empty chest

victoria holtz. 24. soldier. when is it time to succumb?

[victoriaholtz]

nelefinn​:

     Nele’s eyes narrowed when she peered back at Victoria. Not sure… and as Nele followed the other blonde’s direction, she heard her add how he was nice. Scared. Weren’t they all? “What do you mean by scared?” There were obvious answers, and Nele could guess all she wanted, but sometimes the answer surprised you. Sometimes there was something to be gained. Nele opened the cabinet, fingers drumming lightly against the door as she scanned it for what she’s looking for. There’s a bottle, the exterior dabbled with dried bits of the homemade hair bleach, and to an unknowing eye, it’d be a mystery, but this wasn’t the first time Nele had gone to Victoria in search of that very thing. Anything to ease the boredom; even when looking in the mirror. 

     “You can tell me what you’d have done if you were the Enforcer on duty,” Nele glimpsed back at Victoria again, “Can’t you?” There was a hidden sharpness to her tone, as if she was already ready to damn Gabe to some terrible fate. Nele was hardly the type of person who was fueled by violence, though it was known around the QZ that she was very unforgiving, strict, and suspicious when it came to possible dangers; AKA fucking strangers who just pop up.

     She retrieved the bottle, turning to put it down on the nearest surface, “Mind doing it?” She used the toe of her boot to pull a chair away from it, lowering herself into the seat, legs spread and stretched out as she waited for Victoria to join her. 

“What do I mean by scared?” Victoria can’t help the bitter laugh that builds in her chest as she shrugs. “If you were bleeding out on the floor and a bunch of people who were strapped came in and found you, wouldn’t you also be scared? Obviously we were suspicious, so I don’t blame him.” Truthfully, she couldn’t tell Nele much else, because she, herself didn’t know. 

Victoria takes another sip of the tea before setting the mug down. As the other woman speaks, Victoria looks to the floor, gaze tracing the patterns of the wood back and forth-back and forth, before she lets out a breath. 

“Honestly? If I’d been the one interrogating him, I’d take his word for it. Watch him later on, assign him to some kind of babysitter. People deserve second chances, and really, it’s not my business to determine anyone’s worth or fate, even if I were an enforcer.” She and Vincent were alike in this way, even if she had the stronger exterior. “If he fucks up, that’s on him, but what good would it do to determine he’ll fuck up before we let him prove he’s good.” 

Victoria crossed the distance between them and grabbed the bottle as Nele took her seat. “But I get it, it’s fucking weird. I know that, I’m not stupid, and I’m not naive enough to believe nobody would get the shit beaten out of themselves and sneak their way in here, but I don’t know anything, so I don’t really know what I’d do.” Victoria begins to shake the contents of the bottle, holding it up to the light. “This might be only enough to do your roots.” 

[victoriaholtz]

gabe-reyes​:

— 🩹  —

He’s losing time. He knows of it in a strange sort of way, a sense in the back of his mind. In the way the images before his eyes don’t quite link up, the room around him changes. It starts when the adrenaline of escaping from the Grizzlies starts to leak from his veins, when the focus of his body becomes less on emergent fight for his life and instead on sustaining it. He knows the signs of blood loss - that he can’t seem to get his heart rate to slow back down, that drawing breath seems to be more difficult than it should be, that he can’t quite keep things straight in his head…

But even more so, he’s not used to the gentle hands, the flicker of concern in the eyes of strangers. He’s pretty sure he can see it in all of them, each face that moves before his eyes even if he can’t quite keep them all straight. Suri - Suri is here… and Farah -

No. Farah’s not. Farah can’t be. But Victoria reminds him of her, if only just for a moment. A gentle touch, soft words. Yet he flinches, just a bit, even before Victoria touches him, like he expects something other than helping hands.

“It’s okay,” Gabe says as she offers apologies, as if what they’re doing for him isn’t possibly enough. His own hand closes over the bandaging she’d applied, pressing it more firmly down against his skin to save her the trouble - a grimace tugging on his expression. She’s kind, but he can tell this is unfamiliar territory. “It’s more than I have,” he adds, swallowing thickly. Maybe more than he deserves. Maybe. Maybe. “Thank you.”

Victoria watches Gabe for a moment before leaning backwards. The firelight continues to cast shadows across where they sit, their only reminder of the outside and the way time moves. The analog watch she typically wears on patrols is left in a drawer at home, and she’s sure if she were to ask anyone else, they’d be able to tell her the exact time, but she doesn’t bother— there are other things to worry about now. 

“You don’t need to thank me.” Victoria offers a smile, and though there may be hesitance etched into the way it curls at the corners of her mouth, it stays put as she folds the old bandage into a scrap of cloth found on the ground from earlier. 

She can only imagine the kinds of challenges he will face once they are back at the QZ. She could warn him, she thinks— tell him to mind his manners, stay honest to a degree. Maybe she can get to her father first, tell him to be kind. Would that do much if Alexei were to watch from behind closed doors? 

“I don’t want to bother you with questions,” Victoria starts after a moment, pulling her knees to her chest, “but what the hell happened to you?” 

[victoriaholtz]

nelefinn​:

      VICTORIA ( @victoriaholtz​. ) LATE EVENING, MAY 23RD, HOTEL, VICTORIA’S ACCOMMODATION. There weren’t many people Nele went out of her way for, and in all honesty, she didn’t know what it was about Victoria that led her to this moment. Here she was, outside of the woman’s door, a warm cup of tea in hand before she knocked firmly on her door. She’d seen her stride off once they’d all returned to the hotel, and Nele had become bored of the ensuing conversations. Fix this. What are we going to do? Fix that. What if this? What if that? And the looming cloud of Alexei’s presence and the impending list of duties. Nele preferred a long list of work; it left less time for thinking. When she thought, she thought of how to destroy him. And Nikolai. And anyone else who might side with them. Anyone who stood in her way.

     When Victoria opened the door, Nele simply leaned against the frame, head tilting to the side a bit as she held out the mug. “You don’t bullshit. I wanna know what happened at the plant and what you think about our little newcomer.” She didn’t wait for an invitation inside, fully handing over the drink as she passed the blonde. “You got any of that shit to bleach hair? It’s about the only option these days… unless someone decides to go wild with Kool-Aid.” She’d never tried it, but her mother told stories of her friends when they were younger; of the silly antics they got into when the world was a safer place, when there was the opportunity for antics. Now, children learned how to shoot a bow and arrow or rifle as soon as they could loosely understand its mechanics. Now, teenagers were all too aware of the dangers lurking around every corner, and rebellion didn’t lead to jail anymore, or being grounded. Now, it led to death. 

     “I don’t like idle chit-chat. Might as well keep busy while we do, right?” Nele paused in the center of the room, looking back at Victoria with a raised brow. 

The drive back to the QZ had been a long and daunting one. Victoria was left to bargain with all that they had lost— either structural, or community wise. Even though they’d been there only overnight, it felt as if the dark would swallow them whole. Now, back in her room, she found that it was far too bright. The anxieties that could have turned her inside out were left behind at the plant, and she knew that nobody would consider her situation harsher than the rest— at least nobody had died on Daiyu’s watch, even if they’d come forward with an entirely new addition. 

There is a sense of comfort, however, knowing that her father had been waiting for her. Her mother, too— and of course, Vincent. But when she opens the door to see Nele on the other side, surprise lifts her brows upward. Nele’s words were not careful. The older woman made no move to coddle Victoria, and really, she was grateful for that fact. The blonde backed away from the door to let Nele inside. 

“Nothing happened, the door shut on us.” Victoria shrugs, tone matter-of-fact. “As for Gabe…” The blonde squints, thinking back to the way he’d been pulled from the back room, arm slung over Suri’s shoulder. “Honestly, I’m not sure what to think about it.” 

Nele moves further into the room and provides Victoria payment in the form of tea which is warm in her palm. Kicking the door shut with her heel, Victoria leans up against it, raising the cup to her lips. It singes her tongue, but she’s grateful for the way it warms her chest. 

“Um, if I do, it’s in there.” She points towards the cabinet that’s ready to be searched by any enforcer who waltzes their way inside. What she keeps hidden is somewhere she would never show anyone— not even her father. In fact, Vincent is the only one who knows of her actual stash. “There might be a little left.” Victoria moves away fro the door and sets her tea down before looking elsewhere for the materials that Nele seeks. “He’s nice, though— scared, it seems, but… I’m not really sure what else to think.” 

[victoriaholtz]

—  the water treatment plant,  22nd may 2044,  with gabe reyes @gabe-reyes​

though questions dance at the tip of her tongue, she does her best to clamp them with her aching jaw. though, it’s no mistake that both curiosity and worry cloud victoria’s judgement. it has been-- well, truthfully, victoria isn’t certain how long it has been since suri happened across gabriel. for all she knew, it could have been mere minutes condensed into what others spoke of as half the time. 

she was no medic, but victoria had begun to count the time in which he stayed lucid. she imagines the blood that’d pooled into the concrete of the office he had been found in, and in the grand scheme of things, she wonders how much time has left him now. she tends to the dressing on the worst of his wound with the first aid kit she’s made a habit of carrying everywhere, but is careful not to move him too much out of fear that jostling him too much will only cause more harm than good. 

“i’m almost done, sorry.” victoria speaks from around the flashlight she holds awkwardly in her mouth. the fire they’ve lit doesn’t cast enough light their way, and moving him any closer would be redundant in terms of not causing any further injuries. “okay--” she peels away the last of the adhesive and smooths it over gingerly with two fingers, careful to apply little to no pressure. “i’m sorry we don’t have more, we just didn’t...” she takes the flashlight from her mouth, holds it so it casts enough light but isn’t shining directly into either of their eyes. “um, well, expect to find you, or be locked in here, so. we’re making do.” 

[victoriaholtz]

—  the water treatment plant,  22nd may 2044,  with suri farook @cordiiceps​

time had become a phantom-- there was no way to tell exactly how high the sun stood swollen in the sky, or if there was a sun at all. if the moon had swallowed it whole, along with the howling winds, victoria could only wonder, as would the rest. it had been hours since fate had laid its hand overtop of them like a blanket meant to smother. her walkthrough with daiyu had turned up no leads-- no other way out, and with an injured addition, victoria wasn’t too sure how long they would last without the proper supplies. 

deep in thought, knees pulled to her chest, victoria watched as the small fire they had created continued to dance among the shadows that laid overtop of them, flashlights set aside for the following day. a familiar voice pulled vic’s attention sideways. 

“hey.” vic’s smile is tired, but it still manages to reach her eyes. not quite the optimist, but not quite bargaining with the idea that they may be stuck here, ( because really, would anyone allow them to rot ? ) victoria happens to find herself in far better spirits than she anticipated. “what a shit show, huh?” between the stranger found bleeding out in a backroom, and the fact that they’d been without proper supplies for hours now, things could be worse, and it would do well to remind herself of that fact. 

[victoriaholtz]

—  the water treatment plant,  22nd may 2044,  with daiyu volkova. @daiyus

victoria knows that it could be worse-- it could be shrapnel slipped between ribs, or a sheet over the head of someone she deemed worthy of life. to be trapped inside, rather than outside amongst the chaotic winds and flying debris is a blessing, even if in disguise. it’s luck too, she thinks, as she watches daiyu from across the way. whether alexei is aware that it’d been her assigned to daiyu’s team, victoria decides she doesn’t care. even if he does, what is this doing for him? 

the only known entrance to the treatment plant has been blocked for some time now, leaving the patrol to scramble quietly. victoria watches, if not to place herself into the fold and assist, then to at least understand what the others think might happen to them. 

it’s after the others seem caught up in their own heads, or actions, that victoria approaches daiyu. “i know we’ve seen the floor plan a few times, but...” she pulls out one of the many maps that’d been hand drawn by others before her. “do you think this leads anywhere? we could check it out, rather than sit around. might be worth it.” victoria chews the inside of her cheek as she awaits daiyu’s response. she’s hopeful her cousin will entertain the thought of creating distance between themselves and the rest of the patrol-- if not for peace of mind, then at least to find solace in family. 

[candiceaccola]

Your brother’s kind of a dweeb, huh?

[victoriaholtz]

cordiiceps​:

“i just can’t win, ey?” he chuckles, finally bringing the bottle to his lips and swallowing a conservative mouthful. eyes scan the forest around them, forever vigilant, and because he can’t afford to be anything less. there’s no denying that these kids were not brought into the world because he chose it to be that way, and if he was given the power, nik would have done more to stop any of them ever joining him, anything to prevent the life he’s given them. but now that they’re here, nik can’t be anything but grateful. who would he be without his children? the living and the dead.

“oh.” clearly he’s more preoccupied than he hoped he was. another year without her. except this time, vissarion no longer visits the riverbank with him. whatever happens to us after death, i hope you two are looking after each other again. but as emotionally stunted as he is, nik pushes his niece and nephew from his mind as victoria indulges him. he watches his daughter with a gentle smile. don’t waste your time with her, he tells himself.

nik climbs up into the treehouse as vic lists off her to do list, perching by the edge of the opening and listening intently. his smile blooms in the safety of this place she’s built. “at this rate, i’m gonna be obsolete next you really soon.” nik leans back on the palms of his hands, eyes glancing over every corner of the treehouse as if he can’t recall every inch from memory. “are you proud of this place? you should be. really proud.”

“i guess not.” vic supplies him with a tight lipped smile. it would be easy, pretending that they could be father and daughter — that this was not the end of the world. that there weren’t people who wanted her dead just because of her relation to him. it was a harsh reality, knowing that your father was wanted dead because of the things he had done. even though he had done his best to shield both her and vincent from it, she heard the whispers— could feel the way a room tensed when either her father or uncle walked into a room. while alexei may be the villain in her story, her father was the villain in plenty of others. but to see him through her eyes, there was no brute, no bloodshed— there was a father who clearly loved his children, especially under the circumstances that’d been laid out.

at her father’s words, vic rolls her eyes. “you couldn’t be, even if you tried.” because despite her need to appear strong, she would always need her father, just as he would always need her. perhaps that was what she reflected most; her need to separate from he idea of being saved, from needing somebody else’s assistance. this was a gentle reminder that that wasn’t the case. 

“proud of it?” vic hums under her breath as she presses her index finger into the wood she’s slapped over the parts that were rotting. it smells like her childhood now, though, she guesses that in some ways she is still that little girl who begged her father for a place to call her own, amongst the QZ, amongst the anger. “it’s been around for awhile, hasn’t it?” she turns to look at the opposite side of the treehouse, the notches where she and Vincent had marked each other’s height stark against the yellowing wood. “vincent and i made this place… safe, so i’d say we achieved what we set out to do. so yeah, i’m proud.” 

[victoriaholtz]

vincentholtz​:

The further he gets from the incident, the stranger the whole encounter with Alexei becomes ( and the more his stomach twists into a tangle of knots ). He remembers how quickly the room cleared when their uncle approached him, silent as he took a seat at Vincent’s workstation. It’s just the two of them when Alexei begins whispering questions about the work Vincent does, why he makes certain decisions in engineering, where he draws his inspiration from. He’d certainly heard of his nephew’s handiwork through Enforcer-fed grapevines before, but to see it up close and watch as he tinkers? It’s nerve-wracking, and Vincent’s heart nearly beats out of his chest — he wonders now, if this too, is a weakness.

Caught up in the recollection, it’s her hand on his shoulder that pulls Vincent back. “No, no, he didn’t hurt me,” he finally answers, though they both know Alexei could do so quite easilyand would force the rest of their family to watch the violence unfold. “It was weirdly calm,” he starts, trying to give some more context before Victoria jumps out of her skin. “He showed up at work unannounced and hung around for awhile, fuckin’ watching me. Asked me questions about everything I’ve been working on, even wanted to know my opinions on some guns stolen from trespassers.” A man he’s spent his whole life hiding from wanders into work once and starts cooing in his ear, plays nice as a war tactic; it’s a means to manipulation, Vincent’s been taught that much.

What kind of favor could he want from you? Victoria asks it earnestly, so Vincent tries not to show offense, though his nose scrunches in response.  “Um,” he starts, pulling his knees to his chest and leaning against the sturdy walls of the treehouse. “He wanted to know what I knew about drones. I told him I didn’t know the specific mechanisms, but I’ve seen the diagrams in books from before.” Mechanical manuals on drones being few and far between, of course. “He asked if I would be willing to look at some recovered tech, something he thinks might be an old military drone.” Vincent doesn’t want to admit to his sister that the idea alone excites him. “You know, the ones with like, cameras on them.” They don’t work now of course, but someone like Vincent might be able to find a way.

Even though Vincent tells her that Alexei didn’t hurt him, there’s doubt. It piles in the pit of her stomach, swarms in her chest, her head. It’s hard to convince herself that Alexei wouldn’t touch a hair on his head, or her own for that matter. It’s always keep your head down, watch your tone, never speak unless spoken to. So when Vincent explains what it was that Alexei had wanted with him, the questions he had, Victoria’s brows knit together in genuine confusion. 

Weirdly calm. Victoria mouths the words, though they taste like nothing but copper. As she continues to listen to her brother, fear continues to grow, continues to build at the base of her throat. She had tasted dread plenty of times, but this is different. “But your opinion? Why?” There were plenty of others who could supply the information Alexei wanted, and at a cost that wouldn’t result in... well, Victoria wasn’t sure what this would cost. 

Victoria watches Vincent carefully, gaze flickering over every twitch and indent, even the fall of his chest as he breathes. She’s not afraid to admit that she’s terrified of the kinds of things that Alexei could potentially want from them, but more so from Vincent. “Drones...? Like, those things from before? That the military used? Like what dad told us about?” Victoria smoothes her hair out of her face, sweat beading at her temple. It still doesn’t make sense, until it does, and Vincent lets the ball drop. “He... wants you to spy? On us? The QZ?” It wasn’t _Vincent _spying, it was Alexei, but Alexei wanted to use her brother as his pawn. “What the fuck.” Really, it makes sense. Get someone smarter than you to do your dirty work, but somebody who can’t fight back. They both know the cost of this favor, even if they don’t let it break between them. “Fuck, Vin, what did you tell him?” 

[victoriaholtz]

cordiiceps​:

so undeniably her mother’s daughter. it might be complicated between vivien and himself, but it doesn’t stop him appreciating the woman for what she is. nik is grateful that victoria took on that ability to hold her ground, even if sometimes it makes his heart stop in his chest the same way it does watching daiyu pick fights with players much bigger than herself. for now though, in the company of just her, he smiles wide, chuckling under his breath.

“no, no, you’re right. i should have just said, ‘hey, pass your old man the water, he’s getting old and now he’s dehydrated.’ better?” he begins rolling the sleeves on his shirt up past his elbows, finally regaining his breath completely from all the heavy lifting. she leaves the bottle just out of reach and even when he’s shaking his head, he’s grinning wide, on the cusp of laughter. “okay, sure, i deserved that.”

he climbs up enough to swipe the bottle from the edge before he jumps down and his feet hit the forest floor again. “whoa, kenny, i understand. but gilbert? that’s a low blow,” he teases, as if the kids don’t already know the vast amount of fondness involved for nik to let gil be so close.

her question catches him off guard though, pausing just as he’s about to bring the bottle to his lips. nik cranes his neck back to look up at her through the window. “what? vic—” he wants to shake her and say of course not, but clearly it’s not as obvious as he hoped he was making it. that’s not her fault. “i was asking you what you were doing again so you’d give me a bit more detail, you know. i don’t come out here with you just because i’m your dad and it would drive me nuts if you came out here alone. i came because i’m interested in what you’re doing.”

"mmm, not sure if that’s any better.” it’s an odd thing, being here with him in a moment that could be considered silence to the two of them. there was no violence, unless you included what was embedded into her father’s hands. unless you took the time to consider what happened within the walls of the qz. here, nikolai volkov is her father. inside of those walls, she pretends as though she is not associated, as if he wasn’t the one to press oil rags into hers and vincent’s hands at the age of six. as if she wasn’t a part of him like he was of her. 

victoria barely registers nik as he grabs the bottle himself. his voice comes through low and booming, though not strong in the way he usually makes it. it’s softened, it holds weight, but in a way that victoria knows is full of a teasing kind of love. the kind that maybe only she and vincent see. with everything that’s happened to daiyu, victoria can’t imagine a day in which her father allows himself to relax in her presence. a part of her has always wondered if he thinks of herself and vincent as fragile things. 

“i was just kidding...” she turns around and looks at him, teeth working against the inside of her cheek. she isn’t sure if her dad is playing into the joke, or if he’s genuinely misunderstanding her. she makes no move to correct herself other than in stating that it was just a joke. “i’m patching up this wall over there. some of the boards were starting to get wood rot, i don’t think that there’s enough coverage from the snow and rain.” she clears her throat and turns around to look at the project she’s been working on. “right now i’m just covering it up, but the worst of it is on the outside of it, so ill have to come back with a way to get up there and patch up the outside too.” 

[victoriaholtz]

vincentholtz​:

There’s a natural inclination to share everything with Victoria, to run to her with every victory and loss. He seeks her out to assuage worries that she can feel before he’s even said a word — he’s headed to see her now, off to their secret meeting spot, eager to hyper-analyze the last half hour of his life. An unexpected visit from Alexei would be enough to shake anyone in Idaho Falls, but it means something particularly chilling to a Volkov in all but name. The moment their uncle steps foot in the shared engineering wing, the rest of the staff notable clearing out, Vincent takes note of every minute detail in order to parrot back to his sister later.

As soon as he’s through an unguarded spot in the walls and is certain no one’s watching, Vincent breaks out into a sprint towards the treehouse. Nestled just outside the walls, it’s the only place in the world he can pretend to be safe from both the infected and Alexei, at least for a short time. Approaching the old wooden ladder, Vincent whistles to denote his arrival. Feet fly up the steps of the ladder just as Victoria’s head pokes out, concern furrowing her brows. He doesn’t slow down to answer, tumbling up and into the treehouse, nearly crashing into the wall opposite his sister. It takes a minute to catch his breath, so he sticks out two thumbs as reassurance. 

“M’fine, I swear,” he finally answers. But would they be? There’s a deeper intention to everything Alexei does, and it’s easy to see how Vincent might be valuable to his uncle. “It was business as usual in Repairs today,” or as close as it could be, considering how he’s been spiraling after witnessing Raymond’s death. He’d missed work the previous day thanks to the sleeping meds he’d scored from Mara, though he’s certain someone had to cover for him. “Or it was, until someone came to visit me.”

“What would you do if Alexei wanted a favor from you?”

Even though Vincent looked alright, no new signs of violence etched across his skin, the expression he wore spoke of a different horror, a different ache. Victoria swallows her questions so that he can speak. What good would it do to speak over him? If she did that, he’d never get a word out, and they both knew it. 

“Okay...” She wasn’t sure where this was going. If it was a normal day, then what had the code word been thrown into use for? Why were they here? He wasn’t giving her the answers she wanted quickly enough, and Vic fights the urge to shake the explanation out of him. She knew that trusting him to get there would benefit the two of them, so she sits, back resting against the wall once more, a copy of her position prior to his arrival. 

Vic’s eyebrows pull together in moderate confusion as Vincent continues to explain. And then their uncle’s name drops into the space between them and it’s as if something shatters this moment-- the safety net they’ve created, this outside source of consolation for the things they endure while inside of the walls. 

“What the fuck do you mean a favor?” She blinks at him once, twice, before reaching forward to grab his shoulder. “Vincent, did he hurt you? Did he try to intimidate you?” Her hatred for her uncle knew no bounds-- it sat deep beneath her skin, a constant vibration. 

Victoria licks her gums, mouth suddenly tasting like copper. “What kind of favor could he want from you?” She doesn’t mean it in the sense that Vincent has nothing to offer-- he does, and in ways that Victoria never will, but to one swallowed in shadows and bruised flesh, he has nothing to give. Vincent has nothing to give Alexei, and that is what scares Victoria most. 

[victoriaholtz]

—  the treehouse,  12th may 2044,  with vincent holtz. @vincentholtz​

it’s discreet, the way that vincent lets victoria know they need to talk. it’s a curt nod with softened features and feet that find every rock and twig on the way through the fence. the gun she carries is loaded, safety on. you can never be too careful, especially not in this place. though, something should’ve been said for the way that safety was felt outside of the walls as opposed to in them. 

so victoria waits, knees to her chest, head tilted back against the walls she has labored over-- the ones her father had constructed and she has kept undamaged. it’s been years and all of the carvings are there as if in code, no real sense to any of the words pierced through the wood. 

there’s the telltale whistle-- a call from vincent. she would know it anywhere. she ducks through the entrance and looks upon him as he begins to climb the ladder. “what’s going on?” she looks at him, brows furrowing as she backs into the treehouse to make room for him to come inside. “are you okay?” the feeling-- as if a phantom on her back, would have warned her if he wasn’t, but still, she’ll always worry. 

[victoriaholtz]

cordiiceps​:

—  the treehouse,  16th april 2044,  with victoria volkova-holtz.  @victoriaholtz

“is all i’m good for these days heavy lifting?” he asks with a low chuckle that wouldn’t be heard inside the walls of the zone. the truth is he likes it this way, hauling scrap materials up into the treehouse or passing vic the tools, because down here on the ground, with not an awful lot to do other than talk to his daughter, he can keep a better eye on their surroundings and what they could be luring in with their conversations. this way, he can learn to unwind a little easier. 

“remind me what your plan was for all this stuff?” he asks, craning his neck up to the entrance from the forest floor. with the last of it up where she needs it, nik huffs, resting his back against the tree trunk, finally taking a break. “shit, i can feel age getting to me. you got the water bottle up there?” he asks, craning his neck back up again.

but there’s no response, just the sounds of hammers and the squeak from the screwdriver with the loose handle. “you hear me up there, пчелка? you poor dad’s dying down here,” he calls again, grabbing a small twig from near his feet and launching it through the opening to catch her attention.

the bundle of scrap wood and unused nails clutters the entrance to the treehouse as her dad continues to push things up in through the small door. it was nice, being in his company. it was nice because it meant she had little to worry about-- nice, because at least she could keep an eye on him, just as she assumes he would want to do with her. 

she can hear her father’s voice cut through the rhythmic sound of hammer against nail, and though she wants to finish the last bit of this very project, his call is hard to ignore the third time it comes around. 

“you keep asking questions that have obvious answers. i’m fixing the treehouse, and obviously i’ve got the water bottle since you sent it up here with me.” she doesn’t mean for it to come across as snarky as it does, so vic pops her head through the entrance and looks down at her father. with spring nearly gone, the sun has already created blots of red on the back of his neck. she remembered somebody mentioning something about sunscreen, and for the longest time, vic had thought people were wearing veils for hours on end. though, that’d later been proven as a form of whatever the hell they had called it. 

at his request, vic grabs the water bottle, narrowly avoiding the twig that’s sent her way. “you know what? now you don’t get it.” she set the water bottle on the edge, just far enough out of nik’s reach before she leaned back. “if i knew all you were going to do was complain, i would’ve asked gil to come and help instead. or maybe kenny.” she sticks her head out of the small window that’s just above nik’s head and looks down at him. “you’re not actually that bored by all this, are you?”