Arcane: Fated

Episode 3: Gifts

Recap:

The group makes it safely back to their home "The last drop" a bar in the under-city, Vi and Natalie get scolded. Powder gets upset and both Nat and Vi try and cheer her up. Meanwhile, Vander is at a friend's place, when an enforcer comes in.

~onto the story~

"What do you mean you can't? You do realize if you don't tell me, an army of enforcers is going to come down here and sweep the place." The enforcer says, Vander nods. The enforcer sighs, and places something on the counter, "If you change your mind, send this to me. It will only be sent to me." The enforcer says as she walks out.

~Meanwhile~

I look over to see Vi punching the machine, "She makes it look so easy." I muttered to myself, I then hear Mylo groan. "Why are we down here again?" Mylo asks while whining, "Vander said to lay low for a few days." Vi answers, I nod "So that's what we're gonna do, besides enforcers never come down this far in the under-city so we should be fine." I say, Mylo groans.

"What afraid Powder will beat you again?" Claggor says while smiling, "W-What?! No, maybe if she didn't keep fixing the damn thing th-" Powder cuts him off by popping up and looking at him with a sinister smile before plugging the machine back together. I watch as it starts again, I look over to see Mylo's face and start laughing. I shake my head and walk over to the ring where Vi is, I look up at the scoreboard. "First place, as always huh?" I say as she walks over to me, "Yeah I guess." She says taking the towel from my hands, "Hey I was using that for later!" I said trying to grab it from her hand.

"What for?" Vi asks while raising an eyebrow, I look down. "Maybe to do what you were doing?" I said, she chuckles. She grabs my wrist and pulls me into the ring, "Woah!" I say as I catch myself from falling face first. Vi pushes me towards the machine in the center of the ring, "Vi what are you doing?" I ask, she doesn't answer.

"Violet?!" I yell, she just smirks at me and turns on the machine. "Oh, I see what you're doing." I say as I get into my fighting stance. The machine tries to punch but I dodge. I punch in two places, this keeps on going till I hear Vi say, "Tighten your fists some more, lean a bit more forward." She says, I roll my eyes.

"Oi! I saw that Nat if you wanna do this, do it correctly!" She said while smiling, I chuckle. By the time the machine powers down I look over to see the board. My eyes widen, I hear clapping. "Nice going sunshine, only one point behind me." Vi says looking at the board. I look at her confused, "Sunshine? Really, why sunshine?" I ask, she smiles. "Cause you are soft and warm like a ray of sunshine." She says, I see everyone nod in agreement. "When ever Vander isn't there you step in as a sister figure for us. It seems so natural." Claggor said as he leaned on the arenas ropes.

I sigh and look over to see Powder playing a game, she stops and looks out the crack in the window. I turn to see Vi back at it with the machine. "Hey guys your gonna wanna see thi-" Powder gets cut off with a man that got thrown through the window. "HOLY-" I look out the now completely broken window and see enforcers staring at us, "Search them." I hear an enforcer say, Powder looks at Vi and me nervously. Then I see Mylo and Claggor nod at me, I nod back. Claggor then pulls a lever, "Blacklights are so cool." I thought to myself as I saw a drawing on the floor appear.

"Scatter!" I yell we all run in different directions. (Author- RATATOUILLE SCENE GO BRRR) I hear Powder scream, I was tempted to run back but I ran into the exit door and it bursts open, thankfully I saw the others including Powder run out on the door too. As we were about to run down the alley, we see more enforcers. "Shit-" Vi says, "Up here!" We hear a voice say. We look up, "Ekko!!" Vi says. A ladder comes down, we quickly climb up. Another enforcer tries to grab Powder but thankfully didn't as soon as Powder got to the top I kicked the ladder down. "And good riddance." I say huffing, Powder chuckles. As we enter the tunnel I hear Vi say "You need to hide those stones.", "Yeah, no shit." Powder replies.

~ a few hours later~

I'm in my room shining my boots and making sure my tools are packed. Word is that the lanes are gonna fight the enforcers, I was not excited. In fact, I was scared. I hear a knock on my door, "Come in." I see my dad. I put my stuff down, "Oh hey dad, wassup?" I ask him, he looks at me. "I want you to go downstairs where the others are, stay there till I say. Ok?" He asks, I nod and grab my backpack.

I didn't question, as soon as I got down there I see everyone look at me. It was dead silent, I then hear Mylo sigh. "Ekko told us that Vander made a deal with the enforcers..." he said I dropped my bag, "He. Did. What?" I asked, Powder gets up. "Calm down Nat we're upset too, and wondering why he did." I sigh and walk over to a wall a punch it. "Does Vi know?" I ask, "Of course I know sunshine." I hear Vi groan, I sigh. "Again with the nickname?" I ask, "Yep." I hear Vi say with emphasizing the "p".

It went silent again after that, then out of nowhere we hear something. That thing then falls to the ground, my eyes widen. "Powders toy monkey" I thought, I look up and everyone nods. We all gather our stuff and hide it, we quickly turn off the lights and climb to the ceiling grabbing onto pipes and wood planks. Just as I get on my part, an enforcer walks in. I sharply breathe, we hear them walking around looking for us.

I then hear sliding and small grunts. I look over and see Powder slipping from her pole, I nudge Vi and gesture over to Powder. Soon the enforcer leaves and just as they do, Powder falls face first and yelps in pain. We all sigh in relief. I jump down, "You ok Pow?" I ask, she rubs her stomach and smiles. "Perfectly fine." I sigh and chuckle. A few moments later dad enters the room. "Is everybody all right?" He asks, I nod. He sighs, "No, they almost saw Powder. They could've taken her away!" Vi says as she jumps down.

I watch as Vi yells, she then hits the wall beside her. My dad sighs and looks down, "I've heard this talk before Vi come with me. Natalie your in charge while I'm gone understand?" I nod my head and start rubbing Powder's head. The others and I play around doing games and stuff, eventually, Claggor and Mylo decide to go do something else. Whatever they do, then it was just me and Powder. "So who do you like?" Powder asks, it takes me by surprise so I choke on my water. "*Cough* Repeat that *Cough* please?" I ask while my lungs proceed to fail me.

"Who do you like?" She says, "Girls or guys?" Powder says with a huge smile on her face, I chuckle nervously. "W-Why don't we change the subject here little one." I said, just as I stand up Vi walks into the room. Holding a rabbit and a necklace. "Woah isn't that the rabbit from the wire?" I ask, she shakes her head, "No, but I got one that looks like it." She hands the rabbit to Powder then, hands the necklace to me. As I stare down at it I see a little thing on the side, I press it and it pops open. It was a locket with a picture of the whole group and my dad. "Remember Powder, what makes you different makes you strong." Vi said as she held the face of her blue-haired sister.

Powder nods, Vi gets up and gives me a hug. "Same with you sunshine, don't forget it." She says, confused I nod and hug her back. Vi lets go and sighs, she then walks out the door. I don't know what it was that made me feel this way, the gift, the hug, or the thing she said but it made my chest feel like there was a hole in it. As if something bad was about to happen. So I followed her, and I was right.

To be continued...