#lisztowritesmp3

Ximena Talis smiled as she wrote down Jayce’s name on that little piece of paper, a sad sort of smile where tears slept, and she barely hesitated before adding Viktor’s name to that same paper. For a moment she wondered if anyone else had written Viktor’s name, perhaps an old peer from the academy, but that thought was fleeting as she knew it was not true.

The way that boy looked at her son, with such pure love and affection, made her happy. Jayce couldn’t aspire for a better partner, neither in science nor in love. She wondered if they got a happy ending, if perhaps for a moment— at the very end— they got to hold each other, tell each other they loved the other.

She didn’t see it, but outside a small butterfly nursed an iris in Ximena’s garden, fluttering about with pale wings.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

It was unsettling now that everything was okay. Nothing felt okay. The tree was healthy once again, Ekko was back with his friends. Still, it wasn’t the same as always; Piltover and Zaun had managed to be civil and even friendly after the war. Currently, he was supervising a new tenant: a child around the age of 8, clearly a “jinxer.”

The child was hard of hearing, Ekko thought probably the result of being so close to the explosion that scarred her, but he couldn’t be sure by the way she knew how to communicate so well. She spelled her name out with crayons in blocky letters: ISHA.

Ekko smiled at her, but before he could say anything Scar burst into the room, eyes wide and ears perked.

“She’s alive. She’s here.”

“What? Who-” Ekko was cut off by his own thoughts, reeling like he just got punched as he ran out to see her.

It had only been about 2 months since she’d died. He’d turned the balcony where they kissed into a garden, spending hours there everyday. And now she was here. Her blue hair was a little longer now, her hands a little more soft, her hugs just a little more comforting.

“I’m sorry Ekko, I shouldn’t have come back,” she croaked out, embracing him.

Ekko couldn’t speak, he simply hugged her tighter, wanting to never let go, to never leave her ever again, but her arms dropped and she made a muffled noise like a wounded animal. Ekko turned around to see what she was looking at, and it was the kid-

“Isha!” Jinx shrieked, running towards her.

Isha jumped into her arms, and they sobbed into each other’s shirts. What surprised Ekko most was what Isha called Jinx:

“Mama!”

Ekko couldn’t help himself from exclaiming, “Mama? What!?”

Despite his confusion, he couldn’t help but melt as Jinx looked back at him with pure joy in her teary eyes, “She never called me that before… she’s never said anything to me.”

Jinx turned back to Isha, wiping her tears, “Those are some serious scars, kid… thanks.”

She was pointing to the explosion scars on Isha’s forehead and cheek. The top and the left side of her face was scarred thoroughly, and they were still healing. Isha picked at a scab on her shoulder where the scarring was less serious, and Jinx grabbed her hand softly. She didn’t even have to say anything.