Archive of Our Own

She followed a well-traveled path. The gloomy evening in Zaun was at its best. Bright neon signs were lit everywhere; couples were kissing and fucking in the corners; and hucksters in the alleys were sticking colorful pills to children. Ordinarily. She walked all alone, wearing a thick hood that covered the bruises on her neck. A large duffel bag was slung over a frail shoulder. It seemed that if her burden was a little heavier, the girl would instantly be nailed to the floor. No one paid any attention to the poor orphan. Everyone was familiar with her story. First a councilor's daughter, then a whore ready to suck for food. She lost everything: friends, parents and her.

Caitlyn sometimes remembered the owner of the wine-red hair, but tears immediately welled up in her eyes. She was dead. She lay on the sand, nailed to it by tons of water, unable to swim out. How much time has passed since? Year? Two? Caitlyn doesn't count; she just wanders off to the night shift.

Entering the staff room, the former Kiramman strips naked. Her entire body is crippled by bruises, abrasions, cigarette burns, bites, and numerous other injuries. It was the cost of life - pain. Looking up a little, Cait noticed that her ribs were starting to bulge too much again. Her superiors didn't like it. A girl should be thin and fit, not painfully skinny. Something had to be done about it, but she has no strength to deal with it. Sitting down on a fluffy chair, Cait shifted slightly on it, feeling the villi penetrate inside. It had an anesthetic-like effect on her. Grabbing a hairbrush from the table by the mirror, hung with light bulbs, Caitlyn tossed over her shoulder her blue hair, which had grown long and seemed to have lost color lately. It's not surprising when you remember how her clients liked to wrap blue strands around their fists during blowjobs. The former Kiramman shivered as she remembered her most vile clients. She wanted to go home, into the arms of her father or her, but she had not had such luxury as a house for a year and a half. She lived wherever she could, sometimes sleeping with benevolent colleagues, who were too few.

Pulling on a translucent white peignoir and the most charming smile, Caitlyn left the locker room and went into the room to greet the customer. Dim reddish-pink lamps lit the long corridor, which was occasionally frequented by half-naked ladies or gentlemen. Cait averted her eyes and made an effort not to look in their direction.

"21, 22, 23, ... that's it." Caitlyn had to mentally count the rooms each time because she had never learned their layout in the entire time she had worked here.

As she slowly pressed down on the doorknob, Cait inhaled deeply to brace herself for the brutal torture she would soon experience. The door creaked open. Inside, the room was filled with the smell of tobacco and a pleasant perfume.

"No way." It flashed through Cait's head when she realized that this fragrance belonged to a woman. A very familiar woman. Her girlfriend.

Caitlyn froze in an instant as her eyes, which had been fixed the entire time on the floor tiles, suddenly rose up. On a large sofa, in front of the door, sat the owner of wine-red hair. Both of her hands rested on the back of the sofa, and her eyes were slightly clouded with alcohol. "You're late." Vander's heiress said in a slurred tongue without looking up.

"Vi?" Cait's voice trembled, and she herself was afraid that her eyes were failing her. This would not be surprising, given her current psychological state. "Violet, is that you?" Took a step toward the client Caitlyn tried to blink a few times.

The owner of the red hair finally looked up at the former Kiramman and somehow smiled predatoryly.

"Hello, Beautiful. Ayla knows my tastes very well." An appraising glance ran over Caitlyn's figure. "Maybe you're too skinny for me, but that won't stop us from having fun."

"Vi, it's me,Caitlyn." She made a timid step toward Kiramman.

Violet just squints her eyes predatorily and stands up abruptly, heading towards her companion. Cait takes a few steps back by momentum and leans her back against the cold wall. In the next second, a metal hand is imprinted a couple of centimeters from her head. From the force of impact, small pieces of brick and concrete crumble to the floor. Either from cold or fear, Cait was shaking like a leaf in the wind, which only amuses Vi.

“I don’t know how you know this name, but from now on, I don’t want to hear it from your lips, whore. You're just a sex doll that I'll use and leave, so we can do without further talk.” The owner of, once, gray eyes carefully looks at the girl opposite, like a predator, ready to tear its prey to shreds.

Caitlyn stands, unable to move. She saw Vi in front of her. Cait was sure it was her. Thick brown eyebrows, with a thin scar, are reminiscent of the hard life in prison. The permanent nose piercing, the metal of which was always scalding cold when Caitlyn placed wet kisses on Vi's nose. Pink lips curved into a smirk. It was all so dear and so warming to the soul. But at the same time, it wasn't Vi. Her neon-pink eyes were so repulsive, forced to turn away from the gaze.

“What happened to her?” Run through Caitlyn's mind as she felt a strong hand on her wrist. In the next second, cold metal touched the skin of her stomach, making her shiver. Without looking away from the blue eyes, Vi untied the peignoir and pulled it off with force.

“That's better.” Hot breath scorches her neck, and Caitlyn herself does not understand how excited she was.

In all the time working here, Kiramman felt for the first time that she wanted her customer. Vi didn’t hesitate; she entered sharply and painfully, causing Caitlyn to scream. If it weren't for Violet's strong grip, Cait's knees would have given way, unable to keep her from falling. Metal. Cold and spicy. And Vi knew this. She wanted to punish the naughty slut for not keeping her mouth shut. She was just a thing, a toy, so similar to the one Vi lost. To the one whose cold body lied at a two-meter depth, covered with earth. Violet saw Caitlyn in front of her, but knew for sure that these were just games of her mind. Jinx warned her about this, and she was right. The image of Cait has haunted the former Princess of Zaun all year. The blue top of her head continued flashing here and there, not allowing Vi to live normally. Caitlyn Kiramman simply cannot be alive. Vi had been telling herself this for far too long, and Jinx was only adding fuel to the fire. But now the image of Caitlyn is much clearer than before. Vi could even swear that she could smell her Caitlyn from the girl in front of her. A smile stretched across the face of the owner of artificial pink eyes. Now she only benefited from the fact that she saw Caitlyn in front of her. Vi needed a release. She needed a distraction so she wouldn't turn into her sister. She needed to forget herself, at least for a while. To push aside the memories of the loss of Caitlyn, of multiple operations after a futile attempt to save her beloved, of the amputation of her arm and all the difficulties of using a prosthesis, of the deaths of loved ones, and of the eternal loneliness that is written on the parchment of her fate. Vi sharply pulls out her fingers and eases the pressure a little. Caitlyn looks at Violet in horror, not understanding anything. Vi grabbed the owner of the blue eyes and sharply turned her face to the wall. Caitlyn rested her cheek on the sharp bricks, realizing that in the morning her entire face would be covered in scratches, but this didn’t particularly bother her. Vi lowered her eyes to the already protruding ass, and her whole body trembled with desire. This hasn't happened for a long time. Even when her beloved sister asked one particularly crazy doctor to come up with something to relieve Vi. Even when the soft and slightly damp device first touched Violet's velvety skin. Even when the heiress of the Last Drop fucked half of the whores in the city, pleasure never came. She seemed to have lost all emotions along with her blue-eyed angel, which scared even Jinx. Now everything was different. Now Vi wanted to fuck this girl, who looked so similar to Caitlyn. Having lowered both hands to the soft buttocks, Vi did not squeeze them too much, still not understanding why she used a prosthesis for this, unable to feel such pleasant body warmth under the metal fingers. Cait rested her palms on the wall and closed her eyes, hoping that Vi's next thrust won't hurt as much. The sound of her fly unbuttoning slightly knocked Caitlyn, forcing her to turn around and look at her customer. Vi lowered his jeans to her knees and smiled predatorily, looking into Cait's frightened eyes. The bulge beneath her boxers glowed a dull blue, causing Caitlyn to gulp in fear. When her underwear fell towards her jeans, Cait's eyes widened. There were thin leather straps on Vi's hips, holding a massive glowing device between her toned legs. Its size could be the envy of any male, which terribly scared Caitlyn. There were also unpleasant moments in her career when she went to a local dubious clinic, where her battered vagina was stitched up. Violet didn’t hesitate, grabbing the glowing penis with her healthy hand. Vi quickly, but quite carefully, pushed it between the juicy buns into the strong ring of muscles. This did not bring Kiramman such painful sensations as the previous invasion of her vagina, but anal sex, nevertheless, has never been Caitlyn’s favorite. Although she could allow Vi whatever she wanted. Cait was ready to give all of herself just to get her girlfriend back. The owner of the wine-red hair came in full length and paused for a second, either to let Caitlyn get used to it or because of her own pleasure. Cait moaned quietly, only inflaming her lover. Vi put her hands on top of Cait's hands for more balance and gradually began rough thrusts. Former Kiramman could no longer hold back loud moans showing her true pleasure.

A thin trickle of wetness ran down Cait's inner thigh, which Vi didn't miss, and she smiled, lifting her right hand from the wall. Running a cool brush over the hot skin between her breasts, Vi lowered it to her stomach, making Cait languish with anticipation. A few more thrusts, and Cait moaned and begged Violet to move her hand lower. Vi didn't want to obey the plea, but she just couldn't, still catching the scent of her Caitlyn. Moving her hand lower, Vi easily found the clitoris, gently massaging it. At that moment, Cait felt herself being overwhelmed but tried to hold on. Vi's thrusts became more rhythmic and rougher. The girls’ hands, which had previously been tightly clinging to the wall, clasped together, and Caitlyn realized for the first time how unusual it is for her to hold her girlfriend’s metal hand. Vi made another thrust, pushing two fingers between the wet walls, which knocked out all the desire from Caitlyn to hold out longer. An orgasm rolled over her like a wave, overwhelming her consciousness, and if it weren’t for Vi’s strong grip, the blue-eyed girl would have sunk to the floor, unable to stay on her weak legs. The last loud moan that escaped Cait’s lips did its job, and after a couple more thrusts, Vi came, leaning her forehead against the heated back of her partner. The rough, low moan that escaped Violet's lips was followed by a gasp of pleasure. Vi could no longer support the weight of their bodies and, without leaving Caitlyn, lowered them to the floor. Kiramman was still beating in ecstasy, trying to see the emotions on Vi’s face with blurred eyes, but there were none. She looked like an animal that had gotten what it wanted and was ready to pounce again on a new victim, but right now that's the least of Cait's worries. Kiramman made every effort to raise one hand, trying to find Vi’s healthy hand by touch, and she succeeded. Cait touched Violet's rough skin, from eternal fights, in the hope of throwing their clasped hands over her waist and drowning in such a desired embrace of her girlfriend, but she didn't succeed. As if at the snap of a finger, Vi returned to her image as a soulless killer. Taking the still glowing strap out of Caitlyn, Violet got to her feet and walked over to the drinks table, leaving Cait lying on the cold floor. At that moment, all hopes that Vi would return to her previous state disappeared, and Caitlyn finally began to believe that this was not her girl at all.

Having poured a dark burgundy liquid with a chemical composition unknown to science into a glass, Vi drank it all in one gulp and returned to her prey. In the semi-darkness, Cait saw only the dim blue light between Vi's legs and her neon pink eyes, which instilled fear. After drinking, Vi’s mind seemed to clear up, but this didn’t help Caitlyn at all. She saw this predatory smile and brown eyebrows drawn to the bridge of the nose. The whole appearance of Vi frightened, made you find a hole and hide in it in the hope that the former princess of Zaun will never find you. Vi dropped to one knee and, with a sharp movement, grabbed Caitlyn by the hair, causing the girl to make an incomprehensible sound, more like a squeal. Vi continued to lift Cait by her blue curls until the girl was on her knees.

“You are pliable. I like it.” A rough voice broke the ringing silence that Caitlyn had been listening to all this time. Such a familiar voice that once brought joy has become unbearable. It became a messenger of pain and suffering. Caitlyn wanted to crawl under the covers and fall asleep, forgetting everything like a bad dream, but in front of her, in reality, was Vi. Vi, whom Caitlyn seemed to have never met before. Straightening up, Violet finally let go of her blue hair, which immediately flew across Caitlyn's face. “I noticed that you like to chat. So be kind enough to do at least something useful with your mouth now.” Running the back of her hand along Cait’s cheekbone, Vi lowered her healthy hand onto the device between her legs and massaged it lightly, waiting for the pliant whore to finally open her mouth. Caitlyn obeyed, hoping that this would help ease her suffering.

When Cait finally unclenched her lips, Vi forcefully pushed her penis into her throat, not allowing her to even take a breath. The urge to vomit immediately made itself felt, but the former Kiramman resisted them. She was taught this. This was one of the rules of this establishment. The pink eyes sparkled predatorily as the first tear rolled down Caitlyn's cheek. This was what Vi wanted. Anyone who communicated with her in the last year ceased to be a person, and only pain remained in the ashes of her emotions. A light touch to the face brought Caitlyn back to consciousness, and she automatically tried to move away from her tormentor, but Vi did not allow it. Strongly grabbing the back of her ex-girlfriend's head, Vi prevented Caitlyn from making a single move. It seemed that a little more and she would lose consciousness from oxygen starvation, but this did not happen. Sharply pushing her hips back, Vi watched with a smile as Caitlyn grabbed her throat, trying to clear it.

“Now be a smart girl and make me come into your precious mouth.” While tucking Caitlyn’s unruly strands behind her ear, Vi accidentally encountered the pleading gaze of blue eyes.

She'd been looked at like that before. It was so long ago that it seemed like only glimpses of a past life. For a second, Violet froze. That cloudy and rainy day flashed before her eyes. They stood together in the middle of the Topside, deciding their future fate. Then this unfortunate phrase fell from Vi’s lips, after which two blue eyes, shining with tears, stared at her with incredible sadness. They are like oil and water; they were not destined to become one whole. They would have fled, never meeting again, but the damn chemistry reminded them of the fire this mixture could blaze - the fire of love. It only took them a couple of days to fall in love, and at the same time, months were not enough to forget everything.

Caitlyn took Vi's stupor as an expectation of a blowjob and crawled closer, taking a more comfortable position. Grasping the penis with both hands, Cait began to slowly move back and forth. This gave the blue-eyed girl some time to gather her courage and wrap her lips around the head. Vi, who had been stubbornly staring at the wall until that moment, suddenly woke up and jumped a meter away from Caitlyn, looking at her with frightened eyes. They just looked at each other for a few seconds while Vi tried to collect her thoughts.

“No… This can't be…” flashed through Violet’s head as her frightened eyes ran over Cait’s naked body. She tried to find differences: strongly protruding ribs, scars in the most unpredictable places, faded blue hair. This was not Cait. The girl in front of her simply couldn't be Caitlyn. “These are all games of your inflamed mind, Violet.” Vi whispered under her breath, walking up to the girl opposite and sitting down on her knees.

Caitlyn froze, waiting to see how else Vi wanted to mock her. Violet just tightly grabbed the pale face of her ex-girlfriend, trying to understand. Such devoted blue eyes, with a gleam of pain. Vi could recognize this look from a thousand, even if Caitlyn had changed physically and mentally beyond recognition.

“What about us?” That was the only thing Vi wanted to know. It would put an exclamation point at the end of all doubts, just to get the right answer. Cait held her breath. Her consciousness told her that Vi was still here. She remembered and loved her, but her eyes said otherwise.

“Oil and water.” Kiramman says quietly, looking away.

Vi's heart skipped a beat. She recoiled in horror from the girl opposite and got to her feet.

“No, no, no. This can't be true.” Vi walked around the room in a panic, trying to digest what she heard. “But Jinx... I put your cold body into the coffin with my own hands. You were definitely dead. Your body was mutilated beyond recognition…” Vi froze in horror, realizing what was happening. “Caitlyn?” Two blue oceans of eyes fixed on the dark silhouette at the end of the room. “You've been waiting for me for almost two years; wait a couple more hours, please.” Vi’s eyes flashed suspiciously, and Caitlyn became wary.

Then everything continued in complete silence. Vi pulled on her clothes and drank two glasses of something alcoholic in one gulp. Caitlyn sat in disbelief, unable to say anything. She simply couldn’t wrap her head around what was happening. Throwing on her jacket, Vi cast an apologetic glance and was about to slip out the door when her hand was grabbed by another, very warm and soft palm.

“I’m ready to wait for you all my life if I know that you’ll come back.” Caitlyn whispered, just getting up from the floor. “But if you are going to die, take me with you, because my life without you turns into a series of unbearable pain.” Tears flashed on Cait’s cheeks, which she could no longer hide. Vi stood straight without blinking, but the torment of her soul was tearing her apart.

“I have to kill her.” A quiet but confident voice was almost inaudible behind the sound of a metal hand hitting the wall. If Vi had hit it a little harder, the wall would definitely not have remained. “She lied to me for too long, convincing me that you were dead. She changed me, broke me. I'm not the same anymore, Caitlyn.” Releasing her hand from the dent that had formed in the wall, Vi finally turns and looks straight at the tear-stained Caitlyn. Her breathing quickened when she saw the tear tracks on her beloved face.

“Or you can forget everything and finally stay with me. Maybe in the meantime, you can explain to me why and how you survived.” Cait said, looking down at the floor. Vi just looked at her blankly and came closer. Caitlyn stood hunched over, clutching her shoulders with her own hands. Her tears no longer flow down her cheeks but drip straight onto the floor, forming small wet spots on the carpet. Standing at arm's length, Vi suddenly realized how much life has broken Caitlyn. Now they have switched places. Vi, with her not-tall stature, towered over the fragile body, shaking with tears. At this moment, the former princess of Zaun finally realized everything. Circumstances have taken too much of their time, and Vi didn’t want to take away even an extra couple of hours. Vi took a deep breath, and her lips stretched into a half-smile. She came even closer and squeezed Caitlyn in such a long-awaited hug.

“Now we will have time to talk about everything that happened. Now we are together, and we will have time for everything. For everything we dreamed of.” Stepping back slightly from the tear-stained girl, Vi extended her healthy hand to Cait’s face and gently stroked it. “Can I kiss you?” After a short nod, Vi finally dared and leaned towards her slightly moist lips.

Their kiss was reverent and tender, just like the first one they ever had. Neither of them wanted to hurt each other any more than they already had. Vi blamed herself for everything. For allowing Jinx to manipulate her so easily. For believing all the nonsense she said. For all the pain that has caused Caitlyn. The person whom she swore to protect from everything but could not protect from herself.

They were hurrying home. They walked—almost ran—in the pouring rain to the place that Violet mistakenly called home all these two years. Vi tightly squeezed Caitlyn's hand; it seemed that if she had loosened her grip just for a moment, Cait would have dissolved in a hurricane of such desired but unattainable dreams. Kiramman could only cover her naked body with Vi’s soaked leather jacket and keep up with the hurrying girl. Having interrupted the kiss, they did not ask each other a single question. Vi just handed Caitlyn her jacket and, grabbing her hand, ran out of the establishment.

Turning into the darkest alley, in which there was not a single neon sign or lantern, they walked another ten meters and stopped at an unremarkable door.

“Sorry, I...” Vi turned to Caitlyn and awkwardly reached for her jacket pocket.

Having fished out the keys and easily dealt with the door, Violet pulled Cait into her apartment. It was on the top floor of the building, so the girls had to climb a lot of steps.

They entered a dark, spacious room, and only at that moment did Vi allow herself to let go of Caitlyn’s hand. It was safe there. There were only two broken souls who would again piece each other back together.

“You're soaken.” Turning on the dim lamp above the bar in the middle of the room, Vi gave Caitlyn a quick glance. “I’ll draw you a bath; you need to be warmed up.” Caitlyn wanted to answer something, but her gaze wandering around the apartment caught on an unremarkable frame on the bar counter.

Vi took Caitlyn's silence as a positive answer and went into the bathroom while an interested Cait moved closer to the bar. In the dim light, she clearly saw the framed old photo of herself that she had on her application for the post of officer. Where could Vi have gotten it from if it was kept in the archives of the enforcers? Realization quickly dawned on her, and Cate smiled as she heard footsteps approaching.

“Stole my photo from the archive?” Waving the frame in front of Vi’s face, Caitlyn carefully watched her girlfriend’s reaction. The hound came closer to the owner of the blue eyes and smiled sadly.

“Yes, I actually did a lot of things after learning about your death.” Cait's face drooped.

She remembered the times when she learned about the deaths of all the people close to her. It happened in an instant, knocking the ground out from under Caitlyn's feet. A variety of thoughts then came into her head, and she even tried to bring some of them to life. Fortunately, at the last moment, awareness still saved her from an inevitable suicide.

While Caitlyn stood, remembering the events of the past two years, Vi came close to her and looked into her blue eyes.

“Can I take off your jacket, it will be warmer while you wait for a bath.” Cait looked up at Vi. This overnight strongest girl Kiramman had ever known now looked like a puppy whose tail had been stepped on. This was surprising, because just half an hour ago, the heiress of Zaun instilled fear in anyone who dared to look at her.

“Yes… Yes you can.” Caitlyn answered, stuttering, and helped Vi pull off her wet and only piece of clothing.

When Cait was left completely naked, Vi quickly looked away from her, pretending that she urgently needed to find a suitable place for her jacket, and this place, obviously, should not have been near Caitlyn. Everything that was happening was so strange to them. Two people who were once closest to each other were now afraid to breathe next to each other. Cait wasn't afraid, though. She really wanted to be in the tender arms of her girlfriend and lie there, preferably for an eternity. But Kiramman saw Vi’s hesitation and could not understand what caused it, because this was unusual for a girl with wine-red hair. So they stood in silence, broken only by the sound of rising water. Caitlyn kept her eyes on Vi, whose gaze, in turn, darted around the room, just not to stay on Caitlyn.

When the water filled up, Caitlyn and Vi were already standing in the bathroom, a few centimeters from each other. They were both tense.

“You can rest; I’ll go.” Vi broke the silence, already turning to leave, when Cait grabbed her hand with a strong grip.

“No, please, stay.” Cait said, lowering her eyes to the floor. “I want you to always be by my side. I want you to hug me, kiss me, and not stand like a statue, not knowing what to do with yourself from my gaze.”

“I can't.” The heiress of Zaun said quietly, without turning to Caitlyn, but still holding her hand tightly. “I caused you too much pain. I literally raped you. I... I just.” There was so much pain in Vi’s voice that the realization of everything that was happening sent unpleasant shivers down Cait’s spine.

“No… No, Vi.” Cait pulled her girlfriend’s hand towards her, forcibly turning it to face her.

Her pink eyes seemed completely red from the tears running down her cheeks. This was the first time Caitlyn had seen her cry. All these emotions that were inside the person found their way out, and now Vi stood in tears, opposite her girlfriend, unable to even take a breath. Caitlyn wanted to do something to somehow help, but she knew only one way. While Vi stood in a stupor, the blue-eyed woman began to slowly undress her, trying not to scare her away. Violet was pliable, occasionally wiping her eyes with her good hand. When both girls were completely naked, Cait pulled Vi towards the bathroom and sat her on the side.

“Now we will plunge into the warm water together and let go of all our worries. What has been done cannot be undone, so let the torment recede.” Caitlyn insisted, supporting Vi by the chin so that she would not try to break eye contact. "I'm not mad at you for what you did, really. It wasn't you; I saw it. So stop beating yourself up and come back to me. After all, I love you, Violet, and I’m happy that you survived. I know we're both overwhelmed with the urge to ask hundreds of questions right now, but let's just enjoy the moment. Our first real moment after so long.” While Caitlyn was speaking, the tears stopped flowing down Vi’s cheeks, and a forced smile began to appear on her face.

They were finally close. All this was real, not some kind of mind game haunting them in nightmares or in reality. They were together in a cozy, warm bathroom, enjoying the long-awaited hugs. Everything in the world seemed to have no meaning, except for the soft touch of bodies to each other.

The morning came unexpectedly. The first rays of sunshine, as always, breaking through late into Zaun, made the eyelids flutter. Caitlyn took a deep breath, fighting the urge to open her eyes. She didn't want to wake up. The whole day yesterday seemed like just a dream to her. The first good sleep in the last couple of years. But consciousness still decided that it was time to stay awake, so Caitlyn clearly felt the cold from the place where Vi lay yesterday, clinging to the warm back of her girlfriend. They fell asleep in an embrace, and Caitlyn prayed to wake up in the same position, but her prayers, as usual, were not heard. Quickly opening her eyes, Cait looked around the apartment, not finding such a desirable red-haired girl. Everything that happened yesterday was clearly not a dream, because Cait woke up not in her closet but in the basement of an old house. She was lying on a soft bed, saturated with the smell of her girlfriend, but it was unclear where that same girl had gone. Raising herself on her elbows, Caitlyn leaned her back on the pillow, replaying the whole day yesterday in her head. After a detailed study of all the events, Caitlyn was left with only one option: where her girlfriend could go. And she really didn’t like this option. But she still had no choice but to resign herself and wait for Vai’s return.

Getting out of bed, Cait first went to the bathroom. Entering the room, she looked at herself in the mirror. The sickly pale face seemed to have taken on a healthier color, but the cheekbones were still very prominent. Her hair was tangled and slightly damp, and Cait made a mental note to find a comb later. Although there wasn't much hope for this, she was in Vi's apartment, and Vi usually combed her hair once a week, and even then only with her own hand. Tearing her gaze away from her own reflection, Caitlyn discovered a note attached to the mirror: “Please don't leave. I will be back asap.” Caitlyn smiled at Vi's naivety. She's definitely not going anywhere.

As time went on, Caitlyn made herself breakfast from the small supplies she had found in the refrigerator. Of course, Vi didn’t have any coffee because she hated this foul-smelling substance, which Caitlyn called a divine drink. After washing the dishes, Kiramman began a detailed inspection of the apartment. It was quite spacious, designed in a loft style. In total, she had one room at her disposal: a bedroom separated from a kitchen with a bar counter. But the clear advantage was the old, full-height wooden windows. The view from the window, of course, was classic - dirty streets; everyone got used to it and no longer paid attention. Thanks to them, there was enough light in the room. The walls were painted olive green, but the paint was peeling here and there. The entire apartment as a whole was organically complemented by shabby furniture and rare, scattered items of clothing. In the corner, opposite the window, there was a table covered to the top with various maps and floor plans. Cait didn't bother to look through all the notes lying on the table, knowing that she wouldn't like the meaning of what was written on them. It would be foolish to hope that Vi has been a good citizen for the past two years.

Not knowing what to do with herself, Cait decided to tidy up the apartment a little. It didn't require much from her. She just put Vi's things in a small closet, wiped off the dust, and washed the floors, and that was the end of the cleaning. While putting the remaining things in place, Caitlyn came across a book on one of the shelves. The only book in the entire apartment. It was surprising that even this one was there. Vi has never been particularly skilled at writing or reading, but apparently the years have taken their toll. Having pulled out a book from under the mug, Caitlyn began to examine the tattered blue cover, which reminded her of something, but there were no identifying marks on the book. Having opened the first page she came across, Caitlyn read the first sentence: “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” Warmth immediately spread in her heart, and Cait headed to the sofa with a great desire to read the book that she had loved so much since childhood.

So several hours passed while reading, and when the door swung open with a loud knock, Cait jumped in horror from the place she had chosen a few hours ago. Two badly beaten girls burst into the room.

“Well, where is our lost thing?” A loud, cheerful voice sounded. The voice was very familiar to Cait, but she still couldn’t figure out who it belonged to until its owner finally came out from behind her sister’s broad back. Jinx didn't look very good. One braid was unbraided, and long blue hair was scattered over her shoulders and face, smeared in blood. Her nose was clearly broken and was in the wrong shape. There were cuts and bruises here and there on her arms, and blood was oozing from her broken hands. Vi looked better. Her head was also a mess, but apart from the blood oozing near her temple and her injured leg, Cait did not notice any other injuries.

With her hands folded on her chest, Kiramman approached the exhausted sisters with an angry look. Blue eyes flashed lightning with anger, and her hands were itching to leave a few more bruises on their already pretty battered bodies. When Cait approached the girls, Jinx let out an incomprehensible, long-drawn squeak and hid back behind her sister.

“Viiii, do something with her.” Nee-Powder moaned, timidly peeking over her sister’s shoulder. “She wants to make me bo-bo.” Cait just rolled her eyes at this remark. Vi cast a quick apologetic glance at her girlfriend and sighed heavily, preparing for a long conversation. The three of them will have to discuss a lot of things; although Vi had already asked her sister some questions, but she was not entirely sure of the veracity of the answers.

“Is there a first aid kit in this house?” The only thing Caitlyn asked was to decide to settle all matters by treating the wounds of the unlucky girls. Vi raised an eyebrow in surprise but still pointed to the location of the first aid kit.

Having seated Vi and Jinx on high bar stools,Cait began to treat their wounds while listening to an interesting story about the events of the last two years.

“Let's summarize." Kiramman said, tightening the bandage on Violet’s shin. “Some crazy doctor who once saved Jinx from death decided that he needed a new lab rat and chose Vi for this role. In order to calmly carry out experiments on her with flickering and implanting cybernetic implants into the human body, he needed to rid Vi of all attachments, including me, because this would make it easier for her to manipulate.” Cait cast an uncertain glance towards Jinx, who nodded fervently, chewing the end of her braid. “To do this, he faked my death, saying that the remains of a building collapsed on me when I was looking for the bodies of my parents there.” Caitlyn swallowed, trying not to remember past events. “After that, he showed you, Vi, the mutilated body of a girl very similar to me.” Vi nodded, confirming Caitlyn’s words. “Fine. Then was…”

“Our fight!’ Jumping up on her chair, Jinx joyfully circled around the girls, happily remembering that day.

“Yes, your fight, which I witnessed. You got into a fight because Vi blamed you for my death. Then you, Jinx, cut off Vi's hand and threw her off the bridge into the river. I dove under the water in hopes of pulling you out.” Caitlyn looked into Vi’s eyes, convincing herself, just in case, that she was alive and everything was in the past. "But nothing worked out for me. I was sure that you were dead, and I cried all night sitting on the bank of that damned river, where I returned every time to tell you about my life because you had no grave.” Without breaking eye contact with her girlfriend, Caitlyn once again tried not to descend into the subconscious, where the pain from the loss of loved ones still did not give her life. “While I was sitting there, this doctor of yours ordered you, Jinx, to pull out Vi’s body and drag it to the laboratory, where he patched her up.” The girls nodded in unison. It seemed that the i’s were dotted, but one reasonable question still remained. “Then what the hell were you doing, Jinx?” Caitlyn clenched her hands into fists, hiding her rage, looking sideways at Vi’s sister, who was sitting on the bar counter. “Knowing that I was alive and well. Why haven't you said anything to Vi?” Jinx just smiled cheerfully, folding her legs into the lotus position.

“Well, you see, at first I thought of finishing you off after the doc patched up Vi, but when it turned out that his drug worked perfectly and she was sure that she buried you, the need for your death disappeared. And besides…” Taking out her favorite smoke grenade from her boot, Jinx began to play with the ring on it. “I often watched you. All this suffering.” Née-Powder stood on the bar counter and began to pace back and forth. “Your suicide attempts... Watching this brought me such pleasure. And then Vi belonged only to me, which made the situation even funnier.” With these words, Jinx winked at the girls and, with lightning speed, pulled the pin out of the smoke grenade. She shouted something incomprehensible, disappearing into the smoke filling the apartment. Visibility was zero, but this did not stop Vi from covering Caitlyn with herself and pressing her to the floor. They lay there, breathing heavily and hoping that Jinx had done all this to escape, and not in an attempt to once again kidnap Caitlyn.

When the smoke cleared, Vi was finally able to look around, sighing with relief. Jinx left, leaving behind only the broken window that Caitlyn loved so much.

One year later

Caitlyn woke up early, rubbing her sleep-blurred eyes with her hands. Due to her constant early rises to work, even on her day off, Sherif Kiramman could not sleep properly. Today was Saturday, so Caitlyn was in no hurry to get out of bed. Stretching, the blue-eyed girl smiled at her thoughts, turning to the other side, which was surprisingly empty. The place where her girlfriend had been sleeping for the past year was cold, which means Vi had gotten up a long time ago. This surprised Kiramman, because the Wander heiress was not one of those who liked to get up early. Rising on her elbows, Cait looked around the entire apartment but did not find her girlfriend. Brown eyebrows shot higher in surprise. Where could this walking nuisance have gone?

“I swear to God, if she got pulled into the monkey bar again, I’ll leave her there until the evening.” Kiramman mumbles exhaustedly, falling face-down into the pillow.

“Cursing me? A cheerful voice was heard from the door, and Cait lazily lifted her head from the pillow. A girl was standing on the threshold of the apartment. If Caitlyn had not seen her face, she would have thought that a robber had broken into the apartment. A very sexy robber. Leaning on the door frame, Vi stood on the threshold. She was as well-groomed as ever. Her hair was combed and neatly pulled back. A black, slightly wrinkled shirt peeked out from under a perfectly ironed burgundy suit. In her hands, the girl had a luxurious bouquet of blue dianthus. Vi's whole appearance screamed that Caitlyn had forgotten something, apparently something important.

“Why do you look this…”

“Amazing?” Vi interrupted Caitlyn’s question and walked over to the bed, from which Cait had never brought herself to get up. “Fabulous?” Cate smiled and rolled her eyes.

“Is it good enough for you if I just answer yes?” Coming close to her girlfriend, Vi smiles at her so softly and so joyfully that even the rare rays of the sun making their way into Zaun fade against the background of her smile. Caitlyn's heart slows down as the meaning of what Vi said sinks in.

“Today is exactly one year since we started dating. Formally, a year ago, we resumed our relationship, but that’s not what we’re talking about now.” Vi puts her hand into her pocket, pulling out a thin gold ring with a scattering of shiny small stones. “Many events have happened this year. It’s hard to imagine how much we went through, but all these moments were the happiest in my entire life. You brought forgotten, but so necessary, feelings to this place that I refused to call home. Love… Care… Support… You replaced people who seemed irreplaceable to me. You became my support, which I foolishly thought  I never needed. And today I want you to know. Death has separated us once before, but now, when it happens again... After many, many decades… I want my grave to be decorated with the inscription: “Violet Kiramman, beloved and loving wife.” Will you let me become the happiest girl in the world?” Sinking down on one knee, Vi smiles and looks at the tear-stained Caitlyn.

She was silent, unable to utter a word. Caitlyn wanted to shout her agreement to the whole world, but the emotions that washed over her did not allow her to even take a breath. Cait can only jump out of her seat and rush into the arms of her now-future wife. How long they will lie on the cold wooden floor, hugging and kissing each other, is unknown. What is known is that after many, many decades, the inscription will be inscribed on their joint grave: