Luxurious Anarchy (Lux/Jinx)

Chapter 12: Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time

Ekko sat up from his bed when the sound of an explosion quite literally shook the dust from the rafters. It must have either been bloody massive or too close for comfort. The way his head was ringing and vision swimming, Ekko briefly wondered if he was already a casualty, if he just didn't know he'd already been blown to chunks.

But no, he was in his bed, limbs all there, lucky boxers on. Swinging his legs out, he groaned as he kicked over a small pile of bottles, the sound of the glass clinking and clattering deafening. One hand trying to keep the pressure in his head from decapitating him, Ekko leaned back on his other arm, giving the hand he found without looking a gentle squeeze-

Wait.

Ekko twisted around, eyes going wide when he saw who was sharing his bed. Electric kissed green hair framed a face of copper-olive tone skin that had no right being so unblemished down here in the undercity, and a cute slash of a mouth most often graced with a daredevil's grin...

It was Zeri, the Spark of Zaun, one of the few other souls in the undercity who seemed to be fighting for the right reasons, and occasional couch surfer at the sanctuary when hiding out.

Being in his bed though, that was new.

As if roused to consciousness by his gaze, Zeri opened one eye, the glint of mischief and lightning flashing in that coppery iris.

"Boy-savior my ass, you're all man."

Ekko wheezed, suddenly knowing exactly what it meant when someone said "drowning on dry land". "Um. Did I get hit in the head or somethin'?"

Zeri propped herself up on one arm, causing the sheets to slip a bit, squinting at his waist with a slight pout, "Don't think I treated it that roughly..."

Slapping his face, trying to ignore how much the hit ratcheted up his headache, Ekko reached beneath his pillow and ripped the cord on the strange device he'd dug out of a sump just a few weeks prior. Time froze, splintered, and reshaped itself with a nudge from Ekko and the Z-Drive.

"Boy-savior my ass, you're all man."

Ekko shook his head, 'I'm sorry, I think I went overboard last night, but it sounds like I managed to treat you alright."

Zeri's eyes popped wide open, her mouth dropping in shock. Ekko briefly considered revving the Z-Drive again, but figured he could ride this timeline for another few seconds.

Finished mimicking a fish on dry land, Zeri almost whined, "Does that mean you forget how to do that thing where you condensed three hours into three minutes? I came so hard I saw Janna, and she gave me a high five!

Ekko's jaw dropped, and he gave the Z-Drive another yank. Once more, reality snapped and popped, the past overwriting the present.

"-and she gave me a high five!"

"Fuuuuck," groaned Ekko. He'd left it too long, trying to wind it back again would be dicey, and well, it was Zeri. She was one of the good ones, even if she'd never signed up with the Firelights.

Before Zeri could say anything, Ekko followed the nudge from his soul and flipped the pillow over, gesturing to the chrono-theurgical device. "I don't remember exactly how I pulled that trick off, but I can hazard a guess as to how I managed."

It was ultimately an unassuming thing, provided you didn't look too closely. It resembled some sort of storefront curio, a fat cylinder that glowed a soft blue-green light. Gears, springs, and other components of a pocket watch gently bobbed inside the cylinder, though no fluid seemed to keep them suspended.

It had a handle on the top, which had a leaver with indents for a hand to grip. By squeezing the leaver, the clockwork inside the canister would start to bob and dance. By squeezing the leaver and pulling, drawing out the handle on a ripcord of sorts, the bobbing became much faster, more vigorous.