On the second floor of the last drop, Sevika looked at Silco, hesitating for a moment before speaking. "No, we haven't been able to find her yet."
"Then what are you doing here?" Silco asked calmly, taking a drag from his cigar.
"I was just thinking, maybe it's better this way?" Sevika said, continuing to explain, "She... she often sneaks off. This time is the same. When the time comes, she'll come back on her own, won't she?"
Hearing Sevika's words, Silco simply shook his head. He picked up a file from the side and tossed it to her.
"This time is different."
Sevika didn't look at it; she already knew what had happened.
A building in the topside had exploded, killing six Enforcers. Someone had to take responsibility for this. They were Enforcers, not ordinary people, who had died. And the topsiders... no, they wouldn't even need to think before pinning the blame on the undercity.
Jinx disappearing was a good thing. It prevented the Enforcers from finding that crazy girl when they inevitably searched the Fugen Tavern. From Sevika's selfish point of view, Jinx leaving the Lanes was also a good thing, because she was a troublemaker. With her around, nothing ever got done properly.
And so, Sevika said, "This is... perfect."
"Perfect?" Silco slammed his hand on the desk with a thud. He looked at Sevika, his face cold and grim, and asked calmly, "Tell me, what exactly is 'perfect'?"
"She's not here. When the topsiders come to investigate, they won't find anything. This..." Sevika stammered her explanation.
"Her not being here is the worst possible thing," Silco interrupted, pressing a hand to his forehead. He continued, "Don't worry. I've already handled it. Marcus has resolved the matter. It was an accident."
"An accident?" Sevika was incredulous. "You can call the deaths of six Enforcers an accident?"
Silco looked up at Sevika. "Otherwise, why do you think I support him? Why do you think I cooperate with him?"
"..." Sevika fell silent.
"Keep searching until you bring her back."
"Understood."
Sevika turned and walked out, pushing the door open.
Sitting alone in the room, Silco smoked his cigar, blowing smoke rings toward the ceiling. In the past, he would always see a flash of blue up there, a long braid dangling down, swaying like a willow catkin in the wind.
But now, there was nothing.
In a voice meant only for himself, Silco murmured, "This is the longest you've ever run away from home. It's already been three days."
Previously, when Jinx ran away, she would always be back by evening or by the next morning at the latest. But this time, three days had passed. Jinx had never been away from him for so long, and it was making Silco feel agitated.
...
At Stillwater Prison, a tall woman walked up to the warden. Looking at the man who was as large as a wall, she took a deep breath to quell the unease in her heart.
"Hmph?"
"I am Enforcer Caitlyn. Here is my writ," the uniformed woman said.
"What is it?"
"I need to speak with one of your inmates."
"Speak? The inmates here aren't exactly talkative."
Caitlyn paused, then said, "He was injured by his own accomplice. He surely has a grievance to air. He was just sent here today."
The warden's eyes shifted. He looked down and said, "Oh, Prisoner 2135. I know of him. But, he might not be able to see you."
Caitlyn grew anxious. "Why?"
"An incident occurred," the warden said.
"What kind of incident?"
"In short... a rather unfortunate one," the warden told her.
Caitlyn froze.
...
On the 43rd subterranean level of Stillwater Prison, Caitlyn took a deep breath and stepped out of the elevator.
The moment she was out, she heard a heavy, muffled thudding. Following the sound, Caitlyn walked forward.
BAM!
As she got closer, Caitlyn could hear the sound clearly. It was the sound of fists hitting a wall.
Then, she saw her: a person in a cell, their back to her, continuously punching the wall.
By the dim light of the corridor, Caitlyn saw a number.
[516]
Prisoner 516...
Just how long had she been in here?
Looking at the number, Caitlyn couldn't help but think. 516 was such a low number. Considering the offender from today was 2135, it was clear that...
The inmate noticed Caitlyn. She turned around, revealing a striking face. Her pink hair was a mess, with strands covering the corners of her eyes. Below her left eye was a tattoo of the Roman numerals 'VI'.
"Who are you?" the woman asked Caitlyn.
"Caitlyn," she replied.
"Hmph?" The woman paced back and forth in her cell.
Caitlyn opened the Stillwater file and continued, "I looked at your file. There's no information on you, no criminal record. Why are you in prison?"
"Guess I was too cheerful," the woman said, suddenly stepping right in front of the bars, startling Caitlyn.
Composing herself, Caitlyn pressed on, "You beat up an inmate, number 2135, who just arrived today. Why?"
"Can't I?"
"We are investigating a case, and he is the only witness," Caitlyn said.
The woman looked down, shrugged, and said, "Huh. That's a real shame."
Seeing that the woman was uncooperative and refused to give a straight answer, Caitlyn sighed and turned to leave. "This is a complete waste of time."
"Tell me about it."
Then, a voice came from behind her. "Hey, be sure to say hello to that one-eyed bastard Silco for me."
Caitlyn stopped in her tracks, a flicker of confusion on her face. She walked back to the cell with the file, looking at the woman who was now stretching her shoulders. She couldn't help but ask, "Silco, the undercity industrialist?"
"'Industrialist'?" The woman blinked, then raised an eyebrow. "Whatever. I can't be bothered with this nonsense."
She then added, "Do me a favor and send in anyone who wants a piece of me. Let me have some fun tonight, okay?"
Caitlyn was silent for two seconds, feeling the woman had some kind of misunderstanding about her.
The newly arrived inmate, the influential industrialist from the undercity, and the prisoner's words... all this, combined with Caitlyn's own suspicions that a single leader was behind Zaun's gangs, made the pieces click into place. Caitlyn's body trembled as she had a sudden realization.
She took a few steps forward, approaching the cell. Through the iron bars, she held the file open, facing the inmate, and asked:
"Do you... recognize this?"
The woman in the cell had been indifferent, paying no mind to Caitlyn's words. But when her eyes fell upon a photo of a bomb with a monkey graffiti design, she instantly lunged at the bars. Her bright eyes locked onto Caitlyn's as she yelled:
"Where did you get that?"
Zaun, the Lanes.
Leo's lips twitched as he stared at his house, which was now covered in graffiti, the walls dominated by a large monster and a monkey warrior.
"Jinx, where in the world did you get so much paint?"
"Paint?" Jinx, who was standing barefoot on a table adding to her masterpiece on the wall, turned her head. Seeing the newly returned Leo, she broke into a wide grin.
"A kind person gave it to me," she said.
Leo couldn't be bothered to retort.
A kind person.
Did she mean a "kind person" who had a gun pointed at their head?
How very kind indeed.
Leo just stood there with his arms crossed, watching the busy Jinx.
He had to admit, her drawings were actually pretty good.