spinning back toward the entryway, she glanced into the hall, holding perfectly still and silent save for her heavy breaths. Jinx noticed that there was another, more distant set of footsteps approaching – or were there two? Two more people coming?
“Luxanna!” someone called out in a deep voice. “Lux, are you home?”
“Shit,” the woman hissed as tendrils of light began threading through her hair. Woah! The glowiness was spreading! Maybe there was some sort of injection spreading through her, like shimmer! Was that why the fancy-chick looked like she was hiding? Had she injected herself with something to get high, and now she couldn’t risk her posh, uppity family finding out about it? Oooh, the possibilities were so dramatic!
Tucking her illuminated hands against her chest, the glowy woman clenched her fists in anxiety before turning away from the hall.
When she saw Jinx standing next to her vanity, she jumped, and her light flared all the brighter.
The pair of them locked eyes for a long moment. The woman looked startled, like she didn’t know what to make of the intruder in her room. Jinx took her time observing the woman’s face, appreciating the strange light shining in her irises. She was a bit taller than Jinx, and the short sleeves of her well-made clothes betrayed a decent amount of musculature.
Since the new player of her game didn’t seem prepared to kick off any action, Jinx took the initiative to get the ball rolling. She struck a smile, making sure to show off as many teeth as possible to look nice and unsettling, and leaned casually against the vanity. “Hiya, Sunshine!” Jinx greeted. “You don’t mind me calling you Sunshine, do ya? Come here often?”
The woman blinked. Jinx’s greeting seemed to help her break loose from her startled stillness. She glanced at her open vanity drawer, then at Jinx, then to the pommel of a dagger sticking out of a side-pocket of Jinx’s bag. Then, she turned her head back toward the hall, where footsteps continued to tread ever louder.
“Lux, Prince Jarvan is here to speak with you!” the distant voice called.
Intense thought was going on under that pretty face. Jinx could tell that the woman's gears were churning as her brow furrowed and her nose scrunched. The woman must’ve put two and two together; Jinx knew she’d seen the stolen dagger sticking out of her bag! Were the people approaching somehow more interesting than the fact that this woman was getting robbed? Jinx had to know! “Penny for your thoughts?” Jinx asked in a chipper tone.
Sharp, bright eyes fixed on Jinx with rapt intensity. A pink tongue darted out to wet dry lips, and she spoke...
“Stall them,” the woman ordered. “Stall them until I can get this…” She opened the palms of her glowing hands. “… under control, and I’ll let you take everything in the vanity, plus all the coinage in my closet.”
Jinx raised an eyebrow.
The people she robbed were rarely this cooperative. Frankly, she’d expected the chick to call for guards the moment she found her room occupied. Were the consequences of being caught glowing so dire that this woman would rather take her chances trusting a thief than allow herself to be discovered?
Fascinating!
This was turning into one of the most fun games Jinx had ever played!
Jinx grinned, saluting the woman the way she’d seen enforcers salute to Top-Hat. “Aye-aye, Sunshine! I’ll keep ‘em busy!”
The woman winced sharply. “No light-related nicknames, please,” she said, edging toward the room’s attached restroom suite. “If you say a word about my condition, I promise, will personally blast you out of this building.”
Ooh, thrilling! Maybe Jinx should give her away, just to see what the glowing lady could do!
Then again, she already had an idea for how she wanted to stall the woman's friends, and she reeeally wanted to see if she could pull it off. Maybe she could start with stalling, let the woman get her light under control, and then give her away just when she thought she was in the clear! That would be fun!
“Her room is just down this hall,” The approaching voice said. Jinx could clearly distinguish now that there were definitely two pairs of footsteps out there, and they were close.
The woman shot Jinx a final, pleading look, then leaped into her restroom without another word, shutting the door firmly behind her.
Giggling, Jinx tossed her backpack onto the floor. She leaped onto the massive, mussed-up bed, folded her arms behind her head, and waited for the game to start. After a moment’s thought, she pressed a thumb to her bottom lip and dragged it, trying to smudge the dark lipstick she’d put on that morning.
Seconds later, two men appeared at the entrance of the room. One of them had a face resembling the woman's, but more square-jawed, serious, and with darker hair. He was also ridiculously tall and broad shouldered, and was wearing a pair of massive, metal pauldrons, which Jinx had never seen anyone bother with so far from a battlefield.
The second man was only slightly shorter than the first with a similar, muscular build. He was also the fanciest schmuck Jinx had ever seen, his tailored clothes bedecked in gold tones and royal insignias.
Both men, upon finding Jinx sprawled on the bed, immediately unsheathed their swords, baring them threateningly in her direction. “Who are you?” The first man growled, his tone low and threatening. Stomping closer, he added, “and where is Luxanna?”
Removing her arms from beneath her head, Jinx held up her palms in a gesture of innocence, pushing her lower lip forward in a pout. “Relax, buddy!” she groused. “She’s just fixing her makeup.” Raising her voice, Jinx added, “Isn’t that right…” No light-themed nicknames, huh? “… Blondie?”
From behind the restroom door, Luxanna helpfully chipped in, “She’s right, I’m just freshening up, Garen! I’ll be out in a few minutes!”
The men’s swords hesitantly lowered. The second man placed his weapon back in his sheath, but the first, Garen, kept his held low, eyes narrowing in suspicion. “You’re a friend of Lux?” he questioned. “I’ve never seen you before. You don’t look like you’re from around here.”
Jinx hummed, stretching her legs, scraping her still-booted feet against the bed’s intricate quilt. This movement seemed to annoy the man, so Jinx doubled down, pressing hard enough for the dirt on her soles to leave marks. She glanced at the pens and stationary on Lux’s desk. “We’ve been pen-pals for ages,” she told him. “Didn’t Lux ever mention me? Good ole’…” Would these people recognize the name of Piltover’s Most Wanted? Best not to risk losing the game just yet. “… Powder? She’s been beggin’ me to visit. I’m surprised she forgot to tell you I’d be here.”
The man remained unmoved. “Lux hasn’t mentioned you at all,” he said.
“Well, you’ve heard of me now,” Jinx announced. Baring all her teeth in a too-wide grin, she added, “Good to meet ya, big guy!”
The second man laid a hand on Garen’s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. “Families like ours live very public lives,” he reasoned. “It makes sense that Luxanna would wish to keep some of her friends to herself.”
Garen’s tense shoulders lowered at his companion’s gesture, but he still frowned. “Lux doesn’t keep secrets from me.”
Jinx couldn’t help letting a giggle slip loose as she recalled the light that Lux was currently hiding.
The man’s brows sunk lower, casting shadows over his eyes. Garen pinned Jinx with a long, hard look. “Miss... Powder,” he said, “You shouldn’t be in Lux’s quarters unsupervised, friend or not. You shouldn’t even be in this house without a guard to mind you, but for Lux’s sake, I’ll let it slide this once. That being said, It would be best if you left Lux’s room for the time being, as she is needed for a private discussion with Prince Jarvan and myself. If you return to the foyer, one of the house staff will be happy to escort you through town to the place where you’re staying.”
Jinx pouted. “Awww, but Lux said I could stay the night here!” she complained. Then, after biting her lip in a way she hoped came across as suggestive, she sighed, “Besides… I’m reeeally out-of-breath from finally getting’ to know my pen-pal after all that time long-distance. Lux really knows how to treat a gal.”
Jinx thought she heard Lux drop something from behind the restroom door. Prince Jarvan’s eyebrows shot up. Garen’s jaw clenched.
After a long, tense silence, Prince Jarvan said slowly, “… I didn’t realize Luxanna was… otherwise occupied.”
“She isn’t,” Garen stated, enunciating each word firmly.
“She is,” Jinx opposed blithely.
Prince Jarvan glanced between the two of them. He looked very much like he no longer wanted to be in the room. “If Lux is busy, then perhaps we’d better postpone discussion of the arrangement.”
Garen hissed a breath through his clenched jaw. “No,” he said, “there’s no need for postponement. I believe there’s been some misunderstanding about why Lux brought her friend here. We can have her wait in one of the guest rooms while we…”
“A misunderstanding?” Jinx tipped her head, maintaining an innocent expression. “Oh, sorry. I was trying to be subtle. Polite, you know. But, yeah, just to set the record straight: Your hot sister has been making out with me. All afternoon. And she's really good at it, too.” Adopting a dreamy expression, Jinx mused, “I think I’m in love with her.”
The two men were so busy gaping at Jinx that they seemed to miss the flash of light that flared beneath the restroom door.
“She…” Garen’s face was flushing red – whether from outrage or embarrassment, Jinx wasn’t sure. “… What?”
Jarvan took a step back, passing through the doorway and into the hall. “I’ll leave you to discuss matters with your sister,” he stated after an awkward pause, then he stepped out of sight. Jinx could hear him marching down the hall, drawing further and further away. Silence reigned once the footsteps dispersed, and Garen and Jinx were left staring at each other, one red-faced, the other grinning dreamily.
Garen cleared his throat. Averting his eyes from Jinx, he turned his attention instead to the restroom door. “Lux,” he called, “Please come out and explain your new friend to me.”
“Um… Ah…” Lux’s tentative voice was muffled by the door. She spent several seconds searching for words before she meekly settled on, “She’s already explained herself to you. Do you really need me to repeat it?”
Jinx could feel her grin stretching wider. Hell yes, Blondie was in on the ruse!
Unfortunately, Garen’s next words made it clear that he was unconvinced. “Whatever you’re trying to hide behind this show, I need you to come clean about it now so that we can clear the air with Prince Jarvan as soon as possible. You know what he was here to discuss.”
Jinx raised an eyebrow curiously. What was the prince here to discuss? Something important?
“… Yes,” Lux said, and Jinx detected a shift in her tone, as if the shiny gal wasn’t too happy with her big brother. “I know all about the arrangement that you proposed to him without my say.”
Ooh, there was some drama here! The game just kept getting better and better!
“Come out now, Lux,” Garen demanded, stepping deeper into the room.
Now, that wasn’t a very nice tone! “Hey now,” Jinx protested, “is that any way to speak to your sis? She’s a big girl, and she can choose for herself when she wants to... come out.”
“It’s alright… Powder,” Lux said, her footsteps shuffling behind the door. “I’m… I’m ready now.”
Awww, already? Jinx didn’t want the game to end! This was fun!
Slowly, Lux pushed open her restroom door.
She’d gotten her light under control. Her hands were dull, and her eyes were an even sky-blue. Stepping into the room, she looked up at her brother, mouth parting slightly as if to say something… But then she squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip.
“Well?” Garen prompted.
Lux’s eyes sprung back open, but she didn’t meet her brother’s gaze. She looked at Jinx.
As the woman began to march toward the bed, Jinx’s eyebrows shot up. What was she…?
Lux leaped upon the bed, rolled over Jinx, and kissed her.
“Mmmph!?” Jinx squirmed for a moment in surprise. The mouth above hers pressed down insistently, lips slightly parted, and a hand pinched her arm as if to get her attention.
Garen was watching them incredulously.
The game. Right. The game. The game!
Hamming it up with a moan, Jinx wrapped her arms over Lux’s shoulders, tilting her head sideways. Although Jinx considered herself to be pretty good at keeping up with games, she did become a teensy bit startled when Lux’s arm slammed onto the mattress beside her head. Lux’s mouth sucked wantonly at Jinx’s, prompting a second moan, this one unintended, from Jinx. She let her eyes roll back as Lux closed her teeth over her bottom lip.
Hot damn, this Demacian could kiss. Her fingers dug into Jinx’s hair, tugging her head to a preferred angle. It felt really fuckin’ good to get man-handled by this strong, intense woman, and to feel the heat of Lux’s muscular body hovering over her. Lux’s teeth detached from Jinx’s lower lip, and Jinx let her mouth hang open, preparing to welcome the woman’s tongue.
However, as the seconds passed and nothing entered her quickly-cooling mouth, Jinx had to crack open her eyes to reassess what was going on.
Lux was looking down at her. For a moment, there was something stern in her expression, as if Lux were silently telling her to keep-playing-along-or-I-swear-I'll-blast-you-into-the-sun. Then, Lux smiled tenderly, stroking gentle fingers against Jinx’s cheek. “Sorry to keep you waiting, sweetheart,” she purred in a tone that sent fireworks popping through Jinx’s chest. Then, looking up at her brother, she said, "I don’t know what you think we still need to talk about. I’m not interested in the arrangement with Prince Jarvan. I’m otherwise occupied today, and will continue to be so for as long as Powder wishes to stay. If you want to be helpful, you can ask the staff about setting up a guest room for her. If not, I’ll just let her stay in my personal quarters.”
Seemingly shell-shocked, Garen stood and stared, the redness in his face not abating. Then, he hastily turned away, storming wordlessly down the hall.
Jinx had hoped Lux would start kissing her again once her brother was gone, but to her disappointment, Lux rolled away. The taller woman sighed, settling to a seat with her back against the headboard of the bed. “Well,” she mused, “you certainly had fun choosing what story to stall with, didn’t you, Powder?”
Jinx licked her lips – they tasted nice. Did Lux wear flavored lipgloss? “Kinda felt like you were having fun for a minute there, too,” she pointed out.
Lux’s ears tinted pink. Not meeting Jinx’s eyes, she huffed, “Your ruse was unnecessarily personal in its implications. Regardless, you’ve provided me with cover for my light and a delay in my…” Her expression soured. “...unwanted engagement. I doubt your intentions were kind when you broke into my room, but I’m thankful for the aid you’ve provided.” She let out a long, tired breath. “As we agreed, the vanity’s contents are yours, as is the coin-bag in my closet. It’s hidden in the box beneath my boots.”
Huh? Oh yeah, right. The game came with a prize. “Sweet,” Jinx said, still not really feeling motivated to leave Lux’s bed. She’d felt oddly weak-kneed since Lux had pounced on her.
“…” Lux pressed her lips together, glancing between Jinx and the empty hall. “… If you’re at leisure to stick around awhile, and if you don’t mind lying to some powerful families, I…” Hesitating for a long moment, she seemed to second-guess her next words before she slowly continued, “I’d appreciate your continued assistance in making me appear off the market. My brother’s not going to give up on pairing me off, and I know he hopes I’ll attend the upcoming festival for the King’s coronation anniversary with Prince Jarvan. It would be convenient to have a… a date, so that I’ll have an excuse to reject any offers. And, of course, I’ll provide generous payment for your cooperation.”
Jinx tipped her head to the side.
If I keep playin’ along, then she’s probably gonna end up kissing me again, right?
Clarity struck her a moment later, and Jinx mentally slapped herself. And she'll give me diamonds! The thing I came here for! I’m on the hunt for diamonds, not Demacian dames with tasty lips, and shiny eyes, and really strong arms…
... Like I was saying, DIAMONDS!
“Yeah,” Jinx agreed, “I’ll lend you a hand! It’ll cost ya, though. I accept payment in precious jewels of the clear-and-expensive kind.”
Lux stared at Jinx hard, bit her lip… Then held out her hand for Jinx to shake. “Very well. I look forward to doing business with you.”