"Get off—AGH!"
After redirecting several of her angry swings by striking just behind the elbow when she punches, she tackled me up against the metal rail. Some people peered out from the catwalk as we continued to descend, shaking their heads.
With her now in close, I cover up, but this body isn't used to these fights nor am I with bareknuckle boxing. It hurts like fucking hell as she does a left-right to the body and a sharp uppercut with her lead.
I manage to block the body shots with my arms, but my head rocks back and I see stars for a moment before rolling out. Her follow-up straight right narrowly missed, feeling it brush my ear. Normally I'm orthodox, but I flick out a jab with my right just to make her pause.
It gives me the split second I want as she winces and pauses, putting her guard up and lowering her chin. I close back in and step around before grabbing onto her waist and...
"SUPLEX!"
"AGH!"
She shouts in pain, her body bouncing violently as she slams into the metal floor. I hear her whining and groaning in pain as she rolls over. I'm wheezing and stagger to my feet, rubbing my aching jaw.
The engine whirl of the elevator slows to a stop as we reach the bottom. She's glaring up at me and I'm glaring back. I see the visible, coiled tension growing in her, like she's planning to spring back up and lunge at me.
"The Jubilee is tomorrow," I pant, and she paused. "If we keep fighting, neither of us will enjoy it."
"I'm not stopping until you apologize," she spat, climbing back to her feet. Her knuckles dripped fresh blood from the splits.
"For what?!"
"For provoking me! Saying I'm running fake jobs, flipping me off! Yeah! I still remember you!"
"You started it before you even entered the elevator," I tightly replied, feeling my temper bubbling.
"And you continued it. You didn't have to respond to me."
"So it's my fault?"
"Yes! So apologize! Or I'ma keep going," and she clenched her fists again to show she isn't kidding.
"Can you two brats get off?"
Turning, a few pedestrians were amusedly watching us, waiting to get on. But a few were also growing impatient.
Shaking my head, I step off and hear brisk footsteps behind me.
"Well?"
I turn sharply on her still glaring expression.
"You want a real job?"
"What?" Vi blinked. "Yes."
"Do you have a crew?"
"No..."
"No one?"
"Well I have a little sister but she's too young!"
So we're not there yet.
"Then find some friends and make yourself a little gang. People you can trust. But I'm not, nor would any adult, give a kid who lost a petty fight in an elevator a 'real' job."
Vi scoffed. "You don't give out jobs."
Smirking, "I'm on a 'real' job now."
Her eyes flickered with jealousy as the elevator began clanking noisily in its ascent back up.
"That's why I was in a bad mood," I continued. "I found out some nasty shit I wish I didn't."
"Like what?" she asked, jealous curiosity entering her voice.
This is kind of fun, I thought while watching her emotions keep fluttering.
"It would be unprofessional of me to answer then," I smirk again, leaning back, and she scowled again.
I sigh.
"Tell you what—have you heard of the Chainrunners?"
"Yeah?" Vi piped, her bloodied hands finally unclenching. "They're cool."
"Awesome?" I blink. "I wasn't expecting… why do you think that?"
"Well, they're violent and scary," she drawled. "But they also steal from Topside too and hand it out to us poor people. So they're cool in my books."
"That's the criteria in your books? Steal from Topside?" I ask flatly, and she gives me a look.
"What's wrong with that?"
"It's a bit stupid," I say, and before her reigniting temper takes off, "Especially toward a gang stealing from Vander."
"They haven't stolen from us!"
"Yes, they have. A while back they tried to walk on in and steal from the guild but I caught them. Gearwright and StimPatch's goods were there, and so were Vander's. Most of it was damaged though so we sent it all back and asked for a new shipment."
"So that's what happened," Vi muttered, crossing her arms. She looked down at the ground in thought before glancing back at me, frowning. "How did you catch them?"
"I've been handling shipments for a while…"
Again, her eyes flickered with jealousy, but also a hint of something else. She twisted her foot on the ground, kicking the stone pavement a few times.
"Sorry…"
"Agh—ah…" I rub the back of my neck. "I'm sorry too."
"Vi." She suddenly extended her hand, looking me dead in the eye. And I reciprocated.
"Varyn."
It became silent between us. I cleared my throat, "I'm going home. Get home safe."
She nodded silently before throwing up her hood and without a word, or another glance at me, she began walking off.
I stared after her for a moment, recalling her doing the same in the first episode of Arcane. Was it to hide that she was a girl? Or part of a phase? I didn't know, but whatever.
When I got home, Relia swung the door wide open and ran over to me. She looked anxious and stressed out, cupping my head.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened!"
"I'm fine, I just got into a fight with another kid coming back."
"With whom?" Relia demanded. "By Janna I should've never..."
"It's alright mom! It was Vi, Vander's daughter. Nothing to worry about."
She froze. Everything, froze. She looked at me, and then finally went to the medicine cabinet.
"Yeah, nothing's wrong," she said slowly, exhaling with some relief.
"Nothing bad should come of that."