a glorious evolution

The smart thing would be to drop the illusion, let the Healed and Luon take her to the commune. They would have the equipment she needed to remove the shive from her flesh. But that had not been her destination.

She could handle this on her own.

She did not want to scare Luon.

 Luon, upon noticing the blooming red in the fabric of her clothes, knit his brow tight with worry. His hand reached out to take her free hand, not caring about the blood that might get on his own in the process. “It’ll be okay,” It was clearly something he had picked up from Viktor, that phrase, but he was earnest in his delivery. He turned, then, to lead her, while Margo took the point of position to guide down the winding path to the commune.

 It wouldn’t take long, with both of them knowing the way by heart. Margo carried the scrap metal and glass in sacks over her shoulders, while Luon kept himself occupied by the task to holding Elise’s hand, gentle but steady. “We’re almost there,” said Margo with measured calmness, “Try to hold on. I’m sure we can help you…” She closed her eyes, and for a moment it seemed as though she was somewhere else. When her eyes opened, she looked far more resolute. “He knows.”

 “Okay,” Luon nodded, looking back up at the woman’s face. “If the Herald knows, he’ll have everything ready for us. You’ll be taken care of.”

While Elise had half-expected them to take the front door, she did not hesitate to follow Viktor into the alley, expecting exactly what was there. A second door, less ostentatious, with a low-hanging knocker and a mail slot, presumably for staff and friends of the brothel. As he glanced back at her, the pale woman simply smiled and gestured encouragingly to the door.

Recognition was one of her favourite expressions to witness, and while it differed from person to person, there were some commonalities. The way a person's eyes widened, sometimes accompanied by a smile. How the shoulders sank, just a little, as the body became more at ease in familiar company. From her spot off to the side, Elise could not see if Viktor reacted the same way, but the soft nickname led her to believe so. For a short moment, she could even imagine a younger man, brown-haired as he was now, with the help of the illusion, standing in front of this door, waiting to see his mother.

The image gave way to Viktor as he was now, waving her over to the door. She gladly took his spot, trying to avoid the nervous impulse to tug at a loose string in her sleeve.

 “New to town, eh? You chose a helluva time to take a visit, Elise.” Those large eyes took her in up and down. The viewport slammed shut, and shortly after, the small door was pushed open wide enough for an aged Yordle to slip through. Her red hair was up in a teased bun, and her body shrouded in a powder blue silk dressing gown, which hung loose about her shoulders, exposing her bra straps. She walked up to the woman, her head tilting up to keep looking at her face.

 There was slight tension, perhaps for a moment, before she fell into a relaxed and cheeky smile. “Oh, honey, don’t you worry. Any friend of Anya’s boy is a friend of mine.” She waved her hand, which held a long stemmed cigarette holder, in a smooth little swirl to create a circle of smoke. “I’m Babette. I used to be Viktor’s mother’s madame. He’s like a grandson.”

 She then turned toward Viktor, approaching with her arms open wide. He knelt down to her, making sure to keep his arms shrouded in plush robes to hug her. When they drew apart, her eyes were lined with tears. She quickly swiped them away and cleared her throat. “I…I’m between clients at the moment, Vivi. I don’t have much time to catch up…” Her voice was tinged with regret.

 “You?” he stared in shock, “Working again? I thought you had moved on to management exclusively…”

 With a sigh, she glanced to Elise, ten tipped her head into a shrug. It wasn’t a private matter, to her. “Had to take the trade back up after we lost so many girls. Between the gas attacks and the Beast of Stillwater, well…”

 Viktor’s face paled at the mention of the ‘Beast’. He knew exactly who she spoke of; the very man he’d taken in and Healed. His last Healing, specifically. Vander. He looked to Elise, then back to Babette. “So much life lost… I am sorry.” He spoke genuinely, sorrow in his gaze.

Simple asks to help bolster ask culture again

Please send asks to people's inboxes directly and do not reply to this post! All comments left on this post will be deleted. If reblogged for character blogs, please remember to specify the muse for multimuse blogs.

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Write, type, or speak?

What do you wish someone would ask you?

As he revealed just how much Viktor thought of her and how important her presence had been, she blinks in surprise. Though it was true that she and Viktor did share a strong bond, she honestly did not think that it was to such a degree. Viktor was normally not the type to share his feelings with most folks. But to the few he did show it too, it would usually be in a casual manner. Feeling much more comfortable being open and free around them alone.

After hearing Jayce mention about Viktor disclosing his Miner's Disease to her before him, she gently snaps out of her thoughts before her expression becomes more apologetical. Her gaze briefly lowering to the floor, she folds her arms across her chest in a self-soothing manner.

"Ta be honest .. The only reason he told me was because it kinda .. slipped out in conversation ... I mean, even then .. He was really hesitant to talk about it" She began before turning her gaze back up to Jayce.

"I .. I'm sure he would've told ya about his illness, too ... An' I reckon you've already known something was up ... He probably just didn't want you ta worry 'bout him even more"

At the sound of the door to Viktor's room opening, her attention immediately darts towards it. Seeing the nurse emerge and carefully closing the door behind her, she already wanted to ask how he was doing. However, as the nurse began to inform she and Jayce that he was given some meds to calm him and tend to his pain, she gives a relieved sigh before pushing back a small lock of her hair from her face. Politely holding her tongue for the moment as she continued to listen.

Upon hearing that Viktor needs his meals to help him recover, she gave a soft hum in understanding. He had barely touched his breakfast this morning, so his body craving nourishment may have just added to his difficulty walking earlier .. And possibly even played a small part in his burst of anger.

At Jayce's inquiry if they could manage getting Viktor to eat, Kitt looks back over at the scientist and nods. Her eyes beginning to show a tiny spark of determination. "Y..Yeah ... I think I can get him ta tuck into somethin' ... I've been doing so for the past few days without much fuss"

When the nurse mentions that she would have another tray of food brought up, Kitt then remembers what happened a few minutes ago and looks over at the curry stain that now marked the bottom edge of her tunic shirt and lap. She then takes in a breath to relieve the touch of anxiety she still felt before looking back over at the nurse and offering her a small smile and nod.

 He lets the smile on his face grow at her gentle reluctance to accept her importance. She’s so humble that accepting how important she is might be difficult to manage. He understands the feeling well, having seen the same reluctance in Viktor’s eyes whenever he was being praised too highly. He nods his head and says, “I think it’s a good thing he opened up to you, first. I…I fret. I worry. I panic. It’s not exactly something you’d wanna be met with after revealing something that difficult. But you… You’ve got this talent for keeping hope in your heart.”

 Once the decision to see Viktor again is made, he nods his head and puts an arm against her upper back for support. he looks to the nurse and leans over to whisper something to her, and gets a nod in return before the nurse turns and walks back down the hall. Helping to guide her back through the doorway, Jayce braces himself for what he’d see from his partner.

 Sitting upright on the bed, but propped up by pillows, is Viktor. His eyes are reddened from tears, and his cheeks blushed from his still lingering shame. He’s in the midst of fidgeting with the hem of his blanket when he hears them approaching. His eyes look up before his head lifts, like there’s a lag in his mind’s signals. He sniffs unevenly, gaze widening when he sees the stains on her clothes. “… Oh, Kitt… I… I am sorry…” he says morosely, eyes averting back to his lap. “I s-should not have…” His jaw trembles, and his swallows to steady it again.

 Jayce stands at the door, his hand only hovering against Kitt’s back to allow her freedom of movement. He knits his brow at the sight of Viktor looking so emotionally wrought. It’s such a rare sight that he can’t recall the last time he witnessed it.