Shimmer and shine

Cupcake to the rescue?

Jinx thought that maybe she'd done something wrong when Mira had pulled aside and into the staff rooms.

'of course you did something wrong. You can't even sell yourself right.'

She flinched at the remarks and stared at her feet, "Did... Did I do something wrong?"

Mira's sudden laugh made her flinch, before she relaxed, realising there was no maliciousness in it. "oh no. You are a natural, Babette was impressed. But you stand out too much, even in common clothing."

"I'm sorry." She sighed, no doubt she'd be back on the streets looking for some small hole to hide in.

"Don't be." Mira said with a grin, "We'll work around it. Embrace it, even."

Jinx frowned as the woman dragged her to one of the lounges.

"you hold yourself with a grace that isn't... common... here. But we can use that to our advantage."

"if they know I've come from piltover they'll find me faster." Jinx said with a frown, she'd grown up in these lanes but she'd been gone for so long and had all her mannerisms trained to represent a highly noble house... she would have to consciously try to emulate those around her if she was going to fit in.

"Yes. But what if you weren't from Piltover?" Mira asked.

Jinx blinked and frowned, "I was made to read about the other regions..." she commented in thought, "Noxus and Demacia mostly. And a little bit about Ionia. Piltover trades with them the most."

Mira nodded as Jinx continued to think, "I don't know enough about Ionia to sell a story if I had to. Nor do I know much about Noxus's military that they're so proud of... but..."

She hummed, tapping her fingers in a short rhythm, "but my mother did force me to take dance, music and arts classes to try and 'instil a sense of culture' into me. From what I can recall these are all things appreciated by the Demacians."

Mira nodded, "We have had some pass through, they are almost always eloquent and educated. It would make sense."

Jinx hummed, "I suppose it wouldn't be too hard to sell the idea."

"Especially once you look the part."

"What?" Jinx asked, sending the other woman a quizzical look.

"Babette's letting you into the private stashes." Mira chuckled, "We're going to dress you like the Demacian you are, and no one will think twice about it."

--

Caitlyn might have maps and plans and theories about the undercity sprawling her bedroom floor. But it was one thing to stand on a stool and stare down at it, and another entirely to have her feet in the grime as she dodged through brawls and desperate hands.

It was concerning that these were the streets that Jinx had grown up on, but it also explained a lot about the young girl and her trust issues.

She was sent dark looks from the locals and cursed by them as she made her way through the dingey streets.

Was Jinx scared to be down here again?

That was the anxious thought that kept her going through the threatening stares and suggestive comments. Jinx was down here, alone and probably scared with no one to look out for her. But it also flooded her with a helpless feeling. The undercity was huge, a disorganised chaos of scrap and buildings piled haphazardly along dilapidated streets.

It felt endless, and she didn't have the slightest idea on where to start looking.

"you lost Piltie?" came a snide voice and she spun around to see three men slowly advancing on her.

Caitlyn pursed her lips, she'd tried her best to find something that would let her blend in, but apparently, she hadn't managed to pass herself off well enough.

"Oh no, I'm just looking for my sister, you don't need to worry yourselves." She said, raising her hands placatingly, but she was ready to reach for her rifle at a moments notice.

One of them scoffs and continues to approach, cracking his knuckles and his neck as he sauntered over. She was about to throw her hand back and pull her rifle from under the dingy cape she'd thrown on when another voice sounded in the dark street.

"Looks like some dogs are pawing for a bone that doesn't belong to them."

The man hesitated for a moment, stepping back from the owner of the voice. Leaving Caitlyn to look over as a shock of pink hair stepped past her, with a smug grin.

Her gaze followed the other woman as she stalked towards the men. Her posture making her seem bigger than she really was as she dared them to start a fight.

From the muscle and the way the others reacted to her, Caitlyn didn't think the woman was a stranger to brawling... that and she seemed to have developed the muscle tone for it.

"Just sending this Piltie back where she came from." the groups leader stuttered out.

The woman hummed and glanced back at her for a moment before turning back to the men. "I think I'll take her off your hands then."

They seemed ready to protest but the moment that the woman in front of her clenched her fists they all thought better of it and scampered off into the shadows.

"ah." Caitlyn offered uncertainly, "thank you."

The pink haired woman turned around with a scoff. "They aren't wrong though, you don't belong down here, go back where you belong. Zaun will eat you alive cupcake."

"cupcake?" Caitlyn repeated with confusion before shaking the comment off, "I can't. I have to find my sister. She's down here alone and I need to make sure she's okay."

The woman across from her seemed to deflate slightly and her eyes flickered with emotions rapidly before she answered, "I had one of those once."

Caitlyn blinked at the woman's resigned and mournful tone.

"she went missing and I couldn't find her. She's probably dead and buried in some junk heap."

Caitlyn could hear the pain through the grit out words. "What was her name?"

"Powder." The woman muttered, "her name was powder and I failed her when she needed me most."

Caitlyn gently set a hand on the woman's arm. "Would you help me?" she asked, "You said it yourself, this city would eat me alive. But I can't leave until I find her, I need to know she's safe."

The other gave a large sigh and looked at her with strangely familiar blue-grey eyes before she nodded.

"I've scoured every inch of this city. If I can't use that knowledge to help Powder, then maybe I can use it to help you get your sister back."

Caitlyn smiled at the other woman, "My name is Caitlyn, not cupcake." She introduced.

"If you say so cupcake." Vi teased, "Vi." She responded, stepping back past Caitlyn then looking back when she wasn't followed, "well come on. We can't make a plan while we're just standing in an alley. Besides, if we want to be efficient we'll need help."

Caitlyn nodded rapidly, rushing to catch up to the other woman. Something about her was fascinating. She wasn't sure if it was how different she was from everyone in Piltover, with her gruff, street fighter attitude, with the soft hurt history, or if it was the eerily familiar eyes, or the way she'd come to her rescue with a veiled threat, all muscle and tattoos and scars.

No. She needed to focus. Vi was just going to help her find Jinx. She didn't need to start feeling things for someone she'd only just met when there was a much larger issue to worry about right now.

- -

Roy walked through the streets. Having received his father's approval for his plan, he wanted to implement it quickly. He had already read through the files on the Kiramans and knew quite a bit about his target.

"Jinx" he thought to himself. "Seems like another alias." He paused in front of the brothel, bypasses being forced to go around the six and a half trench coat wearing gangster. Roy didn't mind, he preferred no one run into him less they damage his prosthetics. "I need to get singed to build a sturdier jaw piece." He thought to himself