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1.
The silence in the room felt deafening, almost suffocating. The sounds of childbirth had ceased, but the echoes of screams and chaos still lingered in Silco's mind. Now, the only thing that remained was the physical and emotional weight of the newborn in his arms.
He had stayed by the bedside since the doctor allowed him to enter, unable to take his eyes off Jinx. His daughter, his little girl, was pale as death, barely breathing after a birth that had drained too much blood and too many emotions. Each of her breaths was a victory, but each pause tore a beat from his heart.
The movement in his arms jolted him from his thoughts. The bundle wrapped in blankets began to stir, and the baby’s small eyes, still hazy, slowly opened. A pout formed on her tiny face, and Silco knew the cries were imminent.
He winced, undecided. If she cried, she might wake Jinx, and she needed rest more than he needed peace. But he also didn’t want to leave his daughter’s side. Finally, he stood carefully, pacing slowly around the room while murmuring words even he didn’t fully understand.
The movement seemed to calm her for the most part, but what truly unsettled him were her eyes: a bright, piercing yellow that stared back at him, so different from Jinx’s icy blue. They were a reminder of a man he’d never met but whose shadow loomed over them. Sevika had assured him that "the problem" was dealt with, but Silco couldn’t shake the sting of resentment when he thought of the circumstances that brought this child into the world.
Jinx had insisted on having the baby, despite everything. Silco had offered alternatives, safe options to avoid what now seemed like too heavy a burden for a fifteen-year-old girl. But Jinx, with her relentless stubbornness, had clung to the life growing within her. Now, looking at his daughter lying asleep on the bed, Silco felt a mix of pride and exasperation.
A small pressure on his hand pulled him from his thoughts. He looked down and saw the baby’s tiny fingers trying to grab onto his. Surprised, he moved his hand slightly, and the little arms followed, trying to capture what seemed so elusive.
For a moment, Silco let out a sound that almost resembled a laugh.
“Hmph,” he muttered, watching as the little one kept trying, with a determination that already seemed innate. “Persistent, aren’t you? Just like your mother.”
The baby didn’t stop her movements, of course. But at least Silco managed to sit down without worrying she would burst into tears at any moment. It was surprising how long the child was distracted by his hand.
“Having fun?” Silco started at Jinx’s voice and quickly turned, letting the baby take her hand. Apparently, he’d been distracted too.
“Jinx! Are you okay?” he asked quickly, moving closer to the bed.
“Not really,” Jinx rasped, her voice rough and a grimace on her face. “And I don’t think I will be anytime soon. Everything hurts.”
“Well, that’s what happens when you bring a child into the world,” Silco pointed out, a hint of bitterness creeping into his tone—something Jinx either didn’t notice or chose to ignore.
“Can I see her?” she asked, glancing at the baby cradled in Silco’s arms. He sighed but moved closer, leaning down so Jinx could see the tiny child.
A faint smile adorned Jinx’s face.
“She’s... beautiful.”
“Obviously. She’s your daughter.”
Jinx made an attempt to lift a hand but seemed to give up halfway, a grimace replacing her smile.
“You need to rest,” Silco said, his worry evident as he watched his daughter. “You had a rough birth. She’ll still be here when you wake up later.”
“And you?”
“I will too,” Silco assured her quickly.
The little one in his arms made a barely audible sound, as if sharing her mother’s exhaustion. Silco looked down at the baby and then at Jinx, sighing as he sat back down beside the bed.
“Your mother is strong,” he murmured, this time speaking to the baby. His voice was a whisper, an attempt to soothe the child and convince himself. “Strong enough to bring you into the world, much to my dismay.”
Jinx watched him with a faint smile, struggling to keep her eyes open.
“You say that now... old man.”
Silco shook his head but returned her smile as he watched her drift back into unconsciousness.
2.
Silco's office was quieter than usual, if you ignored the soft babbling and thuds of Isha against the wooden floor. The girl, settled on an improvised blanket in the corner of the room, had spent the last half hour exploring with the rudimentary toys Jinx had left. Sevika, leaning against the doorframe, watched with a mixture of curiosity and confusion as Silco reviewed documents at his desk.
"Why didn’t you just leave her with someone else?" Sevika grumbled from the door, observing how Silco scribbled in a notebook, barely paying attention to the child playing on the floor.
"Because I don’t trust anyone else," he replied without looking at her, his voice as sharp as ever. "And Jinx already had enough to do without worrying about who would take care of her daughter."
Sevika let out a huff, crossing her arms. "And I suppose you’re the perfect model for a nanny."
Silco briefly looked up, giving her a cold stare. "I don’t need to be. I just need to keep her alive until Jinx gets back."
Sevika scoffed, about to respond, but a strange noise interrupted her. A determined kind of babbling, accompanied by the subtle sound of something stumbling. Both turned their heads at the same time, meeting a sight neither was prepared for: Isha, standing, wobbling, her arms outstretched in an attempt to keep her balance.
"What the hell is she doing?" Sevika muttered, straightening up as if the sight of the girl trying to walk was some kind of impending threat.
"Isha," Silco said firmly, setting the notebook aside as he watched her closely. The girl took an uncertain step forward, followed by another unsteady one. Her tiny arms flailed as if she were struggling to keep her balance.
"Is she... walking?" Sevika asked, squinting as if she couldn’t believe it.
Silco, for his part, stood up abruptly, leaving the papers on the desk. "Isha," he called, surprise evident in his voice as the little girl took another wobbly step forward, followed by another. Her movements were clumsy, but the effort was there, and the small face showed a mix of concentration and excitement.
"No way Jinx missed this," Sevika murmured, incredulous, as she moved closer to get a better look. "She’s going to kill you for not calling her."
"Keep your comments to yourself, Sevika," Silco retorted, though his tone lacked its usual edge. He was too absorbed in watching Isha, who took a few more steps toward him, her tiny arms flailing as if she wanted to fly instead of walk.
With a mixture of awe and something that could have been instinct, Silco knelt, extending his arms toward her. "Come here, little one," he murmured, his voice much softer than he would have admitted.
Isha moved toward him determinedly, her wobbles growing more pronounced with each step. Finally, she reached him, grabbing his shirt with a radiant smile and a babble of triumph that filled the room.
Silco carefully lifted her, holding her against his chest as a smile, as rare as it was unexpected, formed on his face. "Persistent as always," he murmured, his eyes still fixed on the girl who now tried to grab his tie.
Sevika, standing to the side, watched with one eyebrow raised and an expression that was hard to tell if it was more mockery or surprise. "Well, look at that," she finally said, crossing her arms. "The great Silco, conquered by a little brat less than a meter tall."
"Silence, Sevika," Silco replied, but his tone lacked the usual sharpness.
"What are you going to do when Jinx gets back and finds out she missed her spawn's first steps?" Sevika added, her teasing smile widening.
Silco let out a sigh, adjusting Isha in his arms as the little girl babbled something incomprehensible but clearly excited. "Well, I’m sure she’ll do whatever it takes to be here next time," he murmured, his words directed more at the little one than at Sevika.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the office seemed to change, a warm and unusual feeling filling the otherwise dark space. But as soon as Silco noticed it, he cleared his throat and stood up, adjusting his tie as if trying to reclaim some of his dignity.
"This never happened," he said, briefly glancing at Sevika with his usual stern look.
"Of course not, boss," Sevika replied, raising her hands in surrender, but she couldn’t hide the smile still adorning her face.
3.
The office was unusually quiet, except for the soft sounds of Isha as she sat on the floor. Silco, seated at his desk, flipped through reports while Jinx sat on the floor with Isha in front of her. For some time, something in their movements had caught Silco’s peripheral attention, but it wasn’t until he noticed Isha raising her hands and moving them awkwardly that he decided to take a closer look.
Jinx gestured while speaking to Isha, her words simple but accompanied by specific hand movements. The little one, with a serious concentration on her face, tried to imitate the gestures, though her coordination still hadn’t reached the level of precision of her mother’s.
Silco furrowed his brow, his confusion clear on his face as he watched the signs Jinx was making.
"What are you doing?" he asked, setting the papers aside.
Jinx looked up at him, as if she hadn’t expected the question.
"What does it look like I’m doing? I’m teaching her to communicate."
"Communicate? She talks to you all the time," Silco pointed out, crossing his arms.
Jinx shook her head, a light but somewhat tired smile on her face.
"Yeah, but not with words. Haven’t you noticed? Isha doesn’t talk. She babbles, makes sounds, but she can’t say words like that. At first, I thought it was normal for her age, but..." She stopped, turning to look at the little girl, who was now playing with one of the loose strands of her hair. "I don’t know, I just think it would be good for her to learn another way to communicate, even if it’s not through words or sounds that are open to interpretation."
"So, you decided on sign language?" Silco raised an eyebrow, his tone somewhat incredulous.
Jinx shrugged, resuming the gestures as she spoke softly to Isha.
"Yeah. It’s simple, direct. And it seems like she likes learning it. Look at her."
Silco, almost unwillingly, watched. Isha awkwardly imitated Jinx’s gestures, her little hands moving with a seriousness that brought an involuntary smile to his face. There was something fascinating about how Jinx and the child seemed to be in sync, communicating even when words didn’t exist.
"And how do you know sign language?" he finally asked, leaning slightly forward.
Jinx’s smile widened, taking on a teasing tone.
"Oh, it wasn’t easy. Do you know how many times I had to bother Sevika to help me? Basically, now she knows it too. You could say it was my personal project until I stopped being a disaster with my hands."
Silco let out a slight huff.
"Sevika knows sign language? I don’t think so."
"Trust me, she does," Jinx replied with a giggle, raising her hands to make a couple of quick signs toward Silco. "At least she knows enough to say ‘shut up, Jinx’ or ‘don’t bother me’."
"I can imagine," Silco murmured, looking back at Isha.
The little one raised her hands once more, trying to copy Jinx’s movements. Though her gestures were awkward, there was a determination in her eyes that reminded him of her mother when she was focused on her bombs. Silco leaned forward, watching as Jinx patiently taught her a new gesture.
"She’s learning fast," he commented, more to himself than to Jinx.
"Of course she is," Jinx replied, not taking her eyes off Isha. "She’s my daughter."
Silco couldn’t help but smile faintly as he rolled his eyes fondly; Jinx’s words couldn’t have been more true. Isha might have been too small at that moment, but she was already starting to act like her mother in many ways.
Jinx glanced at him sideways.
"You know what? You should learn too," she said, her eyes sparkling with a mischievous glint.
Silco snorted.
"And why would I do that?"
"Because if you don’t, Isha and I are going to conspire against you in sign language," Jinx replied with a cheeky grin, making a gesture toward Isha that seemed to say ‘good job.’
"Perfect," Silco muttered, his tone dry. But as he watched Isha trying to form the gesture for ‘mom,’ he couldn’t help but think that maybe learning wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all.
He’d need a way to communicate with his granddaughter anyway.
4.
Zaun was its usual organized chaos, with streets teeming with activity. The bustling sounds of merchants, mechanics, and locals created a constant murmur, a sound that Silco found almost comforting. He walked with his usual air of authority, hands clasped behind his back, while Sevika followed, carrying Isha on her shoulders.
A few passersby glanced at them sideways, puzzled about why Silco’s right-hand woman was carrying a child on her shoulders, but they decided not to question it.
The little girl, sitting with her legs dangling, seemed fascinated by everything around her. From her high vantage point, she had a privileged view of Zaun, and her face was full of wonder as she pointed at things that caught her attention: a fruit stand, a squeaky machine, a group of kids playing in the distance.
"Sevika," Silco suddenly said, his voice sharp but not annoyed.
"Yes, boss?" Sevika replied without missing a step.
"The factory in the south district. How far along is the construction?"
"They’re a little behind schedule, but not by much. The workers say they need more parts, but I’ve already taken care of it."
Silco gave a slight nod, his mind assessing the situation. As they spoke, he pulled a small bag of sweets from one of his pockets. Without interrupting his conversation with Sevika, he reached up, offering it to Isha.
The little girl, who had been watching a man hauling scrap metal in a wheelbarrow, glanced at the sweet and smiled widely. She grabbed one and held it in her hands for a moment before bringing it to her mouth, happily chewing.
Sevika glanced at Silco out of the corner of her eye.
"I thought my babysitting duties were over," Sevika said. "I didn’t expect to have to carry another kid on my shoulders."
"You’d rather be carrying supply crates, is that it?" Silco replied without bothering to look at her.
"Eh, I guess this isn’t so bad," Sevika shrugged. "She’s lighter than a crate, at least."
Silco let out a sound that could have been a contained laugh.
"Consider it training. If you can carry her, you can carry everything else."
"I dealt with a 12-year-old Jinx, I think her 4-year-old daughter is easier," Sevika teased, rolling her eyes.
From up above, Isha began to gently tap her hands on Sevika’s head, causing Sevika to roll her eyes again, though with a slight smile.
"Are you having fun up there, shorty?" Sevika asked, tilting her head back to look at the little girl.
Isha silently giggled, and with quick hand gestures, pointed ahead: a stand selling toys made from recycled scrap metal.
"Ah, looks like she likes something," Sevika commented.
Silco followed the direction Isha was pointing and nodded.
"If she wants one, she’ll get it." Silco said disinterestedly, then seemed to remember something and grimaced. "But she’ll have to pick just one thing," he added. "Jinx told me I can’t buy her everything she asks for," he explained to Sevika, who coughed to hide a laugh.
Sevika moved toward the stand while Silco observed with his arms crossed. Isha eagerly pointed at a box that seemed to contain metal pieces inside, and Sevika grabbed it, inspecting it briefly before handing it to her.
With the object in her hands, Isha started shaking it, and since it was closed, she just listened to the noise it made when it bumped against the box, giggling happily.
Sevika snorted. "Definitely Jinx’s daughter, I’ve never seen someone so happy over trash."
"Well, I don’t really think that box is for her. She’ll probably give it to Jinx when she sees her so she can make more of those little mechanical butterflies," Silco said, a faint smile barely visible at the corner of his lips.
"She’s smart, you told her she could only get one thing and she got something to make more things," Sevika teased.
They resumed walking, and Silco continued discussing business while Isha kept playing with her new treasure. Sevika, though she didn’t voice it, seemed relaxed carrying the little girl, as if her small presence lightened the usual weight of her responsibility.
"Maybe I should bring her more often," Silco said suddenly, with a touch of irony.
"Sure," Sevika replied with sarcasm. "Any excuse to walk around Zaun with an extra boss on my shoulders. If Jinx sees me like this, she’ll never let me hear the end of it."
From above, Isha lightly tapped Sevika’s head with the mechanical bird, as if confirming her new role as 'boss'. Sevika huffed, but couldn’t help but laugh.
Silco, though his expression remained stoic, felt a strange, warm sense of pride as he watched the scene. In that moment, however brief it was, everything seemed to fall into place.
5.
Silco's office was heavy with the usual tension. The dense air and the dancing shadows cast by the central lamp seemed to intensify the weight of every word. Silco stood behind his desk, arms crossed, while one of his subordinates hurriedly presented a report.
Sitting in a corner of the office, Isha quietly played with a small toy that Jinx had given her. Her small hands moved the object with concentration, completely unaware of the gravity of the conversation happening just a few steps away from her.
The second subordinate, a burly man with a scar running across his cheek, stood slightly to the side. He had noticed Isha as soon as he entered, and after exchanging a couple of quick words with his companion, he decided to entertain himself in what he thought was a "funny" way.
Deliberately, he started making exaggerated facial expressions. First, he furrowed his brow grotesquely, then opened his mouth and showed his teeth, as if he were a monster trying to scare the little girl.
Isha looked at him at first with curiosity, but her expression quickly shifted to a mix of discomfort and fear. She shrank back slightly, clutching her toy and glancing nervously toward her grandfather, as if seeking reassurance that he was still there.
Silco, though seemingly absorbed in the conversation, did not miss the change in the atmosphere. He didn’t need to look to know what was happening; the awkward silence and Isha’s reaction told him everything he needed to know.
Interrupting the subordinate who was speaking, Silco raised a hand, signaling for silence. He slowly turned his head toward the man who was bothering Isha, and his blue eye glowed with a cold intensity that froze the air in the room.
“Do you think this is a game?” His voice was low, but sharp as a knife.
The man straightened immediately, his face paling.
“I… I was just joking, boss. It wasn’t anything serious.”
Silco took a step toward him, his gaze fixed and lethal. “Joking? With my granddaughter?”
The subordinate opened his mouth to reply, but Silco raised a hand, stopping him dead in his tracks.
“Let me make something clear. You can be as reckless as you want with your own life, but if you choose to play with it” —he briefly pointed toward Isha, who was looking at him with wide eyes— “then you’re playing with me.”
His voice didn’t rise in pitch, but every word struck like a blow.
“And if there’s one thing you should know, it’s that I have no patience for games in my office.”
The man quickly nodded, stammering an apology.
“It won’t happen again, boss.”
Silco held his gaze for a few more seconds before turning back to the first subordinate.
“Finish your report and get out of here. Both of you.”
The two men hurriedly left, the first still stumbling over his explanation and the second staring at the floor, too embarrassed to lift his gaze.
When the door closed, Silco turned to Isha. His expression softened, though only slightly. He walked over to where she was sitting and crouched down to her level.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his words unusually gentle.
Isha nodded slowly, her hands still clutching her toy. Then she raised her hands and made a small gesture: “Ugly.”
Silco let out a low, dry laugh, something he rarely did.
“Yeah, very ugly.”
The girl seemed to relax a little, even letting out a small giggle as she pointed at her toy, as if she wanted to include it in the conversation. Silco stayed by her side for a moment longer, making sure the fear had completely passed, before returning to his desk.
“You know?” he commented as he resumed his seat, looking at the papers in front of him. “I might need you here more often. It seems even the biggest idiots need someone to remind them how to behave.”
Isha laughed softly, and although Silco didn’t look up, his lips curved slightly into a fleeting smile.
1.
The room was bathed in a soft, almost ethereal light emanating from the small lamp in the corner. Isha sat on the floor, her toys scattered around her, but she wasn’t paying them any attention. Instead, her gaze was fixed on the door, as if she expected it to open at any moment.
Jinx, who had been watching her from the threshold, felt her chest tighten. She had avoided this conversation as much as she could. But Isha kept asking, and every day Silco’s absence became harder to ignore.
With a sigh, Jinx sat down on the floor beside her, crossing her legs and trying to find a position that wouldn’t make everything feel heavier.
"Isha," she began softly, hoping to capture her attention.
The girl looked up, her face filled with the innocent curiosity that only made everything more painful. She raised her small hands and made the gesture that Jinx knew all too well: "When will Grandpa come?"
Jinx’s heart clenched. She swallowed hard, her hands trembling slightly as she prepared to respond.
"Sweetheart... Grandpa isn’t coming."
Isha blinked, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Why? He always comes back."
Jinx took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm.
"Sometimes, the people we love leave... and they can’t come back. Not because they don’t want to, but because they can’t anymore." She explained, ignoring the faint moment where the sound of voices grew louder.
‘It was her fault that her daughter no longer had her grandfather.’
The confusion on Isha’s face deepened, and her small hands began moving again. "Where is he?"
Jinx looked at her daughter, searching for the right words.
"He’s in a place... where we can’t see him. But that doesn’t mean he’s not with us."
‘Because of you.’
Isha tilted her head, her eyes searching her mother’s face for an explanation she couldn’t understand. Finally, she raised her hands again: "Is he sad there?"
Jinx felt her heart break a little more. She gently shook her head and took Isha’s small hands into her own.
"No, sweetheart. He’s not sad. He knew how much we loved him. He knew how much you loved him. And that makes him happy, even now."
The girl lowered her gaze, her fingers playing with the edge of her pants, then signed again: "miss"
Jinx smiled sadly, leaning down to kiss her forehead.
"I miss him too, Isha. So much."
There was a long silence. Isha seemed thoughtful, as if processing her mother’s words. After a while, she looked up, her eyes full of unshed tears, and made a hesitant gesture: "Can I say goodbye?"
Jinx felt the tears she had been holding back slip down her face. She squeezed Isha’s hands and nodded.
"Of course, little one. You can always talk to him. He’ll always be listening to you, right here." Gently, she placed a hand over Isha’s heart.
The girl nodded slowly. She closed her eyes and moved her hands, forming clumsy but clear signs: "Goodbye, Grandpa. I love you."
Jinx had to look away for a moment to regain her composure. When she looked back at Isha, the girl was wiping her tears with her fist, then clinging to her mother tightly.
"Do you know what?" Jinx whispered, stroking her daughter’s hair gently. "Grandpa would be so proud of you. He always said how incredible you were, how special you were."
Isha looked up, her eyes still shining with tears. "Did he love me?" she signed.
"More than I can explain," Jinx answered with a broken smile, hugging her tighter. "And so do I."
The girl settled against her chest, her breathing starting to calm down. Jinx rested her chin on Isha’s head, feeling how the weight of the moment enveloped them both.
After a while, Isha moved again, making a small gesture with her hands: "Will you tell me stories about him?"
Jinx laughed softly, though her eyes were still full of tears. "Of course. The best stories. Did you know that Grandpa didn’t like to admit it, but he always kept an extra cookie for you? Even though he’d say it was for me, it was always for you."
Isha laughed softly, her laughter like a small spark in the middle of the sadness.
Who would have thought that less than a year later, the little girl would also lose her mother?