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“Mind if I join you?”
Caitlyn sat up straight on the wooden step she had been using as a makeshift seat and shifted her gaze away from the great tree in the centre of the courtyard, looking over to the woman strolling towards her.
“Vi? I thought you were helping Ekko prepare for our departure.”
“Don’t worry, he’s got everything sorted,” Vi said, brushing off any concern with a wave of her hand. “besides, I wanted to do something for you.”
“What are you up to?” Caitlyn asked with a hint of suspicion, and a little more than a hint of excited curiosity. Upon closer inspection, she realised Vi had been keeping one hand behind her back, looking rather like a mischievous child hiding something from their parents. “Wait, what are you holding?”
“A present. It’s nothing much, but I thought it seemed appropriate.”
With a raised eyebrow and a confident grin, Vi held out a small, plain cupcake. It was misshapen and lacked simple features such as icing or even a case, yet Caitlyn appreciated the gesture all the same. The gift was accepted graciously, and without hesitation.
“Where did you get this?”
“Stop asking questions and just eat it already.”
Caitlyn shrugged, cast aside the list of questions on her mind, and finished the cupcake in a few bites. Truthfully, it wasn’t especially remarkable, nor was it at all sweet, and yet, the radiant smile it left on her face was completely sincere. For it was a gift from Vi, and that alone made it wonderful.
“Enjoying the cupcake, Cupcake?”
“Did you come here just to make that joke?” Caitlyn asked, her smile not faltering for even a moment.
“So what if I did?”
“Then I would be mildly amused, and – if you’re very lucky – might even invite you to sit with me for a minute.”
No sooner had the words left Caitlyn’s lips than Vi followed along, sitting shoulder to shoulder with her on the wooden steps overlooking the courtyard. She didn’t have to sit so close, there was plenty of space on the step after all, but she evidently wanted this. Caitlyn never actually offered, but she certainly had no desire to argue.
“Hey, there’s something I’ve been wondering,” Vi began, giving her a gentle nudge. “what happened to your rifle?”
“You needed medicine, and that rifle was the only thing I had worth trading. So, I did what I had to do,” Caitlyn stated nonchalantly.
Vi stared at her in stunned silence, seemingly looking for the slightest hint of insincerity, or perhaps simply waiting for the punchline. “I…can’t believe you did that. Why did you?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because most topsiders would’ve gladly picked the gun over some trencher trash. As far as they’re concerned, people like me belong in the gutter.”
A part of Caitlyn wanted to object. Instinctively, she thought it right to refute such a spurious claim and dismiss anything further as absurd conjecture. Only a few days ago she would have done so without a second thought, and yet, she couldn’t bring herself to say the words – not after having seen the Undercity with her own eyes.
“Listen, Vi, I can’t speak for anyone but myself, so for whatever it’s worth, I promise you can count on me.”
“If you hadn’t saved my life twice already I’d say you’re full of it. But since you did, all I can say is thanks.”
“For the promise, or the saving your life?”
“For giving a damn.”
“That’s a low bar for praise.”
“Maybe, but at this point I’ll take what I can get. And I can’t deny you’ve proven to be surprisingly compassionate under all that enforcer shit.”
“And you’ve proven to be surprisingly charming underneath the many layers of tough girl bravado.”
Vi chuckled and nestled up against Caitlyn. “You too, Cupcake.”