With a grim expression, you knocked. Three times harsh, two times soft and then five times quickly. That was the code that the merchant had set in place to know whenever he was visited by loyal customers.

For a moment, silence filled the dark ally.

Your eyes jumped over your shoulder, back to Sevika and Jinx.

The two had a small argument, Jinx insisting she had to build a bomb while Sevika tried her hardest not to smash the little girls head in rage.

With a soft smile you tuned your gaze back again, just in time to hear a soft click.

The lock opened and the door slowly moved.

You put a hand on it to push, but hesitated.

"Go on. I'm right behind you.", she said with a nod of her head.

But you shook your head.

"You have to stay outside.", you said with a hint of fear in your voice.

She frowned.

"I can't do that."

"You have to. He doesn't let strangers in on his business. Especially not Silco's henchmen."

"I'm not a fucking-!", but she stopped herself mid sentence, squeezed her eyes shut and sighed. "Fifteen minutes. You've got no second more. If you don't come out in time I'll tear his shop to pieces."

Agreeing, you nodded, pulled your head in and slipped through the crack of the door inside. Immediately, you pushed the door close again.

The clicking of the lock sounded as it set itself back into place.

The man behind the counter raised his head. He was old, so old that even you were impressed by his survival skills.

From behind thick glasses, a pair of watery blue eyes looked at you. His eyebrows rose as a light lit up in his mind and remembered.

"Samaritan.", he nodded and reached under the counter to grab a package. "Your materials. Everything as you requested. Straight from Piltover."

With a tense look on your face, you stepped closer but stopped one step away from him.

"Please open the package, so I can check.", you requested, trying to sound as friendly as possible.

Frowning, he did a gesture.

"You're free to do it yourself. As always."

You bit your lips.

"I know, but it would be nice if you could do it for me. Just this once."

He hesitated. His gaze wandered over your body. He seemed to sense your nervousness but did not comment.

With an exhausted sigh, he shrugged and began to unpack everything in front of you. One by one he placed the sterilised bar of metal next to the thin needle and a container. As he was finished lining everything up, he glanced up at you.

"Satisfied?", he asked in his old, tried voice.

You let your eyes wander over the things before nodding.

"Thank you, now please put them back."

He did, not complaining a single time.

It was strange, his behaviour seemed unusual to you. It wasn't rare that you ordered things from this man because he was said to get his hands into everything if the price was right. You had needed some stuff for the shimmer experiment and other things for the hospital.

He had managed to organise everything. And every time you had visited him to pick the orders up, he appeared to be a harsh man with little patience and almost no sympathy.

But today he was different.

Today, he was calm and patient and even lend you a helping hand by unpacking.

With a strange fleeing in the back of your head, you narrowed your eyes and pulled out a bag full of coins.

You threw it on the counter and grabbed the package. You wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

But as your hand touched the handle, the door wouldn't move.

"Not so fast.", the merchant said, glancing at you from the brim of his glasses. "I like to count before letting the customers go. It won't take long."

Biting your lips, you turned around and nodded while trying to appear calm and understanding. But after a few moments had passed you couldn't help but tab your foot on the floor.

The clicking of coins filled the tense silence.

The old man seemed uninterested in anything else but the money.

"You know, Samaritan...", he suddenly said. "Sometimes staying hidden in the shadows is a better tactic than making friends with the mighty."

He glanced at you again.

Frowning, you tilted your head. Your back was turned towards the door, your free hand already laying on the handle.

"Is that a threat?", you asked.

He smiled mildly.

"It's some advice. In case you are lucky."

His hand slid under the counter and pushed the button. The mechanism for the door clicked.

Holding your breath, you eyed him for a second before ripping the door open and jumping outside.

Struck by surprise, Sevika and Jinx stopped arguing.
As the woman's dark eyes met yours, you couldn't help but swallow hard.

"We have to leave.", you said and handed the package to Jinx. "Now!"

Both exchanged a silent gaze before nodding.

With watchful eyes, Sevika threw a glance into the shadows to make sure that nothing was lurking there and guided you through the alley.

You glanced over your shoulder, not being able to shake off the feeling that something was watching.

Your eyes met the ones of the ghost. He was standing there, wrapped in shadows and watched from afar. A grin was laying on his face.

The sight confused you.

"Sevika!", you grabbed her by the shoulder. "We need to separate from Jinx."

Her eyes jumped to the figure. With her eyebrows pulled together, she nodded.

"I'll send her back to Silco.", she said. "You keep walking. We need to distract the stranger. I'll follow you through the shadows."

You nodded and glanced over to Jinx.

She was holding the package tightly pressed to her chest as if her life depended on it. As she looked up to you there was this unsure shimmer in her eyes.

"What's going on?", she asked you, refusing to let Sevika touch her.

With a pained expression on your face, you pulled her into the shadows and stopped for a moment.

"Remember what we talked about, Jinxie?", you asked in a soft voice. "Take these materials and the plans on my desk. Put everything together the way I wrote it down."

"I- I don't know if I can..."

"You have to, Jinx. I believe in you. Silco needs you. Promise me that you will do it."

"I promise."