Photophobia [Vi x Reader]

Chapter Four

  Late conversations lead to the distraction of sleep. It wasn't until Y/N saw the distant strike of peering light did she realize how late it was. "Head down, get as much sleep as you can. I'm going to tuck in." Y/N says, gently urging Powder to get up. The convincing seemed to work since she got up without any questions. She headed down toward the ladder then slowly eased herself down it. Before her head disappeared behind, she sent a glance at Y/N then scooted down out of sight. When Y/N was sure that Powder was gone, she brought her knees close to her chest, then breathed out. This whole thing was too much to handle but they'd get through it.
The ground beneath her left as Y/N stood up on her feet. She made her way down the ladder which lead down to the city floor. People wondered a bit with seemingly no destination. Some people wondered with goods, rotted fruits, and rusted parts with an idea of where to go. Y/N wasn't sure where she'd go, it was bright out so she could shop hop if she wanted to. Unlike the others, she receive gold that they earned from those sorts of hunts.
  Ever since Vander saved her, she had been dedicating her life to smuggling goods. There wasn't any pride within her for it— besides her mastery and planning. She had started off terribly, getting caught by the local baker for stealing a loaf of bread as practice. As she passed by the baker, she slid a loaf in her pocket and approached where the hide out was. When she caught there, she saw that the bar was filled to the brim with people. Her eyebrow twitched in surprise but she pushed forward. She made eyes with Vander, sliding the loaf of bread towards him.
"Doing some early more shopping?" Vander asks, shifting his wait so that he was leaning his arm against the booth.
A wide smile slipped onto her face. "You bet I did. Breads high marketing, our customers would die for some." She says as she grabs a knife from under the counter. A couple of the residents watched her warily to see what she was doing. She cut the bread into thin pieces, then dispersed them onto plates. 4 per table. She approached each of the booths and placed the bread delicately in the center. With each booth she approached, she was passed a small coin as thanks. She smiled as she went until she came to the booth where four men sat. It was the final booth, and she had two plates left. She had hoped she could save some for the others, but she sucked up her pride and slipped eight pieces onto the plate and placed it in the center.
"Would you like some? You're sulking." One of the man asks, having a small grin on his face.
"No it's alright. I can just get some later. I appreciate it though," she says, then looks at each of the men. They all seemed interested by the bread but seemed to be waiting for the okay. "Enjoy." She says as she makes her way toward the booth. A disc of drinks waits for her on the counter.
"These are all for those gentleman you just talked to." Vander says as he gestures his head over to them. A wary glint shines in his eyes.
The look often meant that they were new, outsiders within the undercity. "What's with that look?" She asked, averting her gaze to them. They seemed to be deep in conversation but of nothing in particular. If she could train her ears then she could listen in full extent, but it wasn't her business. People come in here speaking of murder, drugs, and thievery. They all held a place though in their society, so she couldn't judge.
"Newcomers." Vander muttered, then reared back to head back to what he was doing.
Y/N stared at him for a moment, then continued to serve customers.

-

Vi wasn't sure what she expected when she went to bad last night. She knew she expected sleep, plagued by nightmares of losing her family and her friends. When she awoke, she was greeted by the darkness of the room. She was sprawled out on the couch with one leg slung over the back of the couch and the other on the ground. Her body was just barely being propped up.
A sigh escaped her lips as she adjusted herself into a sat up position.
Milo and Claggor were both sleeping in their designated spots. Milo had drool pooling out the side of his mouth while Claggor had his head tucked under his elbow. They both slept so peacefully with no care in the world. It took one glance over her shoulder to see Powder curled up in a fetal position with her arms tucked under her head. It was as if she were trying to hide herself from someone in terror. Vi made her way over to the bed with a slight drag in her step. The noise didnt alert Powder who seemed completely knocked out it seemed. She placed herself at the edge of the bed and brushed her fingers through the tufts of cyan blue. The shimmered and parted between her fingertips like the ocean splitting in two.
  The attention stirred Powder awake. She pulled her head out from her arms to peer at her sister who smiled sweetly. "Good morning, sleepyhead."
  "'Morning." Powder mumbled while she attempted to rub the sleep out of her eyes.
  "Did you stay up late?" Vi asked, tilting her head to the side.
  "A little. Me and Y/N stood up and talked." She adjusted herself to be at the edge of the body. Milo and Claggor stirred awake in the background.
  Vi blinked in surprise. They often spent time together but not too late. There must've been a change of some kind. This worries her. Y/N was usually the kind of person who would bury their emotions to put off a tough persona. She rarely let things get to her. "Oh? What were you guys talking about?"