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esp_dragonv2Fandom: Arcane: League of Legends
Summary: Jinx wanted help with her hair; Silco wasn't quite sure what to do about it.
Notes: Set between act 1 and act 2.
'I have all these xeno ideas I have bouncing around in my brain! ....Let's write family feels instead!' Brain, why. (Okay, it's a very short fic I can pretty much get done in one sitting, that's why). Except this did not turn out to be as short as I thought it would. orz
I might just use this as a collection post of Jinx and Silco getting to know each other, but we'll see what plotbunnies pop out.
'This will only be two scenes! Barely even 400 words!' Nine scenes later...
Rating: G
Genre: General
Word count: 2,304
Status: Complete
"Hey, Silco...?"
Silco glanced over from the report he was reading over, Jinx hovering at the doorway, the stuffed rabbit clutched in her hand. He'd asked her if she wanted rid of it, so she could cast off and forget the memories tied to it, but her eyes had welled up with tears and he didn't bring it up again.
"What is it?"
"Could you tie up my hair?"
Tie up...? "You...don't know how to do it yourself?" Surely she was old enough to? When he'd met her, her hair had been braided back - right now, her hair was loose around her shoulders, though it was messy, as if an attempt to tie it back had been made.
Her gaze slid away, her hold on the bunny tightening. "Vi or V-Vander used to do it for me..."
Ah. If Vander could do it, then he should be able to. "Come here then," he said, setting the report down on his desk.
She brightened immediately, and she dashed over, sitting on his lap.
"I found the juggling balls underneath my bed this morning," Jinx told him. She continued on, but Silco only half listened to her, staring at her head. What exactly was he meant to do now?
"Have you done this before...?" Jinx asked, looking at him over her shoulder.
He glanced towards the door, where it had been left ajar, but he hadn't heard any approaching footsteps since Jinx had arrived. It had been out of habit, and he pursed his lips, exhaling.
"No," he said, focusing on her hair again. The others wouldn't expect him to know how to tie up hair, and a child wouldn't care, but...
He wasn't one to admit any weaknesses. It grated, but he needed to gain the girl's trust so she would be easier to control or wouldn't consider running away. Just long enough until he had her sister, at least.
"Okay!" She moved so she was sitting sideways on his leg instead. "You separate them into three parts, and then you do this!" Her hands were a flurry of movement, tumbling over each other and Silco tried to follow them, trying to make sense of what she was doing.
At least she didn't seem put out by his lack of knowledge. "I thought you said didn't know how to do it?"
"Well..." Jinx's hands slowed. "That's what it looked like they were doing?"
"...I see." No help there then. But if she was sure it was in three sections, then it was a starting point.
He did what he could, until each parting seemed equal thick. Now for the actual braid.
He made a reasonable guess about what he should do next. There were only three sections so that limited the way they could be twisted over each other.
His fingers were clumsy as he moved them, and a few times, Jinx exclaimed in pain when he'd pulled too hard. Silco was used to hearing such a noise, but he was usually doing it intentionally, so that he could get what he wanted. This wasn't the same.
When he finished, he frowned at the mess in front of him. Hair was everywhere, already working themselves free of the braid. It more looked like a scruffy ponytail than a braid.
"Thanks, Silco!" Jinx said as she hopped off, dashing for the door.
She seemed happy enough with it.
But he could do better.
* * *
Silco watched as the woman was escorted into his office, her eyes darting around, never settling anywhere. Though they returned to his eye when she did look at him.
She was sat on the chair opposite his desk and she fidgeted with her cuff as he let the silence drag out second by second.
"Tell me," he said, leaning his elbows on the table, intertwining his fingers.
"Yes?" she squeaked, her eyes wide, every muscle taut as she paid every ounce of attention onto him now.
"Do you know how to braid hair?"
"A br-? Ah, I mean, of course I do!"
"Good," he said, seeing confusion flitting across her features in how her brows drew in together, her mouth open as if to ask a question. She knew better than to talk unprompted, which was better than others. "Teach me."
Her eyes went wide, but she nodded.
* * *
Silco toyed with the thread-braid he'd created under Dyna's guidance as she left, escorted the way she came in. The braid was much neater than his first attempt, though that could really be because it was made of three threads rather than hair.
He heard a sigh, but he continued studying the braid, committing it to memory. "What is it?"
Sevika didn't answer straight away, walking towards his desk instead. "Really? All this, for her?"
He leaned back, seeing her narrowed eyes, the hint of a curled lip. She was still leaning to the side, adjusting to the weight of her new arm, even though she tried to hide it under her cloak.
"You don't think she's going to talk?" she continued, jerking her head towards the door.
"Oh, I expect her to," Silco said, collecting the braids and setting them inside his drawer. "That was my intention, after all."
Sevika's gaze flicked to the drawer before going back to him. "You want word to spread you've a sudden interest in braids."
"For 'Powder'," he added. The name felt strange on his tongue. It wasn't her name; it wasn't the name she responded to. "Once word gets out that I have her-" And he had made sure to mention her a few times by name, about the length of her hair, how she seemed sensitive to pulling, to make sure the information would stick. "-what do you think will happen?"
Sevika was quiet for a few seconds, then she made a soft sound. "The sister will come to you."
"Exactly," he said, closing the drawer. "I just have to wait." He wouldn't have to for long.
* * *
"Hey, Silco?"
Jinx was light on her feet, Silco sometimes only noticing her when she spoke. He had been busy with deciding what to do with The Last Drop though - there were numerous venues he could pursue through it. He just had to decide on what.
"Yes?" Jinx seemed to need a lot of things when she came to him. She was hungry. She couldn't sleep. She wanted to hear a story.
She wanted her hair braided.
It was using up a lot of his time that he could have used for something else that needed done, but she was also coming often enough that he was beginning to figure out some of the patterns. Sometimes he was wrong though, so it was better he waited for her to say, lest she become tearful again. He had no idea how to deal with that.
Her loose hair made it relatively clear what she would want. "Are you busy?" she asked, eyes darting around the room.
He glanced at the list in his hand, the papers piled up over his desk. "Not too much." He could spare a few minutes.
"Okay! Could you tie up my hair?" she asked, holding up a few hair ties.
"Yes," he said, pushing himself away from his desk.
He was getting faster at braiding her hair now, his fingers learning the movements. She seemed to be...happier as well, since he wasn't pulling on her hair, and she appeared she liked the braid better now.
She had also started humming under her breath as he continued, a song he had never heard before.
"There," he said once he had finished, leaning back to inspect his work.
"Thanks, Silco!" She barely checked, a hand merely swiping over it before she threw herself at him.
He stilled, like the first time she had done this, her arms reaching around him.
It...was something he was unused to, everyone else keeping a safe distance from him until he invaded theirs. The very few who tried to approach him this closely always wanted something from him.
But then. Jinx also wanted something from him.
He patted her head with one hand, wrapping his other arm around her shoulders. She was so small, but had so much trust that he wouldn't hurt her.
His gaze drifted over to the papers spread over his desk before being drawn back to Jinx again. The hug shouldn't take too much longer.
* * *
"What do you mean, she's dead?" Silco hissed.
Marcus didn't flinch. Much. He was already settling into his new position, but it also meant he was less able to leave Piltover whenever Silco summoned him. "We...found her body in the river."
Hmph, maybe the fight had taken a bigger toll on the sister than he'd thought.
"Fine. You can leave." He pulling out the bag of money from one of his drawers, tossing it towards Marcus. Marcus caught it, sliding it into one of his pockets without checking the contents, his lips pursed. Either trusting Silco, or trusting him too much - Silco would find out eventually.
Marcus left after without a word, the muffled jingle of coin following him.
Silco sighed, tapping a finger on his desk. It would explain why he hadn't heard anything about the sister through his information network. With the sister no longer alive, there was no reason to keep Jinx around any longer.
But...
"Silco?" Jinx poked her head in, eyes darting in the direction Marcus had gone. Had she heard?
Did she care?
She had said herself that she had no sister. To her, her sister and the relationship with her was already dead.
It wouldn't make any difference if he told her or not.
"I'm free," he said, sweeping his gaze around his desk, making sure there was nothing there about Jinx's sister within sight.
She smiled, ducking into the room.
He didn't need Jinx now.
But she didn't have to leave immediately yet either.
* * *
"Your hair is getting rather long now," Silco murmured as he brushed out Jinx's hair. It was getting close to waist length.
He was faster at braiding her hair, but because of the length, it still took him as long as the first time he had attempted. How long ago was that now...?
"Yeah," Jinx said, "but I like it."
Hm. "Well, do you think it's time you learn how to do it yourself?"
She span around to stare at him, her eyes wide? "You'll teach me?"
"Your hair is long enough that we can do it at the same time." It would make it easier to show her on her own hair, how it would feel, rather than on much smaller pieces of thread.
Silco split her hair into halves and started to show her what to do.
* * *
Jinx's braid was messy and uneven, though it was neater than his own first attempt. The lower section tidied up as she started getting used to the movements needed. She was a fast learner.
He already knew that, watching how her machines changed with each iteration, but she had already known the basics when they met. This was something new.
"I think you can do it yourself now," he said. "You...did well." Praise was foreign on his lips. Praise that he meant, not twisted into an attack, or freely given because the outcome had already been expected.
Jinx beamed at him.
The effort was worth it, seeing her reaction.
Her smile slipped away though, Jinx bowing her head as she played with her braid, holding it next to Silco's.
"Buuut I still need more practice, right?" she said, looking at him from the corner of her eyes. "So you still need to braid my hair until then."
Sneaky girl. She didn't want their little sessions to end. "All right," he said, nodding. "Until then."
He was willing to play along. For her sake.
This time, he was ready for her lunge, his arms already open for her, and closing around her at the same time her arms wrapped around him.
* * *
Silco paused the next time he saw Jinx, furrowing his brow in confusion.
"What do you think?" she said, twirling in a circle.
"I...thought you would just do the one braid?" Silco said. It was how her hair had always been and she hadn't seemed like she'd wanted to change it.
"Yeah, but I like my hair like this now." She flipped one braid so that it swung around. "I can practice more with too, and. I dunno. It reminds me when you taught me how to too."
...Oh. That was why...?
* * *
Silco heard the soft creak of his office door open, and it was clear who it was when they didn't announce their presence. Though it was a surprise when Jinx didn't enter, clambering up to the rafts. When he lifted his gaze, Jinx wasn't looking at him, playing with her braids, twisting them around her bruised knuckles. Hm.
Over the years, it had become easier to read her, and it was clear when she wanted as she plucked at her hair tie.
He set his pen down, pulling out the brush he kept in his drawer.
She brightened softly, walking over as he pushed his chair back.
His arms were already open when she leaned in for the hug. She was trembling slightly, hugging him tighter, and he patted her back, letting her decide when to let go.
She held on longer than usual before leaning away, turning so her back was to him.
"How did it go?" he asked, tugging one of the hair ties free and starting to brush.
"Well..." Jinx began.
He listened as the words poured out, brushing out her hair and began to braid.
___
I write this, and it turns out the scene that inspired all this ended up not making the cut, whoops.
Summary: Jinx wanted help with her hair; Silco wasn't quite sure what to do about it.
Notes: Set between act 1 and act 2.
'I have all these xeno ideas I have bouncing around in my brain! ....Let's write family feels instead!' Brain, why. (Okay, it's a very short fic I can pretty much get done in one sitting, that's why). Except this did not turn out to be as short as I thought it would. orz
I might just use this as a collection post of Jinx and Silco getting to know each other, but we'll see what plotbunnies pop out.
'This will only be two scenes! Barely even 400 words!' Nine scenes later...
Rating: G
Genre: General
Word count: 2,304
Status: Complete
"Hey, Silco...?"
Silco glanced over from the report he was reading over, Jinx hovering at the doorway, the stuffed rabbit clutched in her hand. He'd asked her if she wanted rid of it, so she could cast off and forget the memories tied to it, but her eyes had welled up with tears and he didn't bring it up again.
"What is it?"
"Could you tie up my hair?"
Tie up...? "You...don't know how to do it yourself?" Surely she was old enough to? When he'd met her, her hair had been braided back - right now, her hair was loose around her shoulders, though it was messy, as if an attempt to tie it back had been made.
Her gaze slid away, her hold on the bunny tightening. "Vi or V-Vander used to do it for me..."
Ah. If Vander could do it, then he should be able to. "Come here then," he said, setting the report down on his desk.
She brightened immediately, and she dashed over, sitting on his lap.
"I found the juggling balls underneath my bed this morning," Jinx told him. She continued on, but Silco only half listened to her, staring at her head. What exactly was he meant to do now?
"Have you done this before...?" Jinx asked, looking at him over her shoulder.
He glanced towards the door, where it had been left ajar, but he hadn't heard any approaching footsteps since Jinx had arrived. It had been out of habit, and he pursed his lips, exhaling.
"No," he said, focusing on her hair again. The others wouldn't expect him to know how to tie up hair, and a child wouldn't care, but...
He wasn't one to admit any weaknesses. It grated, but he needed to gain the girl's trust so she would be easier to control or wouldn't consider running away. Just long enough until he had her sister, at least.
"Okay!" She moved so she was sitting sideways on his leg instead. "You separate them into three parts, and then you do this!" Her hands were a flurry of movement, tumbling over each other and Silco tried to follow them, trying to make sense of what she was doing.
At least she didn't seem put out by his lack of knowledge. "I thought you said didn't know how to do it?"
"Well..." Jinx's hands slowed. "That's what it looked like they were doing?"
"...I see." No help there then. But if she was sure it was in three sections, then it was a starting point.
He did what he could, until each parting seemed equal thick. Now for the actual braid.
He made a reasonable guess about what he should do next. There were only three sections so that limited the way they could be twisted over each other.
His fingers were clumsy as he moved them, and a few times, Jinx exclaimed in pain when he'd pulled too hard. Silco was used to hearing such a noise, but he was usually doing it intentionally, so that he could get what he wanted. This wasn't the same.
When he finished, he frowned at the mess in front of him. Hair was everywhere, already working themselves free of the braid. It more looked like a scruffy ponytail than a braid.
"Thanks, Silco!" Jinx said as she hopped off, dashing for the door.
She seemed happy enough with it.
But he could do better.
Silco watched as the woman was escorted into his office, her eyes darting around, never settling anywhere. Though they returned to his eye when she did look at him.
She was sat on the chair opposite his desk and she fidgeted with her cuff as he let the silence drag out second by second.
"Tell me," he said, leaning his elbows on the table, intertwining his fingers.
"Yes?" she squeaked, her eyes wide, every muscle taut as she paid every ounce of attention onto him now.
"Do you know how to braid hair?"
"A br-? Ah, I mean, of course I do!"
"Good," he said, seeing confusion flitting across her features in how her brows drew in together, her mouth open as if to ask a question. She knew better than to talk unprompted, which was better than others. "Teach me."
Her eyes went wide, but she nodded.
Silco toyed with the thread-braid he'd created under Dyna's guidance as she left, escorted the way she came in. The braid was much neater than his first attempt, though that could really be because it was made of three threads rather than hair.
He heard a sigh, but he continued studying the braid, committing it to memory. "What is it?"
Sevika didn't answer straight away, walking towards his desk instead. "Really? All this, for her?"
He leaned back, seeing her narrowed eyes, the hint of a curled lip. She was still leaning to the side, adjusting to the weight of her new arm, even though she tried to hide it under her cloak.
"You don't think she's going to talk?" she continued, jerking her head towards the door.
"Oh, I expect her to," Silco said, collecting the braids and setting them inside his drawer. "That was my intention, after all."
Sevika's gaze flicked to the drawer before going back to him. "You want word to spread you've a sudden interest in braids."
"For 'Powder'," he added. The name felt strange on his tongue. It wasn't her name; it wasn't the name she responded to. "Once word gets out that I have her-" And he had made sure to mention her a few times by name, about the length of her hair, how she seemed sensitive to pulling, to make sure the information would stick. "-what do you think will happen?"
Sevika was quiet for a few seconds, then she made a soft sound. "The sister will come to you."
"Exactly," he said, closing the drawer. "I just have to wait." He wouldn't have to for long.
"Hey, Silco?"
Jinx was light on her feet, Silco sometimes only noticing her when she spoke. He had been busy with deciding what to do with The Last Drop though - there were numerous venues he could pursue through it. He just had to decide on what.
"Yes?" Jinx seemed to need a lot of things when she came to him. She was hungry. She couldn't sleep. She wanted to hear a story.
She wanted her hair braided.
It was using up a lot of his time that he could have used for something else that needed done, but she was also coming often enough that he was beginning to figure out some of the patterns. Sometimes he was wrong though, so it was better he waited for her to say, lest she become tearful again. He had no idea how to deal with that.
Her loose hair made it relatively clear what she would want. "Are you busy?" she asked, eyes darting around the room.
He glanced at the list in his hand, the papers piled up over his desk. "Not too much." He could spare a few minutes.
"Okay! Could you tie up my hair?" she asked, holding up a few hair ties.
"Yes," he said, pushing himself away from his desk.
He was getting faster at braiding her hair now, his fingers learning the movements. She seemed to be...happier as well, since he wasn't pulling on her hair, and she appeared she liked the braid better now.
She had also started humming under her breath as he continued, a song he had never heard before.
"There," he said once he had finished, leaning back to inspect his work.
"Thanks, Silco!" She barely checked, a hand merely swiping over it before she threw herself at him.
He stilled, like the first time she had done this, her arms reaching around him.
It...was something he was unused to, everyone else keeping a safe distance from him until he invaded theirs. The very few who tried to approach him this closely always wanted something from him.
But then. Jinx also wanted something from him.
He patted her head with one hand, wrapping his other arm around her shoulders. She was so small, but had so much trust that he wouldn't hurt her.
His gaze drifted over to the papers spread over his desk before being drawn back to Jinx again. The hug shouldn't take too much longer.
"What do you mean, she's dead?" Silco hissed.
Marcus didn't flinch. Much. He was already settling into his new position, but it also meant he was less able to leave Piltover whenever Silco summoned him. "We...found her body in the river."
Hmph, maybe the fight had taken a bigger toll on the sister than he'd thought.
"Fine. You can leave." He pulling out the bag of money from one of his drawers, tossing it towards Marcus. Marcus caught it, sliding it into one of his pockets without checking the contents, his lips pursed. Either trusting Silco, or trusting him too much - Silco would find out eventually.
Marcus left after without a word, the muffled jingle of coin following him.
Silco sighed, tapping a finger on his desk. It would explain why he hadn't heard anything about the sister through his information network. With the sister no longer alive, there was no reason to keep Jinx around any longer.
But...
"Silco?" Jinx poked her head in, eyes darting in the direction Marcus had gone. Had she heard?
Did she care?
She had said herself that she had no sister. To her, her sister and the relationship with her was already dead.
It wouldn't make any difference if he told her or not.
"I'm free," he said, sweeping his gaze around his desk, making sure there was nothing there about Jinx's sister within sight.
She smiled, ducking into the room.
He didn't need Jinx now.
But she didn't have to leave immediately yet either.
"Your hair is getting rather long now," Silco murmured as he brushed out Jinx's hair. It was getting close to waist length.
He was faster at braiding her hair, but because of the length, it still took him as long as the first time he had attempted. How long ago was that now...?
"Yeah," Jinx said, "but I like it."
Hm. "Well, do you think it's time you learn how to do it yourself?"
She span around to stare at him, her eyes wide? "You'll teach me?"
"Your hair is long enough that we can do it at the same time." It would make it easier to show her on her own hair, how it would feel, rather than on much smaller pieces of thread.
Silco split her hair into halves and started to show her what to do.
Jinx's braid was messy and uneven, though it was neater than his own first attempt. The lower section tidied up as she started getting used to the movements needed. She was a fast learner.
He already knew that, watching how her machines changed with each iteration, but she had already known the basics when they met. This was something new.
"I think you can do it yourself now," he said. "You...did well." Praise was foreign on his lips. Praise that he meant, not twisted into an attack, or freely given because the outcome had already been expected.
Jinx beamed at him.
The effort was worth it, seeing her reaction.
Her smile slipped away though, Jinx bowing her head as she played with her braid, holding it next to Silco's.
"Buuut I still need more practice, right?" she said, looking at him from the corner of her eyes. "So you still need to braid my hair until then."
Sneaky girl. She didn't want their little sessions to end. "All right," he said, nodding. "Until then."
He was willing to play along. For her sake.
This time, he was ready for her lunge, his arms already open for her, and closing around her at the same time her arms wrapped around him.
Silco paused the next time he saw Jinx, furrowing his brow in confusion.
"What do you think?" she said, twirling in a circle.
"I...thought you would just do the one braid?" Silco said. It was how her hair had always been and she hadn't seemed like she'd wanted to change it.
"Yeah, but I like my hair like this now." She flipped one braid so that it swung around. "I can practice more with too, and. I dunno. It reminds me when you taught me how to too."
...Oh. That was why...?
Silco heard the soft creak of his office door open, and it was clear who it was when they didn't announce their presence. Though it was a surprise when Jinx didn't enter, clambering up to the rafts. When he lifted his gaze, Jinx wasn't looking at him, playing with her braids, twisting them around her bruised knuckles. Hm.
Over the years, it had become easier to read her, and it was clear when she wanted as she plucked at her hair tie.
He set his pen down, pulling out the brush he kept in his drawer.
She brightened softly, walking over as he pushed his chair back.
His arms were already open when she leaned in for the hug. She was trembling slightly, hugging him tighter, and he patted her back, letting her decide when to let go.
She held on longer than usual before leaning away, turning so her back was to him.
"How did it go?" he asked, tugging one of the hair ties free and starting to brush.
"Well..." Jinx began.
He listened as the words poured out, brushing out her hair and began to braid.
___
I write this, and it turns out the scene that inspired all this ended up not making the cut, whoops.