As a Zaunite, Lynx wasn't new to the chaos of the lanes. They'd lived here as far as they could remember, having physical reminders of the poverty they lived in throughout their childhood. They couldn't remember their parents or what their life was like before immigrating to Piltover, a land that promised progress and a new start for their family. However, when they stepped foot off the ship, their family was soon met with discrimination in all forms. Coming from Ionia, Lynx and their family were used to people's comfort with their race, the Vastaya, as they had been around for centuries, however, they seemed to be somewhat rare in Piltover. Lynx can still remember the strange looks from passersby as their family walked through town...children pointing, mothers shielding their children's eyes. They felt self-conscious of their feline features. Trying to hide their ears as they walked. Why were they looked upon with such... disdain? They would wonder.
Lynx never understood the fear people held towards beings blessed by the arcane, at least, at that time they didn't. The Vastaya were descendants of saviors in Ionia..their ancestors were the ones who killed the Titans all those years ago. Why were they looked upon as though they were...monsters? This was such a drastic change for Lynx, they felt isolated in Piltover.
Lynx had blocked out a lot of their childhood, only remembering the few core memories they shared with their parents before their passing. The times they'd venture across the bridge to enjoy the parks of Piltover or the few times their family would splurge on a Piltover restaurant... The most vivid memory was of the battle on the bridge... Lynx knew their parents insisted on staying out of Zaun's business, they sympathized with the cause but refused to use their magical attunement to the earth to assist with the revolution.
The start of all of it was a bit of a blur. They remember their parents arguing about the safety of the lanes, how this was "no place for a child", and then explosions went off...They had lived close to the bridge so their house was hit in the crossfire. Lynx still remembers the feeling in their chest as they were thrown to the floor..the smell of gunpowder, dust, and smoke as they came to. The sight of their father's dead body under the rubble, their wall destroyed. The sound of their mother's screams. Lynx can't remember some details, only that their mother had dragged them to the bridge looking for help. Lynx was told to wait by the railing while their mother asked an enforcer for help, still sure their father was alive, and even more sure they'd be willing to help. It was then the enforcer shot her in cold blood. Lynx saw their mother fall limp to the ground, her head blown off by a smoking gun. They froze. The sound of their heartbeat in their ears making them dizzy. A man came out of nowhere and knocked the enforcer dead. His build was giant and his hands were covered in iron gloves. All they could do was stare as the man approached them...Part of them feared death but deep down they knew this was the end. Their pupils dilated like a frightened animal as their tail poofed in fear.
He stared at them, a look of understanding in his eyes. He knew their mother had been killed, he must have seen it happen. His eyes filled with deep sorrow as he looked at them. The large man bent down and took off his iron fist. He touched Lynx's shoulder as he hugged them. Lynx felt their eyes begin to well with tears as their muscles untensed. They were...safe. They didn't care who he was, he understood what was happening and he felt trustworthy. They remember him yelling for another man to come help and soon they were being carried back to Zaun....watching as the man who saved their life went to help others. Mind clouded in fear they fazed out the rest.
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It had been a week since Vander, the man from the bridge, had saved Lynx and left them with Benzo. He was a larger kind man in his middle age. He ran a pawn shop in the lanes and had agreed to take in Lynx and another child named Ekko, both who had lost their parents in the fight. Benzo didn't know the first thing about taking care of children and Lynx could see that. He was still processing his own grief in the aftermath of battle. He decided to take them to the Last Drop to speak with Vander, hoping to get some advice. The bridge incident was still fresh in everyone's mind and Vander and Benzo needed to figure out how to care for these six kids they'd taken in....
