âShut up,â the assassin retorted, hands now aggressively pinching at Rivenâs face. This was what she got for trying to get her own stick out of her ass.Â
Or opening up to Riven, for that matter.
Good as in, a torrent of emotion was relinquished from the pool of her mind. Good as in, truth took its place on her lips with endless reprieve. Good, as in letting Riven into her arms, her body, her life again made her feel as if she was no longer living in Noxus alone.
Despite Rivenâs inability to return to the city, it was enough knowing that the warriorâs heart remained where it was.
Katarina only realized today, in this moment.
âFor one, it doesnât change anything,â she responded. âNot between us.â
She let go of Rivenâs face, moving her attention to scars that had found its place after her disappearance. Her gaze went to her legs.
âDo you know how long Iâve went with accepting your death?â A calloused finger glided against a rough line on tinted skin. âItâs like seeing the dead come back to life. You do the counting on how long it took me to stop denying you were alive.â
With a breath she unwrapped the bandage she tied too tightly on the left, redoing it with more care and without the anger that distracted her from the job before. âWhat I am saying, is that you need to stop thinking you donât have anything to give, when the very fact that you are standing and alive is enough to bring me reassurance of things left dark in the past.âÂ
Finishing with the last touches, deft fingers tied up the bandage neatly.
âThe chemicals only stripped you of your skin, not of who you are, Riven.âÂ
(She was ripped at the edges and and pieced with cracks in between, but to her, she remained as solid as the sword in her hand and stronger than any perfect blade.)