Arcane: Placebo

It's not thunder

The one where: Haunted by the events at the bridge, three children try their best to get some rest

Featuring: Vi, Powder, Y/N

Happens around: Before Act 1

Here we go!

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It was late at night. A thunderstorm was taking place in Zaun, and even though the inhabitants of the Lanes were very much shielded from such things, the thunder could still be heard roaring like a wild animal

Loud enough to startle the people still in the streets

Loud enough to make others reconsider going out at all

And loud enough, to affect the dreams of a certain blue-haired child

She found herself in a place surrounded by death, covered by crimson smoke that didn't allow her to see a thing. The poor soul could barely even see her own feet

What she did know, was that she wasn't alone. There was this figure with her, walking through paths of stone littered with dead bodies, burning wood, and monstrous shadows lurking in the smoke akin to monsters waiting to strike

The air was cold, mercilessly so, and even though she could not see them, the girl could hear the screams, the growling, and suddenly, a monstrous explosion followed by a flash of light

Powder woke up screaming as she got up, tears ran down her young cheeks

She was no longer in that damned bridge, but rather, in a basement repurposed for her to stay in. And she wasn't alone here either

"Powder?"

She turned to see the silhouette of her sister, Violet, amongst the shadows. At least until the light was turned on by a third figure, that being you

You: What's wrong?

That's right. After that fateful day at the bridge, the sisters found refuge with a kind man named Vander. Not only that, but he also had a son, with whom they were sharing the room for the time being

Vi and Powder took the bottom bed while you got the top one. They chose it that way

Now visible, Powder noticed that both of you were looking at her from your respective beds, and she had no idea what to say about it

Powder: I-I...

But before she could even finish her thought, thunder struck again in the distance, earning another scream from the girl as she jumped back

Vi found herself startled by the sudden interruption, while you jumped down from your bunk bed to help Powder out of instinct

You held her in your arms as Vi got up and walked up to her. Truth to be told, none of you were having a good sleep before this

Violet had a similar dream about that bridge, except in hers, Powder didn't make it

Still, she had to put aside the tears of her own to help her sister and embraced her from behind

You looked out the stained window, where the sounds of the thunderstorm could still be heard, and then gently looked back at the younger girl

You: It's... it's not thunder for you, is it?

Powder returned your hug as she shook her head, sobbing a little too

A sigh left your lips when you heard that. Truth to be told, you didn't know what to say

You were at the bridge too, and with more than a few mental scars yourself but...but you didn't experience the level of loss these two did

It only made sense that thunder reminded them of something far worse

You: I'm sorry you had to go through that

You then looked at Vi, noticing the tears she had been holding back herself. It didn't take long for her to make eye contact with you

You: You're safe now, both of you are

The pink-haired girl looked at you for a moment. She was taken back by this gesture of hospitality, but eventually, a grateful smile appeared on her face

Powder eased into the hug you two were giving her, finding an odd sense of comfort being hugged by you and her sister simultaneously

It made her feel like nobody could get through, that she was safe for real

You: What about a song? Would that make you feel better?

The sound of your voice made the younger girl look at you with a raised brow, even her sister was intrigued

Vi: A song...?

You nodded with a smile

You: Yes. I was taught that it can make the sadness go away

Then, you motioned towards a project still incomplete

You: We haven't finished my guitar yet, but hopefully my voice won't leave you deaf either

This last part earned a giggle from Powder as you let go of her. Now you looked at both of the sisters, with newfound excitement

You: What do you say?

The girls looked at each other and then at you, nodding in curiosity. You smiled and got on their bed, sitting with your back against the wall and tapping the spot next to you with a smile

It wasn't long before Vi sat next to you, and Powder decided to make use of the lap pillows she was being offered

Not that any of you complained

You cleared your throat before you decided to start singing

"I'll sing it one last time for you
Then we really have to go
You've been the only thing that's right
In all I've done"

Your voice caught the girls off-guard, mainly because of how sooting it was, and you were just a kid around Vi's age

"And I can barely look at you
But every single time I do
I know we'll make it anywhere
Away from here"

Acting out of instinct, you reached for Powder's head and started to caress her hair as she laid on your lap. She found herself smiling at the feeling

But then, the thunder struck again. Powder buried herself on your chest and you held her tightly, shushing gently

You: Shhh, shh... I'm here, okay? You are not alone anymore

Even Vi found herself leaning towards you for safety

"Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you dear"

Your voice would drown the thunderstorm, as the soothing nature of it outweighed the chaos outside

One would only need to look at you to think you knew what you were doing, but truth to be told, you weren't

You were just as scared, and yet, the desire to help them came through in a much stronger fashion

These girls lost their parents in a massacre that Zaun nor Piltover would ever forget. They were victims too, and if you could help them just by getting through the night, you would

Even if it was by doing something as small as to just sign

...

Vander opened the door to the room to check in on the three of you, but what he found warmed his heart

You were all asleep together. Powder found comfort in your lap, while Vi leaned against your shoulder

It was a miracle that none of you had fallen, but you looked so peaceful

And so, he decided to let you be, just for a bit longer anyway

This was the first time the sisters found comfort in you, and it certainly wouldn't be the last