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

Chapter XXVI: The Rightful Place

"Shh, easy there." Loris said, his hand brushing past the bed's frame, unsure how comfortable Vi would feel even with his presence in the room. He heard what had happened - it was hard not to, considering the explosion was big enough to echo through the entire Undercity, whether by mouth or by force.

He saw her open her eyes just slightly and smiled. Maybe she was out of the woods for now. "Took all three docs to patch you up."

The red-head pushed herself up the bed, her gaze lingering on the iv catheter on her right arm. She looked around the room, scanning the surroundings, before addressing him. "Loris?" Her voice was low and disbelieving, like he was the last person she expected to see there.

"Wasn't sure you'd pull through." He leaned forward. "Thank that thick noggin of yours."

For a moment, she scoffed, her lips pulling up just slightly. But then a sharp pain shot through her wound, seizing her with its intensity. Her breath caught, and without thinking, her hand moved to the wound, pressing against it as if trying to hold the pain at bay, her fingers trembling slightly as the ache radiated through her.

"Where are the others?" She questioned, still holding onto herself tightly. "Mila? Jinx? Cait?"

"Mila?" Loris said softly, his eyes filling with something close to sadness. He exhaled slowly, as if trying to release some of the tension in his chest before continuing.

"After the explosion, Caitlyn told me... Mila collapsed right where she was. They got you all out of there - to her house. You... you were unconscious for quite some time. But Mila-" He swallowed, his words slowing as the heaviness settled in his tone. "She woke up the very next day. But, she hasn't left that room since, Vi. She won't talk to anyone. Not to me, not to the doctors. Just... just stays in there, like she's locked herself away from everyone."

Loris' eyes grew distant for a moment, the usual steadiness of his voice slipping, replaced with something more akin to regret. "Caitlyn told me... she told me Mila only speaks to her. But..." He hesitated, then looked back at her, his gaze filled with a quiet, almost mournful sorrow. "She only talks about you. Or Jinx."

He paused, his fingers gripping the edge of the bed frame as if he were trying to steady himself. "I don't think she's really been there since, Vi. It's like... whatever happened, it's taken something from her. I don't know what's going on inside her head... but I'm afraid it's worse than we realize."

Vi's throat tightened, the words hitting her harder than she expected. She blinked rapidly, trying to hold back the sting in her eyes. Her chest felt hollow, like someone had just pulled out everything she'd been trying so hard to keep together. She swallowed hard, doing her best to suppress the tears that threatened to spill, but they burned just behind her lashes.

The man watched her for a moment, his expression softening. He wasn't sure if he should say more, but he couldn't let it sit like this, like she was in the dark when he knew how much Mila meant to her. "Caitlyn," he began slowly, his voice gentle, as though he were choosing his words carefully, "Caitlyn wanted to be the one to tell you all of this. She thought it'd be better coming from her, but..." he hesitated, rubbing his hand over his face, a trace of guilt creeping into his tone. "I couldn't hide it from you, Vi. Not when I knew how important this is."

She blinked again, her jaw tightening as she forced her gaze to stay on Loris, trying to ignore the rising pressure in her chest. She didn't want to break down in front of him. Not now. Not like this. But the weight of Mila's absence felt like a wound that was just starting to bleed.

Her voice came out quieter than she expected, almost too soft. "And... Jinx?" she asked, the question barely above a whisper, like the mere mention of her name was something that could shatter everything. "Where is she?"