“ is this the part where i’m supposed to be heroic and say it’s just a scratch? ” vi testrun time (: ▸ @ghoulshells
𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬, & it is harder, still, to keep the smile from growing over her lips, in spite of vi’s wound staring her straight in the face. she never could keep herself from smiling or laughing at vi’s jokes, & they were never few and far between in light of peril or injury. she was like sunlight tiding over a gentle ocean horizon, just before the waves careened into the shore: radiant & mesmerizing in all of her charm, impossibly bright & vibrant, & a beacon that shines even in the darkest of skies beyond the veil of thickening clouds.
caitlyn takes their hand, while her other one trails upwards to vi’s face to give a chastising pinch to their cheek. clearly, they were fit enough to be able to spill a few jokes, but the injury is certainly nothing to gloss over.
“ sit still, ” caitlyn instructs, shaking her head. her voice is firm, almost commanding, in a way, but she supposes it’s an energy she has picked up over the years in her career. a corner of her mouth rises in a crooked turn, just as a soft sigh flitters past painted lips. “ yes, i suppose that would be heroic of you, but then again, lying isn’t so heroic. it’s more than a scratch, & you & i both know it. ”
she reaches for the small first aid kit strapped to her belt - line, grabbing gauze pads & antiseptic from within the pouch. it isn’t much, but it will do for the moment. “ you’ve lost a lot of blood, vi. ” caitlyn presses the gauze to the wound, moving one of vi’s hands over it. “ put pressure on it. i’ll tidy up the rest of your cuts. but we should get moving as quickly as possible. they’ll be back. ”
caitlyn cleans off the rest of the smaller nicks, then extends a hand down for vi to take. “ come on, we cannot linger here. what will i do if i have to put in the paperwork for your replacement ? ”
she smiles, still half - crooked, but fuller than the last. vi will be fine. she always is. caitlyn cannot imagine a world where she doesn’t come out on the other side; she doesn’t want to.
