Chapter Text
“Little bird!” He cried after you. “I’ll catch you!”
You scrambled into a nearby pipe, slipping against the layers of grime coating it. The smell of mold and decay curled in your nose, a noxious cocktail that made your stomach churn. Just as the pipe tilted downwards towards definite escape, you were ripped back with such force that you lost your breath.
Zephyr grinned at your fear-ridden face. “That was fun,” he breathed, groping at your pockets. You tried to scratch him, but his metal hand batted yours away. “I didn’t think you would try to steal from me, little bird.”
“You stole from me first.” The words came from between your gritted teeth. Zephyr was bunching your shirt around his hand, tight enough that you were struggling to breathe. So absorbed in searching for the vial you had hidden, he didn’t notice the opening you seized. You reached over his thin shirt and gave his nipple a sharp twist. He yelped in surprise and released his grip, sending you tumbling to the ground like a stone.
You kicked him in his shin for good measure, enjoying how his face twisted in pain. You pulled the tiny vial from your bra and downed its contents in a single swift motion.
The rush was euphoric. Zephyr had come up this time. Shimmer was getting harder and harder to come by, and was often cut with various other materials these days. You let the electrifying rush surge through you, igniting your senses.
His face was contorted into one of rage. A feeling of invincability took over, and you kicked his legs out from under him. You jumped on top of him, slamming his face into the filthy terrain. He hissed in pain. You let out a cackle before jamming two fingers into his exposed side.
He flung you back with one swoop of his arm. You snarled and ambushed him again, jabbing at every exposed piece of skin. The moron hadn’t even had time to buckle his belt after you snatched his supply and bolted, leaving him open to your strikes.
You were getting tired, and he could tell. His metal fingers twitched, and in a barely comprehensible flash his metal hand slammed around your neck. You struggled to combat him as you came down. Desperate anxiety started to take over your thoughts. You opened your mouth to reason with him, but he clamped his other hand across your lips with a cruel laugh as he dragged you to the ground.
Disorientation and chaos insued. You kicked, clawed, and spit against his hand, but it only emboldened him further. While you got off on shimmer, Zephyr got off on power. The vivid colors slowly began to fade, and your vision swam with black spots.
“Maybe I should keep you alive.” His words seemed so far away. “Remind you of why little birds don’t steal from the hawk.”
Another voice cut through the alleyway. “Get away from them.”
The world moved in slow motion as Zephyr turned to look at whoever it was, his grip loosening. “Looks like we’ve got an audience,” he said, a smirk playing on his lips. “You think you can swoop in and play hero? How adorable.”
“Adorable? Cute doesn’t keep you alive in these parts.” It sounded like a woman—someone you were sure you recognized. As if a light switch had flipped, your thoughts raced to Babette. Had she finally come for you? “You’ve got a choice here: back off while you still can, or I’ll show you what happens when a little bird gets too bold.”
Certainly not Babette. She didn’t talk like that. Maybe someone in her new employ of security detail, a necessity with the turmoil that overtook Zaun after the battle. Based on Zephyr’s hesitation, the newcomer posed a credible threat; he was hesitating.
“Maybe I’ll reconsider,” he added, acknowledging that the situation could quickly spiral out of his control. “But she’s a thief. She needs to pay for what she stole.”
“You think you can just decide who pays for what in my territory?” The woman was speaking in a voice that was low and steady, carrying an edge of warning. You were acutely aware that she was approaching, and you craned your neck to try and get a look at her. Zephyr squeezed your neck, his eyes sparkling with uncertainty. He shifted his weight before standing up, glaring down at you. With shimmer still deluding your senses, you shot him a sly smirk.
“The little bird flies away one more time,” he hissed, his eyes flickering between you and his assailant. He disappeared into the alleyway hastily.
A shadowy silhouette loomed in the dim light, their features obscured by a hood that cast deep shadows across their face. As they stepped forward, the faint glow of the light caught the scars on her skin, making them shimmer like silver against her tough exterior. They moved with a quiet grace, every step deliberate and calculated, leaving you with an unsettling sense of intrigue.
“You need to get your act together,” she snapped, her voice slicing through the air. “This isn’t a game. You’re playing with fire.”
You wanted to retort with a biting comeback, but your body felt heavy and sluggish, weighed down by the effects of the shimmer. The only response you could muster was to curl your hand into a fist and give a feeble thumbs-up to your enigmatic savior, a weak attempt at defiance.
As the shimmer crash began to take its toll, you felt yourself being dragged somewhere, the world around you blurring. Darkness crept in around the edges of your vision, and you felt yourself slipping away, your mind fading as the world dissolved into silence.