It’s your birthday today. That means a lot of things. It means you survived another year on your own. It means that you have another year of experience under your belt. It means that you’re, once again, going to celebrate your new year. Alone.
Well, not completely alone, if someone asked you. After all, you had your three best friends in the whole universe(!!!) here to spend it with you. And their names were Pow-Pow, ZAP!, and Fishbones.
Still, though, you felt like something was missing. Eh! You probably just needed more fireworks!!! Obviously! You stuffed more explosives into a ratty, brown duffel bag until it was practically overflowing with various fireworks and other things that were loud, bright, and volatile. Not much unlike yourself.
A few sparklers slipped through the holes in the bag and left a vague trail behind you, but nothing that concerned you too much with. Sparklers were baby toys anyway. (Disclaimer: Do not give sparklers to babies.) But you were off! Racing the wind almost (or, what would be wind if you weren’t in the city of Zaun, where a fall breeze was more akin to hazy gray fog) to... somewhere. No one really questioned what you did most of the time. No one really cared, honestly. Unless you were blowing up shit in Piltover. Then suddenly everyone cared. Good times...
You set Fishbones down against a charred fence as you approached a very old, mostly rubble building. The word “Orphanage” was very faintly engraved on a sign above the boarded up doorway. You seemed uninterested in entering the ruins of the building, but you did stare at it for a moment. Odd being back here again. But, hey, where better to set these off and be undisturbed, right?
You set Pow-Pow down, and then ZAP! soon after, carefully.
“You guys are gonna looooove this. I made sure to pack aaaaall of our favorites! So, it’s like, me treating you. Even though it’s my birthday.”
“Well, gosh, thanks, Jinx. That’s very considerate of you!” you replied(?) in a much deeper voice. Rather, Fishbones replied.
“No time for the mush now. Explosions first, talk later!!!” you huffed in your usual pitch, but more like you were speaking through your nose than your mouth.
“You read my mind, Pow-Pow! Don’t worry, I’m working on it,” you assured, before setting the fireworks up on an old stump, with the remains of a tire swing nearby. You lit them up enthusiastically before settling yourself between Fishbones and Pow-Pow, letting ZAP! rest in your lap. You looked up to the sky at the first whistle as your first explosive raced to the heavens to spark with colorful fire.
A heavy sigh left you as you voiced for your last gun, in a soft, calmer voice-- one you hadn’t used for yourself since you left this place years ago.
