Pale sunlight filtered down into Zaun and slipped through the window of a small room.
A black-haired young man sat silently on the bed, his back against the headboard, eyes dull—like someone who'd misplaced his soul. Time had already stopped meaning anything to him. He just sat there, unmoving, until a faint groan sounded beside him.
Only then did Logan snap back to himself, turning his head with a complicated look.
He hadn't slept all night. In just one night, his face had somehow grown noticeably more haggard.
He looked at Jinx sprawled across him. How to put it… Logan felt like Jinx's sleeping habits were genuinely hard to describe—because she slept exactly like a cat.
When she didn't feel safe, she curled into a tight little ball, arms and legs tucked in close, hugging herself like she was guarding her own body.
But when she did feel safe… her sleeping posture became impossible to explain.
Cats were like that, weren't they?
No sense of security? They'd hide in a corner and sleep in a tiny puffball.
But the moment they felt secure, anywhere became a bed—most famously: sprawled out flat on their back, belly shamelessly exposed, snoring away.
And that was Jinx right now.
One arm and one leg were draped across Logan's body. Her face was buried against his thigh. One of her legs had kicked the blanket right off the bed, and he had no idea how she'd managed it, but the hem of her nightdress had somehow been shoved up to her waist, revealing a strip of white panties.
Her pale thighs looked full and smooth. The lines at her waist and lower abdomen were clean and defined—honestly, it looked really good.
No, seriously. This sleeping pose…
Was she shadowboxing in her dreams or something?
"Mmm…" Jinx groggily woke up. She rubbed her eyes, yawned hazily, smacked her lips a couple times—and then, on instinct, let out a dry heave.
Hearing that sound made Logan's expression turn even more complicated.
"Awake?" he asked.
"Mm-hm. Sleeping at home is the best. I slept so good~" Jinx stretched lazily. One shoulder strap slid off, exposing a snowy shoulder blade.
When it came to skin tone, Jinx didn't lose to anyone. Her delicate collarbones were smooth and polished. And because she'd eaten well and slept well—putting a little weight back on—she no longer looked terrifyingly thin like before.
Right now, she looked… pleasantly filled out.
A rounder, well-fed Jinxie.
"Huh? Why do you look like that?" Jinx, still stretching like a cat, finally noticed Logan's exhausted, worn face. She snapped awake, tilting her head at him with curiosity. "Logan, did you sleep badly last night?"
"…"
Badly?
I didn't sleep at all.
Logan's molars ground together.
He'd had a thousand questions for Jinx when she came back from the bathroom last night, but all he got was Jinxie's awkward, evasive mumbling—and then, after a while, her saying she was tired.
Calling it an excuse wasn't quite fair, either. Sleeping on a raft wasn't exactly comfortable, and after traveling so long, coming back to familiar Zaun would naturally relax her. Once the excitement wore off, it made sense she'd get sleepy.
But if you were tired… what was I supposed to do?
All night, Logan had been thinking about what Jinx might've done.
Not because he was petty—he genuinely had no idea what had happened.
"What exactly happened last night?" Logan's eyes were slightly red as he stared at Jinx, asking seriously.
Jinx froze for a moment. Logan was dead serious, but she immediately started grinning.
Logan just stared at her in silence.
Jinx chattered on, cheerful and shameless. "Don't look like that. I asked you three times, and I was totally serious about it. I asked, can I? Can I? And you didn't say anything, so I just took that as you agreeing."
Was I not talking… or was I not refusing?
I didn't refuse because I didn't even know!
…Wait. If I had known, would I have refused?
Logan fell into thought.
Honestly… probably not.
Jinx's figure was excellent. She always complained she wasn't "big," but she definitely wasn't flat—calling her an airstrip was a total injustice.
Logan remembered more than once seeing her in the morning, wearing an oversized hoodie, lifting both arms to tie up her hair.
So yeah, of course Logan had those kinds of thoughts about Jinx. Otherwise what—was he dating her while never thinking about that at all? Was he raising her like a daughter?
Yeah, no. Not happening.
"You didn't refuse, so I lifted the blanket…" Jinx started chattering again, clearly planning to explain last night in vivid detail—everything she hadn't finished saying…
"… and then you unloaded a bunch of that stuff straight down my thro-"
"Alright! Alright! That's enough. I already know what happened. Holy…"
Jinx blinked.
Logan got out of bed fast. When he stood, he hunched slightly, his posture looking kind of strange. Jinx noticed and asked with a puzzled tone, "Hey, you weren't wearing those pants last night. When did you change?"
Logan shoved her forehead with his palm, annoyed. "Who do you think that's because of?"
"Enough. Get up. Brush your teeth. Wash your face. We agreed yesterday—today we're going to Silco's for breakfast."
Jinx nodded. She slipped into her slippers and padded past Logan, mouth slightly open as she worked her jaw, a row of little white teeth moving. Her sharp canine was adorable—
—but whatever she said next nearly made Logan lose control again.
Jinx frowned and pattered toward the bathroom in her slippers. Behind her, Logan followed in silence, head lowered, not saying a word.
"…"
————
On the second floor of Forgen Tavern, Silco had prepared breakfast early.
He took off his apron and hung it on the rack, then wiped his hands. Standing by the window, he calmly waited a few minutes—until he saw Sevika arriving with two women.
Sarah and Akali.
Sarah's fiery red hair stood out immediately. She wore a hoodie jacket, but the oversized fabric still couldn't hide her striking figure. On her feet were a pair of new black boots. In a crowd, she was impossible to miss.
Beside her was Akali in athletic wear.
Sevika waved up at Silco. Silco, expressionless, gave a calm nod from the second floor.
Silco had asked Sarah and Akali to come early so that when Logan arrived, he could talk to them about the work they'd be doing in Zaun going forward.
From the information Janna had sent back, Silco understood Akali was genuine talent. Whether Zaun could build an intelligence network comparable to Piltover's Clan Ferros depended on Akali. If it worked, Akali would become Zaun's spymaster.
As for Sarah, Silco didn't need Logan to explain her strengths. He could already tell what she was good at.
Naval war.
Zaun had plenty of skilled sailors, sure—but most were fishermen or sea merchants. If you were talking about fighting on the open water, then a woman who'd once held power in Bilgewater was on a different level entirely.
So in Zaun, Sarah would be trained as a future naval leader.
Silco was about to turn and go greet them, but after taking a step, he straightened again. A faint smile touched his face.
He lifted his hand and waved down toward the street.
There—Jinx was walking up, holding Isha's hand with one hand, the other raised high as she waved hard at Silco.
Sarah sat stiffly at the table. It wasn't big—just a small, square table draped with a sky-blue tablecloth that looked oddly cute.
Next to Sarah, Akali and Isha were eating bread in big bites. After two bites, Isha seemed to choke a little—maybe the bread was too dry. She looked around.
Logan was about to stand up, but Silco had already brought over a silver jug.
He picked up Isha's cup and poured her a glass of milk. Isha accepted it naturally.
It seemed that while Logan and Jinx were away from Zaun, Isha had been coming here to eat quite often.
Silco set the silver jug in the center of the table and sat down. He wiped his hands with a cloth, then elegantly picked up his fork and portioned the fish on the platter.
He cut off a piece of grilled fish, speared it, and placed it on Jinx's plate. Then he placed another piece on Isha's.
Logan watched, blinked, and said, "What about me, Uncle?"
"Letting you sit at the table is already generous," Silco replied flatly, glancing at him.
"So stingy," Logan muttered, and started eating his fish.
Silco smiled faintly and asked Logan, "Have their papers been handled?"
Sarah, mid-bite, looked up—she knew that was about her.
Logan nodded. "This afternoon they just need to take a photo and sign a few things."
Silco looked at Sarah and Akali. "Did Logan tell you what you'll be doing now that you've come to Zaun?"
"I'm not really sure," Sarah admitted. She looked at Logan, then thought for a moment. "But if you need me, I'll do my best. Zaun has helped me more times than I can count."
"I only know how to fight," Akali said bluntly. "And kill."
"Akali," Logan said, "Zaun doesn't need you killing people. We just need you to teach Zaunites some of the ways you fight."
Akali lifted her eyes to Logan, resistance plain in her gaze.
As much as she'd left the Kinkou Order, Akali didn't hate the people in it. What she hated were the rules the Order followed. Leaving the Order and betraying it were two different things—she didn't want to become someone who handed the Order's secret arts to outsiders.
Logan caught the resistance and smiled, adding, "I'm not asking you to teach Zaun the Kinkou Order's secret techniques. I'm talking about teaching some stealth and information-gathering methods. Zaun needs an intelligence network, and you'll be its instructor. The benefits are great—don't worry."
Akali hesitated. Then she glanced at the food on her plate, and finally nodded, quietly. "Fine."
While eating, Akali realized she really couldn't refuse.
Yesterday's food had been insanely good. Today's food was also insanely good!
Zaun's industry might've only recently caught up to Piltover, but when it came to seasonings and spices, Zaun was far ahead. In all of Runeterra, the best food was in Zaun.
Heavy oil, heavy heat, every spice under the sun dumped into the pot—at that point, you could probably boil an old boot and make it taste good, let alone fresh fish, beef, and lamb.
So yeah. Akali really couldn't refuse.
And it wasn't just the food. Even the living conditions were excellent. Last night, Akali had slept unbelievably well: a soft single bed, a quilt with a faint, clean scent, and an air purifier that could regulate temperature. It was scorching summer outside, and yet she was sleeping under a blanket in comfort.
It was the first time Akali had ever slept until she woke naturally.
And on top of that, her place was packed with convenient tech she could use.
If she'd never come to Zaun, and Logan asked her back in Ionia, she could've refused—and she wouldn't have regretted it. But now that she'd tasted the good life…
Yeah. After getting a taste, refusing was impossible.
At the end of the day, no matter how strong Akali was, no matter how talented—she was still a teenager.
"As for you, Sarah," Silco said, "this afternoon Vander will take you to the military. Zaun will establish a navy in the future, and you'll be responsible for it. Can you do that?"
"Me?" Sarah pointed at herself, hesitated, then said, "But I just got to Zaun."
"Zaun doesn't have experienced naval warfare talent," Silco said evenly. "Your experience matters. Whether you just arrived doesn't matter at all. In Zaun, we judge ability, not seniority."
As he spoke, Silco lifted the silver jug again, naturally about to pour Jinx a cup of milk.
But Jinx reached up and refused, pulling her cup closer to herself.
"Hm?" Silco paused, then looked at her. "I know you only like juice, so I put plenty of sugar in it. Don't worry—it won't taste bad."
Jinx shook her head. "No. Not today."
"Aaaah—!" Logan suddenly yelped, cutting Jinx off mid-sentence.
"What is wrong with you?" Silco was startled, then immediately frowned at Logan in irritation.
Isha also looked up at Logan, eyes still foggy with sleep.
Sarah did too.
Only Akali kept eating like her life depended on it.
"I just— I just remembered something," Logan said quickly. "Right, Silco, when are we going to attend Noxus's banquet?"
"Mel hasn't sent word yet," Silco answered, "but it should be sometime this month. Why?"
"Don't we need to prepare?"
"Go two days early. Stay one night in Noxus. The next day, meet a few people. That night, attend the banquet. Leave Noxus the day after. What preparation does that need?"
After speaking, Silco looked at Jinx and asked suspiciously, "Did you drink something that made you nauseous?"
"I drank—"
"Aah!" Logan yelped again.
Silco: "?"
"What are you yapping for?" Silco snapped.
"I mean—don't we need to set things up in Ionia in advance?" Logan forced the topic onward. "I already spoke with Ionia's leadership. Once they build the Hexgates, a lot of Ionians will come over. We should prepare some work for them."
"The hillside project is already expanding," Silco replied. "We're short on strong laborers anyway. They'll be perfect."
Once it turned into work talk, Silco kept firing questions at Logan.
While Logan had been away from Zaun, development hadn't stopped. So once the conversation started, Silco promptly forgot about certain… unimportant things.
Logan, meanwhile, finally let out a quiet breath of relief.
Damn it. The first time Logan met Silco, Jinx blurted in her sleep—Logan, that's my foot. You can't eat it…
Silco's face had turned pitch-black. If Silco could've beaten Logan back then, he definitely would've pulled a gun on him.
So last night's situation?
If Jinx actually said it out loud, Logan didn't even want to imagine what Silco would do.
And leaving Silco aside—there was Isha.
If Isha heard it, how was Logan supposed to face her afterward?
Logan couldn't even be sure how much Isha understood. Sometimes she acted like a little adult.
She was sharp, just like Jinx—both of them were clever little gremlins.
But the difference was: Jinx had always been watched closely by Silco. She rarely interacted with the outside world, and even when she did, it was usually Silco's people.
And none of those people would ever dare crack dirty jokes around Jinx.
Because if Silco found out…
They'd probably be sinking to the bottom of the sea to feed the fish.
Anyway.
This whole "mooching food and drinks" topic ends here.
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