𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧

22 - knocked out for a millennia, no biggie

a.n: this chapter contains a lot of manga spoilers.

**********

"Shit," Y/n muttered under her breath, trying to come to terms with her situation.

"Steady now," Vennessa murmured beside her, her voice laced with worry. Y/n turned to her and noticed the fierce determination in Vennessa's eyes. She seemed tough, but her voice was gentle, like she genuinely cared.

"Are you okay? Do you need anything?" Vennessa asked.

"I'm fine," Y/n replied, although she knew she was far from it. "How did I end up here?"

"When I was brought to this cell, I found you unconscious. The guards were talking about how Barca Lawrence found you drowning in the cider lake, and they decided to lock you up here too, so you could join the battle tomorrow." Vennessa explained.

Y/n groaned and rolled her eyes in frustration. "Great. Just my luck."

Vennessa gave her a confused look. "What do you mean?"

Y/n chuckled, feeling a little exasperated. "It's just that I always seem to get caught up in these big, historical events. I can't just have a normal day, you know?"

Vennessa nodded, understanding. "I can see how that would be frustrating. But maybe it's not all bad. Maybe you're meant to be a part of these events, to help make a difference. Wait, how did you end up drowning in the cider lake? Did someone push you in?"

"Yes. A friend thought it would be funny to push me in. I guess they didn't realize how deep it was," Y/n lied.

Vennessa looked at Y/n sympathetically. "I'm sorry to hear that. But at least you're safe now."

"Yeah, safe in a cell, just where I wanted to be."

Vennessa couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, at least you have a front-row seat to the battle tomorrow."

"Oh yeah, because nothing screams 'fun' like being thrown into a life-or-death situation against my will."

"You know, for someone who's been dragged into this against their will, you sure do have a lot of attitude."

Y/n shrugged nonchalantly. "What can I say? Snark is my coping mechanism. That, and the fact that I secretly love the thrill of danger. It's like a sick kind of adrenaline rush." She flashed a mischievous grin. "Maybe I'm not so unlucky after all."

Curious about the mysterious stranger, Vennessa asked for her name. "What's your name?" she inquired.

"Y/n," she replied.

"Nice to meet you, Y/n. I'm Vennessa," Vennessa said with a warm smile. "Are you a foreigner? You don't dress like a local..."

"Ding ding ding! You're indeed correct. I'm from the Gui—"

Not anymore.

"—(country). Are you from Natlan?"

Vennessa nodded.

"Cool, I've visited there a total of forty-six times!" Y/n said.

Vennessa's eyes widened in surprise. "Forty-six times? That's quite impressive!" she exclaimed.

***********

As the conversation tapered off, an uncomfortable silence descended upon them. She fished out a pair of handmade wireless earbuds from her inventory, and connected them to her phone. With a tap of her finger, her favorite playlist began to play, filling the void with the sweet melodies of her favorite artists.