Chapter Text
When Zoya first met Bai Yi, that was not the name she went under.
Syndicate was a rough place to grow up in, with few honest jobs available outside of the gangs, but even then there were differences between the gangs. Not by much, mind you, but there’s a difference between collecting protection fees or loansharking, and outright engaging in human trafficking or the arms trade.
There are lots of ways to get by in Syndicate, but Zoya knew that there was one universal rule: to be strong, and smart.
Okay maybe that was two rules, but strength came in many forms. Zoya hadn’t always been strong, but she learned fast, and the language of the fist came naturally to her, as if she were born to it. People stopped messing with you if you were strong enough to defend yourself, and that was how she learned to make a living.
But she was small once, and Syndicate was never kind to children. You had to work hard to earn your keep, and trust no one unless you wanted a knife in your back. It was just that kind of place.
Zoya had always been stubborn as a bull, and she never ever backed down, even when outgunned and outnumbered. She might have been small once, but even bullies knew how to pick their targets. Someone who would fight tooth and nail and be willing to drag you down to hell with them even if it cost them their own life? Not worth the trouble.
That was the way Zoya chose to live, and she regrets nothing. So, when she first met Bai Yi, it was with a certain piqued interest at how one could live in an entirely different way. It was not a path she would choose for herself, but it was a path that worked, somehow.
Zoya was the kind of person who would beat you up until you cried uncle, but she wouldn’t pick a fight without cause, unless you had something she really wanted and wouldn’t give it up after she asked nicely the first time.
Bai Yi, though, wasn’t like that at all. She didn’t even go by that name at the time if she recalled right, but Zoya didn’t even know her name right at that point either, though she had heard of the rumours on the streets.
Liar, cheat, thief. On the rough streets of Syndicate, these could almost be considered badges of honour, however grudgingly given. Zoya personally preferred direct confrontation, winning over admirers and making enemies in equal measure, but Bai Yi? Her first resort was rarely violence, and she had an easy charm about her that made it easy to believe what she said, despite everything. Even her victims spoke of her with a kind of grudging respect.
Like yeah, I fucked up man, she got me good there.
It was the kind of racket that you were annoyed to have gotten tricked by, but not so much to declare blood feud unless you were super petty. Bai Yi was very good at treading that line, always staying one step ahead, and clever enough to slip away before things got dangerous.
Zoya, at first, does not understand this approach. It seemed like cheating somehow. But she does respect the racket, and people do what they can to live in Syndicate. There is no shame in this, especially since Bai Yi never actually harmed her personal interests. Zoya was not someone righteous, just another street rat from the gutters of Syndicate. Staying healthy and fed were more important priorities than the questionable ethics of a stranger.
That said though, their first encounter was entirely by chance, a teenage Zoya just minding her own business and definitely ignoring random encounters not involving herself happening in back alleys.
Thugs threatening young girls wasn’t an uncommon sight, and being a pretty young thing in Syndicate was usually more of a curse than a blessing. Zoya didn’t have much trouble, having won herself enough of a reputation that regular goons wouldn’t bother her without reason, and depending on her mood, would sometimes step in to intervene if the thugs were being too pushy.
Bai Yi had been cornered by no less than five thugs in a darkened alleyway, a carefree look on her face despite the less than ideal circumstances. Zoya had been at the mouth of the alley, the threatening voices of the gangsters having drawn her attention as she walked past, and she very clearly remembered meeting a young Bai Yi’s gaze across that distance.
Purple met cerulean, and there had been no fear in the latter’s eyes. Bai Yi’s hair hadn’t been as long as it is now, but she still had it in a high ponytail, a lazy grin playing on her lips.
Zoya does not know why she stopped to watch. This was the kind of scene that replayed itself over and over in alleyways all around Syndicate, so it wasn’t like there was anything particularly interesting about it, but something about the confidence in Bai Yi’s eyes had gotten her interest.
Zoya had always liked strong people, even if they were not quite as strong as her. Talent came from rare places, and Zoya liked collecting people who interested her. She didn’t know who Bai Yi was then, but it seemed like Bai Yi knew her, somehow, with the almost imperceptible nod acknowledging her spectating.
The thugs were yelling about handing something over and trying to grab at Bai Yi, but the slippery young woman was too fast to catch, dancing around them like they were clumsy toddlers taking their first steps. The smile never left her lips, though the cerulean eyes were focused and calculating.
It was no accident when one thug smashed into another, a wild swing aimed at Bai Yi hitting their comrade. Zoya watched with interest as Bai Yi played with her assailants like a puppetmaster pulling their strings, getting them to knock each other out by always being conveniently not present right before a strike connected…into someone else’s face.
Her hands weren’t even dirty when she finally stepped delicately over the groaning thugs to face Zoya at the mouth of the alley, a pout on her full lips as she got close. Zoya had her arms folded, watching her with interest. Bai Yi pulls up right before she gets within range of Zoya’s reach, sizing up the young woman who had simply watched her fight without intervening.
“I really ought to charge you a fee for that show.” Her voice was playful, but there was something in her stance that showed she was ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. Zoya cocks her head, intrigued.
“I thought you were inviting me to watch earlier.”
Bai Yi huffs. “Some Wolf of the Syndicate you are, letting a poor damsel in distress save herself.”
“You know who I am.” Zoya looks at her, certainty in her voice. Bai Yi shrugs noncommittally.
“I make it my business to know things.” Her eyes linger on Zoya’s exposed shoulders, intricate tattoos running up the length of her arms and across the breadth of her impressive frame. “You’re certainly not difficult to recognize.”
“You’re interesting, I like you.” Zoya grins, and Bai Yi chuckles.
“Why now, I didn’t take you for a flirt. My time is very expensive, you know. You think you could afford me?”
Zoya stutters for a moment; just barely out of her teens then, she was far more used to talking with her fists than whatever the hell this was. Bai Yi laughs sassily at the surprise on her face, stepping in close for the first time with a saucy grin.
“You’re cute, I like you.” A perfect counter to Zoya’s words earlier. Bai Yi blows a kiss at Zoya, winking outrageously as she sweeps past like a gust of wind, too fleeting to catch.
“Come look for me next time if you need help! I’ll even give you a discount!”
Zoya is left grasping at the wind as she turns, and Bai Yi is no longer anywhere to be seen. The tough young woman stares into the darkening sky for a long moment, then laughs to herself. It might be an unexpected first meeting, but it definitely wouldn’t be the last time they crossed paths.