Immortalized | Viktor - arcane

Stitches

Rose would stick out across the bridge more than she usually did when she returned. Her new jacket was black and made from leather but had various colored patches to cover old rips and tears. Her red hair was tied up but disheveled and visibly tangled, her face was smeared with dirt and she was walking with a limp.

By the time she stepped off the bathysphere it was so late the streets were nearly empty which worked to her advantage. The only people she saw were patrolling enforcers. She kept close to the buildings lining the street, hiding from enforcers in their shadows and leaning on the walls for support.

She managed to evade any wandering civilians and enforcers and made it back to the Medarda estate without being noticed. Though her luck of remaining unseen would run out when she found Viktor sitting on the front steps of the estate seemingly waiting for her to return. On any other night she would have been pleasantly surprised to find him there, but she didn't have the energy for it tonight.

Rose stepped out from the shadows of the tall estate and into the low light from the street lights. "What are you doing here?" She spoke first.

Viktor rose to his feet when he saw her, his jaw dropping slightly when he saw her rough condition. It took him a moment to gather his thoughts.

"Where were you?" He asked.

"Where do you think?" Rose gestured to her attire. "The fissures."

She walked past him to unlock the door to the estate and got out of the street, skeptically he followed her inside.

"I saw you at the broker by the bridge today." He admitted finally, causing Rose to freeze in her path. "People only go to that place for one thing, Rose."

"Leave it alone Viktor." Rose said lowly, keeping her back turned to him.

"I just want you to be careful." Viktor went on. "You're lucky I was the only one who saw you. If it had been anyone else, councilor Medarda would have a scandal on her hands and you—"

"I said leave it alone!" Rose raised her voice. "I can't do this right now." Her voice quivered slightly. Even though she was turned away from him, Viktor could tell she was on the verge of tears.

"What happened?" He asked, his voice much softer now.

Rose only scoffed. "Don't worry, I won't be going back to the under city again." She told him. "There's nothing left for me there anymore."

As she began to walk away she lost her balance as the exhaustion and blood loss caught up to her. Viktor narrowed his eyes as he watched her put her hand to the wall to steady herself but it wasn't enough, his eyes went wide when he saw her slide down the wall to her knees.

"Rose!" Viktor called out rushing to her side. He put his hand on her back when he reached her causing her to jolt and cry out in pain.

He recoiled quickly and noticed the trails of blood that ran down her hand from beneath her sleeve, dripping to the marble floor tiles below.

"You're hurt!" He exclaimed but she didn't seem to hear him or rather didn't seem to care. When she turned to look at him, he could see her eyes were red from crying.

"There's no one left for me in the undercity anymore."

He felt as if his heart shattered in his chest. Not only was she hurt and bleeding in front of him but she seemed broken. She was a cheerful girl, despite everything it was something he admired about her but there was no light in her eyes when he looked at her now. He wondered what it must have took to break someone as strong as her.

"Come on," Viktor whispered gently and put his arm around her waist careful to avoid her upper back. With his other hand he pulled her arm around his shoulders and with the help of his cane pulled them both up off the floor.