𝑻𝑶 𝑩𝑬 𝑳𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑫, 𝒋𝒊𝒏𝒙

vi. stained memories

12 years around the sun
_________

With our arms eloped and intertwined with one another we begin the journey. Following in our parents' footsteps we head down the crummy streets of Zaun. Me and Jinx's footsteps synchronize with each other. Left then right and then left again. Our actions are simple when we talk and walk simultaneously. The dreaded streets fade into oblivion when we fly Cindy around like a celestial hero. She bounces from graphited walls to broken abandoned furniture.

However, Cindy couldn't save Zaun like Jinx, and I pretended she could. Kids and adults alike beg for anything they can get their hands on whilst we walk past. Silco has his workers throw them anything we can spare, and we continue walking.

"Do you know where we're going?" I whisper to Jinx like it's a hushed secret between us.

Jinx shifts her attention from my doll which has basically become our doll. She dramatically leans her head back like she's in deep thought. "Hmm. Well, I went there a few times, I think. It's just some lame bar."

"Wait which bar are we going to?" I ask. I had been unfortunate enough to sleep in late and be roughly woken up by Sevika. She just told me to get dressed and be ready to leave. But I was lucky enough to have Jinx.

Over the past two months, she and I have only grown closer. However, the first two weeks after her arrival, Sevika hadn't allowed me to visit her. Claiming she needed to get acclimated. "You know right?" I know she does Silco tells her almost everything. So, if Sevika wouldn't tell me where we're going then I know Jinx will.

Jinx unwraps our intertwined arms to better hold Cindy. She moves her arms as if to mimic she's in a street fight. "Pew. Psh." She animates the sound of the doll. "I think it was the Last Smop or the Last Flop." She fumbled her words trying to remember where we were going.

"Oh! You mean the Last Drop." I exclaim, recalling the mentioned bar. That was easily one of Sevika's favorite places to unwind. If she wasn't in a room below our home, then I could expect her to be there. She would stumble in through the door knocking over what few decorations we did have. It was pretty funny, minus how nasty she smelt.

"Yep, that place."

That place was also where he was from. That place was where I killed for the first time. That place was where death began to feel real.

"That was Vander's place," I solemnly say. We're heading to his empty residence to occupy it because we killed him.

I'm brought out of my dejected mood when Jinx shoves the doll into my chest. She doesn't even say a word. I scramble to catch Cindy before she drops to the ground. "Wha-" I say, but Jinx is strolling far ahead of me.

I look at her dwindling form confused. She walks side by side with Sevika and Silco now at the front of the group. I was just confirming what place we were going to and then she dramatically left me. Rude.

I tuck Cindy under the pit of my arm and focus on my surroundings. No longer distracted by Jinx I notice the beggars with knives and the onlookers whose eyes wander too closely. My sword seems to burn into my back. In a moment these people could attack.

But they don't. They are starving curious people who are looking for a glimmer of hope in Zaun. They see Silco parade through the dark streets and they feel the possibility of salvation.

The Last Drop is exactly like how I remember it. Neon welcome signs entice customers and the wooden framework that contrasts the stone architecture everywhere else. There are lots of colorful metal patches that cover holes or support the buildings' structure. The yellow and blue metal is almost comical in the dreary underground. All these imperfections add character to the beloved building.