Linwin's sudden decision to have Jayce and Viktor go to Old Zoran's place had a reason behind it.
Originally, Linwin intended to bring only Viktor down, but somehow Jayce insisted on coming along, which disrupted Linwin's original plan.
Having Jayce with them would have complicated the idea of introducing Viktor to Singed.
And bringing Jayce to the Last Drop?
Ha!
The last thing they needed was for Jayce to recognize Vi and Powder as the thieves who had stolen his belongings, as that would bring up past grievances. Linwin was not willing to take that risk.
As for the safety of Viktor and Jayce, Linwin had no worries. Zaun might be under Vander's control on the surface, but Zaun was still a vast place, and there were areas beyond Vander's reach.
The entire Black Alley, however, was unquestionably safe.
Black Alley was a secure place, and that's why Linwin had no concerns about leaving Viktor and Jayce with Old Zoran.
And he was carrying a bag with gifts for Vi and Powder. Even Mylo, Claggor, and Ekko will get some, but the majority is for Vi and Powder.
---
"This isn't tasty," Powder complained as she held a dark, egg-topped bread in her hands. Unfortunately, it lacked meat, and for her, it would have been a perfect dinner with some meat.
"Do you often act picky?" Silco inquired, his expression complex as he watched Powder.
"Picky?" Powder, despite her complaint about the food, obediently ate the bread that Silco had toasted for her. It was as hard as a rock, even after toasting, but the egg's flavor was delightful. She insisted, "I'm not picky; I just like to eat delicious things."
"That's what being picky means," Silco said, raising his wine glass and leaning on the bar, peering at Powder.
"No, Linwin said, being picky means not eating things you don't like. But I eat the foods I don't like, so that's why I'm not picky."
She quickly finished half of the large piece of bread and chewed while looking at Silco. She continued, "Pursuing tasty food is human nature, Linwin said."
"Does he always tell you unrealistic and useless things?" Silco found Linwin less terrifying in that moment.
Linwin's teachings and the way he looked after Powder had softened the otherwise ruthless Enforcer from the Undercity. However, it also made him seem remarkably tender.
Children in Zaun didn't have much of a childhood.
From birth, they were thrust into the harsh environment. Most children of Zaun would lose their parents at a young age, and even those who had parents would struggle to survive on the streets once they reached an understanding age.
This was Zaun's way of life.
However, Powder was different. She had clearly been well protected by Linwin and Vander. She was sensible, but she had a playful and headstrong side as well, just like she was trying to make excuses to drink juice.
"Does he also cook for you?" Silco inquired, a teasing tone in his voice.
He couldn't help but be amused by the thought.
After all, he couldn't imagine the man who typically wore a white robe, carried a short sword, and cut down the worst of the Undercity would return to the Black Alley and become a warm-hearted chef.
Is that even possible?
But when he saw the expression on Powder's face after asking, Silco understood.
The answer was clear.
It was true.
"Of course!" Powder's eyes sparkled as she praised Linwin loudly and proudly. She enumerated all the wonderful things Linwin did:
"Linwin is an amazing cook, even better than Vander, or any of those food vendors. He often roasts jerky for me and Vi. Oh, Mylo and Claggor get some too. He can even grill fish and make a pot of delicious soup, then throw in pieces of meat and vegetables while it's still boiling. And we eat it right from the pot!"
"Do you really like him?" Silco interrupted Powder's words and asked her suddenly.
"I like Linwin the most!" Powder responded enthusiastically.
"Even more than Vander?" Silco continued his questioning.
Powder hesitated for a moment, clearly not expecting such a question. She looked quite conflicted. "It's... It's a different kind of liking."
Silco was intrigued by her response.
"It's different? Hm, well, I like Vander the most too, but Linwin is different."
Observing the young girl sitting there, fidgeting with her fingers and looking utterly conflicted, Silco found it rather amusing.
Silco reasoned that Linwin probably didn't know about this kind of powder. Based on Powder's description of Linwin, he seemed to treat her like a little sister.
But just as Silco was about to speak, standing up and clearing his throat, the tavern's door swung open.
Silco glanced at the figure who entered the tavern, promptly shutting his mouth and taking a step back.
Well, it seemed like the opportunity to uncover the Undercity Enforcer's little secret was gone.
Not to worry, there would be plenty of other chances. After all, a ten-year-old girl wouldn't be able to keep any secrets.
As for Powder, she immediately turned her head toward the entrance, her beautiful blue eyes filled with boundless colors.
It was as if her entire world had just been filled in that single moment.
"Linwin!"
Jumping down from her chair, Powder spread her arms wide and made a beeline for the door. Standing just a couple of meters away was a young man with black hair.
Despite the considerable distance, Powder leaped high into the air and lunged forward, determined to reach him. The distance might have been a challenge for a ten-year-old who stood at just about one meter and three centimeters tall, but she had no fear of falling. She knew he would catch her.
As expected, two hands reached out from beneath her armpits and gently lifted her high into the air.
Linwin held Powder high above his head, gazing down at her with a warm smile. In response, Powder broke into a toothy grin, showcasing her teeth. She had a lovely set of teeth, but she had only recently lost one, which was visible in this particular angle.
She was incredibly happy, so much so that she even forgot to hide the gap from her missing tooth. In front of Vi, she was quite particular about not showing her missing tooth. She might be young, but she was already quite self-conscious.
Linwin found it amusing; a young Jinx with a missing tooth.
"I'm back!" Linwin exclaimed.
"Why did you take so long? I've been waiting for two days, and Vi was waiting for you every day too," Powder replied.
"Well, I had business to attend to up there," Linwin said, not bothering to look at Silco, who stood behind them.
Silco simply watched, feeling the familiar sensation. Back when Singed was around, was he also ignored like this?
Linwin inquired, "So, were you missing me a lot?"
Powder nodded enthusiastically. "Yes!"
Linwin didn't hesitate to scoop her up into his arms, and Powder, well accustomed to this, wrapped her little arms around Linwin's neck.
And then she heard Linwin's voice.
"Powder, I missed you too."
"By the way, why is it just you at home? Where's Vi? I'm back; why isn't she coming out?"
"Vi went out with Vander. They left me alone at home."
Powder had said this to Silco before, but when she repeated it to Linwin, her tone had lost the slight complaint she had with Silco.
Linwin approached Silco with Powder in his arms.
"Why are you here?"
Silco looked at Linwin with a smile, not a cold one.
He didn't answer Linwin's question but instead doing bartender work. He took out a glass from the cabinet, gently shook it, and asked Linwin, "What would you like to drink?"
"Uh, juice?" Linwin apparently still wasn't fond of alcohol.
But Silco shrugged slightly, his face showing a teasing smile. "I'm sorry, but we've run out of juice for today."
Linwin lowered his head, and he noticed the empty juice bottle on the bar counter, a large container capable of holding three liters. However, it was now empty. Next to it, there was an empty bottle with a chewed-up straw.
Linwin had a keen sense of smell, and he could detect the scent of juice in the glass. Not to mention, there was also a bitten, chewed straw in the glass.
He turned to look at Powder, who had been looking at him and immediately turned her head away.
She avoided looking at Linwin, especially avoiding eye contact. But Linwin raised an eyebrow and asked, "How much juice did you have today?"
"One... two," Powder replied hesitantly, still not looking at Linwin.
"Are you sure?" Linwin pressed, teasing her.
Powder turned her head towards Linwin, raised her hand, and extended three fingers, making eye contact. "If Vander finds out, he'll be mad."
"It's not like I wanted to drink it myself! Sevika made me drink it, and then... then he made me drink two more," Powder quickly pointed towards Silco, trying to shift the blame to him.
After all, if Linwin found out, he might just scold her a bit. But once Vander found out, he would probably punish her, maybe making her stand in the corner or kneel on the bed for half an hour, or something similar. That was the Vander family rule.
She didn't want Linwin to come home and find out, only for her to end up punished. That wouldn't be good.
Linwin looked at Silco, wearing an expression that seemed to apologize for his child's mischievousness. But in Linwin's eyes, both Powder and Vi were a bit rebellious. Sometimes they really weren't obedient children.
Powder and Vi definitely didn't qualify as well-behaved kids. After all, they had even stolen from Jayce's place. Even if Vi framed it as robbing from the rich to help the poor, it was still theft.
However, Linwin could understand that the survival environment in Zaun was different from Piltover. But in the future, Linwin thought this would gradually change.
"I'm glad you trust me. I thought you would unquestioningly believe her words," Silco replied, taking a glass of alcohol from Linwin and continuing, "After all, I can tell that you care a lot about her."
Linwin placed Powder on the bar and took the glass from Silco. He sipped a bit and then said to Silco, "Silco, I've noticed you often tend to misinterpret people's intentions, like you're doing now. I don't trust you blindly; I just understand her very well."
Linwin reached over and playfully tapped Powder's head while she looked down in embarrassment. She hadn't expected Linwin to return at this time; she had thought he wouldn't be back until tomorrow. Moreover, she hadn't anticipated him discovering this situation.
When dealing with Linwin, Powder could have boldly lied to Vander about it. After all, Vander didn't mind these things, and Zaunite children shouldn't be expected to never steal, deceive, or tell lies.
However, Linwin had made it clear that he didn't like her lying.
So, since the blame hadn't been shifted elsewhere (which was the truth), Powder could only admit to it now.
"I admit it, I asked them for it," Powder said sheepishly.
Linwin patted her head and shook his head, saying, "You'll have to discuss this with Vander."
"No, Linwin! I know I messed up!"
"You can't, you can have only one glass of juice a day; that's what you promised Vander."
"Don't pout." Linwin reached out and grasped Powder's mouth that she had just pouted, playfully saying, "I brought you and Vi some nice things. Would you like to see them early?"
"What nice th--" Powder's mouth was held shut by Linwin, and her head bobbed with Linwin's hand movement. Her words became muffled.
Silco watched this scene silently.
He was more humane than he had imagined. If he had known Linwin's softer side earlier, he could have come up with a better way to deal with Linwin. Linwin's vulnerability was quite obvious, and the girl named Powder was one of his weaknesses.
However, that seemed to be unnecessary at the moment. He and Linwin had already established a rapport.
"Can you stop ignoring me?" Silco said helplessly. "I've been waiting for you for quite a while, and I waited for Vander for most of the afternoon."
"You came early?" Linwin looked at Silco in surprise, then back at Powder. He had one hand covering her little mouth and the other gently pressing her small head.
Linwin pushed her head like a ball, lightly nudging it in different directions. Powder felt annoyed but accepted it, as Linwin had done similar things many times.
"Are you telling me you spent the whole afternoon with her?" Linwin asked.
"Aren't you worried?" Silco responded.
"Not particularly. Although you appear to be the type who plays mind games, a cunning and despicable person who stabs others in the back, being with you actually gives me peace of mind."
Silco: "."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"I certainly meant it as one. So, Silco, what did you and Powder do this afternoon? I just mentioned that I find you trustworthy, but you know your bad habit. It seems you enjoy brainwashing people. Every time I see you, you try to manipulate me."
"Really? You're overthinking it. You always tend to overthink things."
Linwin looked disdainfully at Silco and said, "See, you're at it again."
Silco: "."
Come to think of it, did he really try to brainwash Powder earlier today? Well, after many years of painting enticing pictures, recruiting people, it had become Silco's professional habit.
"You didn't come down just to accompany her and her sister, did you? I assume you have many questions for me and Vander," Silco said.
Silco had another drink. With this high-proof liquor from Vander, he was already feeling a bit woozy.
"Let's wait for Vi to come back, and we'll talk together."
Linwin pulled out two elegant elongated boxes.
"I brought some small gifts."
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