Chapter 3
It took Vi a second to realize exactly what was going on when Isha hopped off of the chair. When Isha grabbed her hand, a tiny part of Vi’s brain registered that it was the first time she initiated touch. The visions of tiny Powder gripping her hand as they walked along the lanes, along a bridge, threatened to overtake her. It wasn’t long before Isha let go, and the fear that she scared the girl away plunged her heart in icy cold water. Before she could get too in her head, Isha touched her leg and opened her mouth, letting out a garbled noise that Vi could only decipher as “ack” before taking off running.
The gears in her mind screeched to a halt, and for some reason Vi couldn’t wrap her head around what was happening. The worst possible scenarios flooded her mind. Isha was disgusted at her and wanted to leave. She decided that Vi wasn’t good enough, that she couldn’t protect her as well as Jinx. It wasn’t until the young girl began to slow, and Vi remembered the sly smile Isha flashed her.
She giggled at the realization that “Ack” was “Tag”, and Isha was too much like Powder. She began jogging towards Isha, who now realized Vi was in the game as well, running faster. Vi picked up speed, but still kept a distance from Isha. She had three unfair advantages after all. Her longer legs, her experience running in the Lanes, and most importantly, the home advantage. Isha did have the same eel-like qualities of all kids that grew up in Zaun, but it was clear she didn’t know where she was going. Ducking down random halls would only work for so long, and Vi knew how to herd Isha into the dead-end hallway that was nearby.
Her master plan almost worked, as Isha entered the hallway, but she caught the sight of the wall blocking her path and skidded to a halt immediately. Vi picked up the pace, calling out to the girl, “This is it kid, I finally got you!”
Isha turned, and right as Vi reached down to grab her, Isha threw herself down on the ground, and crawled forward, Vi’s hand barely missing the tip of her hat. The momentum of Vi’s sprint worked against her, as she tumbled to the ground. She took a little longer than necessary to get up, smiling at the ingenuity of Isha’s little trick. She watched Isha scramble up while giggling. Turning away from Vi and running back down the hall, she just barely managed to dodge Cait, as she turned the corner to check on them.
Vi stood back up, and began to give chase before she caught the look on Cait’s face. “What’s wrong, my love? Did we do something wrong?” Cait shook her head, ‘No no, it’s not that. I just, haven’t seen this side of you yet. Don’t let me keep you from your important mission.” Cait gestured at the edge of the hall, where Isha peaked around the corner. As she was spotted, she quickly pulled back and Vi heard her footsteps continue farther away. She gave Cait a quick peck and a smile before going after Isha again.
As she stared at the young girl’s back, Vi’s heart clenched with how much she looked like Powder. If she pretended the last seven years didn’t happen, she could almost allow herself to believe that it was Powder running and giggling ahead of her.
Isha was getting tired, as evident by her labored breathing and slowing pace. Vi decided it was best to end the game, catching up to Isha with a burst of energy and scooping her up. Isha let out a small shriek and giggled as Vi spun her around. “I gotcha. Looks like it’s game over kid.”
Isha squirmed in her arms, laughing as she was carefully set back down. She began to sign something before pausing, her face scrunched up as she appeared to search for a way to communicate with Vi. The older girl decided to improve her standing in Isha’s eyes, telling her, “Hey, let’s go back to the kitchen. You can write with the paper we left there.” She immediately felt better as she saw Isha light up, giving her a crooked smile that warmed her heart. Vi grabbed Isha’s hand, and they both set out to the kitchen.
On the way, they ran into Cait. “Oh there you are,” Cait let out with a relieved exhale, “I’ve been searching everywhere. You two really are quiet.”
“We were just heading back to the kitchen,” Vi explained, “To get the paper and pencil, so Isha could talk to us.” Cait peered down at Isha, her face contorting into one of concern once she saw the glare the young girl was giving her. Vi, ever the peacemaker, lightly tugged on Isha’s hand while giving her a smile. “Come on, we still gotta figure out what to do next.” Isha wasn’t completely convinced, narrowing her eyes at Cait before letting out a huff and looking straight ahead. Vi simply gave Cait an apologetic smile, unsure of what she could do to fix the relationship between the two.
As the reached the room with the writing supplies, Isha let go of Vi and ran to the counter, quickly grabbing the paper and pen before furiously scribbling. As Vi approached the counter, Isha thrust the paper out at her face. “DON'T LIKE ENFORCER”, Isha had written, “WANT JINX.”
“I know kid, I also didn’t like enforcers at your age,” Vi sighed, “Hell, I still don’t. But Cait isn’t like that, she’s not one of those enforcers that shakes down kid’s in the undercity. She really wants to help us.”
Isha was not having it. She sighed and rolled her eyes before scrawling out, “USED GREY ON US. TRIED TO KILL MJINX.” Isha tried to scribble out the M, but Vi still caught it.
“I’m sorry about that, Isha, it was wrong of us and I should’ve stopped her from using the grey. Nothing can make up for it, but I hope you know everyone involved deeply regrets it.” At that, Isha raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. Vi was undeterred, continuing, “And as for Jinx, she’s…done some bad things.” Vi fidgeted with her hands, “We all have, and I swear I’ll never try to hurt her again. But she hurt Cait. And Cait’s not going to get over that anytime soon.”
Isha was clearly agitated now, refusing to write anymore. Her bottom lip quivered as her eyebrows were scrunched together in anger. If it was anyone else, Vi was sure she would begin yelling at her. But instead, Isha turned away, crossing her arms. Vi reached out to grab her, before hesitating. She didn’t want to scare the young girl again, especially now that her hand was already feeling the effects of the last time she tried that.
She instead opted to write down a quick message for Isha, using the back side of the paper they were using for their earlier conversation. “I know you’re mad, but do you want to do anything? Jinx should be coming back soon.” Vi pushed the paper into Isha’s line of sight. The young girl adjusted her hat as she read the note. Isha replied, giving Vi the paper back with the most dejected eyes Vi had seen in a while. TIRED. SLEEP UNTIL JINX GETS HERE.
Vi ignored the familiar twist of her heart that occurred whenever Isha rejected her, and instead chose to give her a comforting smile. “Of course, let me show you to a room.”