The Blades and The Gauntlets [Vi x fem!oc]

Chapter XXIII: The Famous One

A little bit more than a year had passed since the chaos in the tunnels, but Mila could still feel the weight of that night pressing down on her. Still, each day she pushed the thoughts as far away as possible.

She descended carefully along a narrow metal pathway that swayed with each step, the echo of her heels lost in the vast expanse of Powder's hideout. She adjusted the satchel slung over her shoulder, its contents - a bundle of food - rattling softly. As she stepped onto one of the main platforms, she scanned her surroundings. Above, wires and cables stretched like a spider's web.

It was a large hole with a towering structure in its center, connected by suspended platforms and bridges. It was a place filled with strange light and shadows, the walls painted in neon hues and chaotic symbols.

The air inside was charged, humming with faint static from the many devices her friend worked on. But it felt familiar. It felt... oddly like home.

Before she could take more than a few steps, a small figure ran toward her, moving with silent but unmistakable enthusiasm. She barely had time to brace herself before Isha leapt up, her arms wrapping around her neck.

Isha pulled back just enough to stare intently at Mila's hair, her fingers reaching out to touch the streaks of blue that now framed her face. There was a gleam of excitement in the girl's eyes. She pointed at Mila's hair, then quickly at her own.

Mila chuckled, her voice soft. "Yeah, we match." She brushed a strand of blue-streaked hair away from Isha's face, feeling a surge of affection. "Looks like someone's been busy."

"She wanted it to be perfect." A voice came from the shadows, steady and calm. She stepped forward, her gaze meeting Mila's. "Was just telling her she is lucky. I didn't get to do much of this with my older sis."

Mila's smile softened as she set Isha down, the girl immediately darting off to grab a toy gun. She hummed softly, as if agreeing with her words. Her hands set down the satchel, opening it just enough for the little girl to see their contents. A smile painted her lips as she ran, grabbing a piece of bread and some not fully cooked soup.

"She was more into..." Powder continued, her hands putting down a can of blue paint. "Hitting things."

"Yeah..." The blonde leaned on the metal wall, her hands brushing past a toy resembling Claggor. "Different name back then and everything, huh?"

Jinx smiled, looking at Isha from a distance. "Stupid, right?"

"Wouldn't say so, Pow." Her companion breathed out. "I never gave up on Powder. You know that."

"I thought I was rid of her for good, but... uh..." Her fingers caught a towel that Mila threw in the air, cleaning some of the blue spray away from her hands. "She kind of reminds me of her."

"She's still there," she said quietly, as if the words carried a weight she wasn't sure she should put down. "Maybe buried, maybe a little different. But she's not gone."

Powder, or Jinx, whatever name she chose to wear today, looked at Mila with a mixture of skepticism and something softer, something raw and unguarded. "You make it sound so simple."

"It's not," She replied, her voice low and steady. "It never is. But I don't think it ever had to be."

Jinx's fingers tightened around the can of paint she'd set aside, the rough metal cool against her skin. "You think there's anything left to fix?" Her words were soft, almost too soft. "After everything I've done?"

"I do," she answered. "I think there's always something left to fix. No matter how broken it seems."

She let out a soft, almost disbelieving laugh, the sound low and filled with something Mila couldn't quite name. "You're stubborn," she said, shaking her head. "You know that, right?"