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your pov
"Vander's psyche is deeply entangled with that of the beast," Viktor said, his voice calm yet laden with a subtle weight. He told me his name earlier, amused by my curiosity. His accent gave the words a sharp edge, making them linger in the air. I studied him for a moment, curiosity bubbling beneath my surface. I barely knew this man, yet here I was, putting my trust in him to heal Vander—a man who had become a father figure to us all.
"How did you know his name?" Vi asked, her tone laced with a mix of curiosity and mistrust. She sat on the edge of the cracked fountain, her elbows resting on her knees, leaning forward with her usual air of guarded intensity.
Viktor tilted his head slightly, almost as if amused by her suspicion. "He told me," he replied simply, his words calm but deliberate.
I shifted in place, settling between Vi and Isha. Isha, as always, busied herself trying to make Vander more comfortable. Her gentle hands moved quickly, filling her helmet with water from the fountain, her movements precise and purposeful.
"Ask for a miracle healer, and what do you get?" Jinx quipped as she traced her fingers along the fountain's worn edges, her voice light but tinged with mischief. "A metal fortune cookie." She stopped abruptly in front of Isha, raising her brows as if to punctuate her point.
Viktor leaned against his cane, his pale face illuminated by the bright sun above us. "I saw your father," he said suddenly, his tone serious. The statement hung in the air like a distant echo. "His dream of your family, his vision of Zaun as it could have been—it was... beautiful."
Jinx scoffed, clearly unimpressed, and resumed her wandering along the fountain's edge. "Cookie," she muttered under her breath, her blue hair swinging behind her.
"Can you help him?" Vi's voice broke through the quiet tension, her tone genuine, her gaze finally lifting to meet Viktor's. She was leaning closer now, her body language a mixture of hope and skepticism.
Viktor straightened slightly, his grip on his cane tightening. "I will do all in my power," he began, his voice firm, his words measured.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Isha lift her helmet now full of water toward Vander, a look of hopeful determination on her face. Vander sniffed the water cautiously, and Isha gave him an encouraging smile, her energy unwavering.
"However," Viktor continued, his tone growing sharper, "I have one condition."
"Looks like you've got a couple," Jinx remarked with a snicker, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade. Still on the fountain's edge, spinning the wheel on the side of her pants absentmindedly, clearly unimpressed by the seriousness of the situation.
I couldn't help but chuckle softly at her comment, though the sound was short-lived. Vi's sharp glance in my direction wiped the grin from my face. Her posture hadn't shifted, but her focus on Viktor was unwavering, her expression firm. I felt her hand tap my thigh lightly, a silent nudge to rein in my amusement.
