Arcane: World Two - AU (Non-binary reader)

XI - Replace their Grief

Caitlyn stands in one of the rows of pews, tears under her eyes. She watches as people walk to see the open coffin, most of the people there only go because she was a part of House Oman. When it is her time to view the body, she looks at her friend's corpse. Kara had been decorated with flowers and a piece of silk cloth laid diagonally across her eye. Tears fall onto her face. 

"Goodbye, Kara. May the next life bring you a more prosperous bounty," she says, her voice shaking before she begins to walk away. She looks at Kara's parents, who are not crying but just making artificial sad expressions, and does a light bow: "I'm so sorry for your loss."

As she returns to her seat, she spies a large, hooded figure sitting at the back. They're not the usual crowd and it's clear.

Later on, the burial is harrowingly quiet. The sound of cold air escaping mouths is all the noise. The pastor's speech is textbook, clearly not written with love but only because they needed something.

The coffin is lowered. As she is laid to rest, Caitlyn hears someone breathe in suddenly, like they've been crying and trying not to be heard. She slowly turns to see the hooded figure watching from afar. Her suspicion of the mysterious figure gets the better of her.

*Earlier*

You watch as people line up to "pay respects" to Kara. They wanted to put her in jail, and now they're pretending to care so much about her. You eventually see a girl from the house Kiramman step up. She had real emotion on her face but something about it seemed familiar. You begin to worry that she may also remember you so you raise your hood over your eyes. You push aside the thoughts of who this girl is and where you recognise her from. Instead, you reflect on your time with Kara, the good and the bad. 

Time passes and you find yourself leaning against a tree, slightly covered by the fog as you watch your lover's coffin get lowered into the ground. Your eyes flood with tears and eventually, you take a loud breath, the blue-haired girl slowly turns to you. You don't care to look away this time, she has a suspicious look in her eye.

The people begin to dissipate, and eventually, it's just you. You walk over to the gravestone and pay your respects: "Hey Kara. I made it... That second chance you gave me isn't gonna go to waste. I told the others about you, Powder would've loved you, and think you're a total badass. This time, I'm gonna make the most of it. I finally found my dad, he's a crime lord but a win is a win. I'm not gonna forget you, Kara. I'll come back every week" You pull a small bouquet of Hydrangea out of your pocket and throw it onto the dirt.

You leave the cemetery, the fog still shrouding you. You hear a voice as you make your way to a building to climb as a route home: "How did you know her?"

You don't respond, only pause for a moment. The voice is obviously the girl of house Kiramman: "I heard what you said at her gravestone, you clearly cared for her... more than those assholes who showed up for politics"

You don't look at her, but do respond: "We met in juvie"

She responds calmly: "I guessed as much"

"We watched each other's backs, we were meant to be freed on the same day" Your eyes have no tears left to cry

Her eyes widen: "You... you survived? Wh-how did you? Did... did you kill her?" she speaks with fear and a tone of anger in her voice.

You respond quickly: "No, she died... saving me. We were talking about how just because we weren't in jail, didn't mean we wouldn't stick together. When she died, in my arms, I killed all the gang members before trekking back"

She goes quiet, not wanting to interrupt. You lower your hood: "We loved each other" As you make eye contact, it hits you that you too saw each other on the day of the heist.

You turn to run but she stops you with her words: "I can't imagine how that must've felt. To lose everything so suddenly"

For a second, you forget she's a piltie. But that realisation dawns on you. Tears in your sole-eye, you speak: "No, you can't. People like you can't imagine losing everything. Because it's just replaced, then again, and then again"

She's stunned by your words but doesn't rebuttal like she knows you're right. You climb the building and begin making your way home. 

***

Vi is finally getting back into working out, she's reclaiming her high score on the punching machine after Ekko had barely taken it. She eventually takes back her number one spot when a voice scares her: "Hello?"

Vi turns quickly to see Sevika, but as she's a stranger, she gets ready to fight: "Who're you?"

Sevika reaches into the bag she's carrying, she pulls out a thin box: "Calm down, you're y/n's sister right?" She says as she passes the box

Vi lets her guard down and takes the box carefully: "Yeah?" The box is light and easy

Sevika begins to walk away: "Give that to em, they'll know who it's from" 

Vi tries to call out but Sevika has already left, leaving Vi confused and alone for a moment before returning to her workout.

***

Caitlyn is pondering at her desk. Your words ring in her ears, and she writes down what she thinks of your statement: "I've lost people before, people I can't replace, people who mean so much to me. We bury them properly with flowers and gold, we sing songs in their memories and we bring justice to those who did these things to our loved ones. The most they give their dead is a toast, at most" She's about to stop writing but another thought hits her: "What if that's all they can do? We cherish the memory of our dead and still act ruthlessly to seek justice but their dead lie in the street and their loved ones just have to live with it. With nothing to remember them by, a funeral is nothing more than a far-fetched dream and so they hate it when they see us treating our loss like the world is crumbling in on itself. To see those who can replace gold with diamonds must replace their grief with hate"

She puts down the paper and feels a calling to her, a call to help these people. She doesn't quite understand why but she begins planning ways to benefit the people of Zaun.

***

You walk through the front door of the place you call home, you sit next to Mylo at the bar: "How was the funeral, bud?"

You hated when he called you that but it came from a place of support and comfort: "It was nice to say goodbye"

Mylo silently nods. Vi comes through the door and walks over to you, a box in her hand. "Some lady snuck up on me and told me to give this to you," She says as she hands you the box.

You take it as she sits down. You open the box and find a note above some tissue: "Y/n, I know I am in no place to ask you for anything but our brief conversation gave me more knowledge than I have ever learnt. I want to be a better father and return to you, I built these in your honour. I want you to have them as a source of comfort. Please know that even if you can't see me as a father, you can ask me for anything. -Your father dearly, Silco"

You put the note down as you part the tissue and lift out a black leather jacket, it has a large insignia of the Zaun symbol on the back and a metal plate on the shoulder. Vi and Mylo watch in awe as you put it on, they've never seen something like it. Upon looking back into the box, you see an eyepatch, there's an eye patch with three chords coming out the side. You use it to cover your lack of an eye and like a computer system, you regain vision through the orange light on the outside. 

You look back down at the note, a small feeling of hope that your father may really care flickers in your heart. Under your breath, you whisper: "Thanks, Dad"