[just as Caitlyn touching Vi was grounding her, so it was grounding Vi herself. she takes a few steadying breaths as she lets the hand slip from her head and looks up at Caitlyn again.]
Yeah, fine. You?
[her eyes scan her for anything that seems out of place. a hair, a scratch, anything. but Caitlyn looks exactly the same way she'd remembered back then at home.
at home. but this was also a home to her, too. how could she forget that?
I think so. I'd heard of a few people, going home and coming back with new memories. I didn't expect...
[It to happen to them. After so long? Vi was almost at two years, and she had almost been there a year and a half. After all that time, what changed, that they would deem it time for them both to leave and come back, together? She's not mad, at least about the together part, but it's still a lot to wrap her head around.
But somehow...she's not mad, to be here, either. She thinks about friends she had made, about how they had made it a home, and how-- Shit. Jinx? Was she still here? And...Gods, Viktor. She was going to have to check in on him, too.]
You're the dirt under my nails, Violet. [She echos the quote that filled her with so much happiness, to know that Vi was with her until the end, no matter what they found themselves in next. She didn't expect anything like this, but she would always be happy to have Vi at her side, whatever the universe brought their way.]
[there's a lump in her throat. did her sister go back too? was she still here? was... Silco still here? what about Viktor?
oh god, Viktor.
but then she comes back to reality at the answer to her question. at the full name. at the words that she'd said to Vi only hours ago, at least to her.
she can't help it. she moves to grasp Caitlyn in a rough embrace, relief flooding her chest. she'd seen the eye patch, known that it was likely... but still, she didn't know. the confirmation was everything she needed to know. that as always, they were on the same page.
gods, she loved her.
it's while she's holding Caitlyn for dear life that she speaks again. low. almost in a whisper.]
[It's...wild, to remember the fear she felt, over the idea of losing Vi when they went home. She did lose Vi, for a little while, and it was all her fault. It still twists her up inside, for the mistakes she made, for pushing Vi away, for hurting her, but for some insane reason, Vi has forgiven her and still loves her.
It catches her a little off guard, when Vi throws herself at Caitlyn and pulls her close. She melts into Vi's embrace, burying her face into her love's shoulder and closing her eye.
The relief she felt, knowing they really were on the same page. The relief that they were both back here again, together, and didn't have to stress about being separated or pulled apart again.]
I know.
[Because-- of course. There's no shame in her voice, no question to it. She knows, and she wouldn't have it any other way. She would never make Vi choose between her and her sister again, but it didn't have to be a choice here, did it? Unless...she was gone. Gods, she hoped, for Vi's sake, that wasn't the case.]
When was the last time you saw her? Silco had said-- that she was gone. I haven't kept tabs on her in months.
[Vi doesn't move yet. it's still so much to grasp on to, this life that she'd forgotten. tie that in with the fact that... so much had happened in such a short time at home, and she's feeling some sort of way about it. she doesn't know if she's angry, or upset, or happy. she had friends here that she would like to see again, and Jinx. and the relative simplicity at times of this world is kind of appealing after whatever the fuck that was with Viktor.
everything in hindsight seems to matter even less now.]
It's been a couple months. I dunno, October? November? She was running some errands or something out of town.
[she puts her chin on Caitlyn's shoulder, sighing quietly.]
[Caitlyn doesn't question it, doesn't question her. She happily holds Vi, rubbing her back gently, knowing she's processing a lot of feelings.
Grieving Jinx had been...a time. Even if Caitlyn was positive Jinx was still out there, it didn't make losing her sister any easier on Vi. And now? It was like the Jinx wound was in danger of being ripped open again. What if Jinx really was gone? What if she had left, and didn't come back like they did?
It would be better, if Jinx didn't remember what they did. If she still just remembered here, and not-- everything else that went to shit.
But she knows, regardless, she wasn't going to be able to stop Vi from trying to see her. She wanted Vi to see her, to have her sister again, because she deserved to be happy for one goddamn minute, even if it was in this torture creation.]
[Caitlyn is so incredible. to let herself let go of what Jinx had done, to still encourage her sister to be in Vi's life... to not want to kill her anymore?
it's wild. and she knows firsthand how hard it is, from the fact that Silco was here too. she doesn't know how she does it.
she sighs a bit, and then sits back down on the bed.]
Man... you'll have a lot to update your Conspiracy Wall with at the detective agency, huh?
[It wasn't easy. Caitlyn hadn't wanted to believe that Jinx changed, either. It was extra confusing now, having their memories from this place mashed together with their own, but... seeing how happy Vi and Jinx had been, with their father? Seeing the way Jinx fought to save Vi, and surrendered, no questions asked? It changed her view on the other woman. But more than anything, she...trusted Vi. And if Vi said she was different and worth saving, then... she was. Vi and her happiness was worth more to Caitlyn than her quest for vengeance.
Even with the heavy thoughts, she smiles at Vi's joke, getting a soft laugh.]
Yes, I'll have my work cut out for me. [She's going to want to talk to anyone, that's experienced something similar, too. She needs to collect data and see what she can learn from it, like the nerd that she is.]
[Vi falls quiet for a moment, pensive. she's not even really sure what to do from here, and she reaches out to slip her hand into Caitlyn's. it's... going to take some getting used to, again. rifling through all of the memories...]
I'm just glad we're still... [there's so many words she could say here, that she has a hard time picking one.] I'm glad we're still on the same page.
[Caitlyn takes Vi's hand without any hesitation, squeezing it with as much reassurance as she can manage.]
So I am. I was worried, if we ever went home... it wouldn't be like this.
[That they wouldn't go together, that everything would be worse, that they'd lose each other-- and they did, but they found each other again, and came back, together.]
I love you, Violet. [She knows she doesn't have to say it, but she wants to.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Yeah, fine. You?
[her eyes scan her for anything that seems out of place. a hair, a scratch, anything. but Caitlyn looks exactly the same way she'd remembered back then at home.
at home. but this was also a home to her, too. how could she forget that?
but then she voices Caitlyn's own concern:]
What... do you remember?
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[It to happen to them. After so long? Vi was almost at two years, and she had almost been there a year and a half. After all that time, what changed, that they would deem it time for them both to leave and come back, together? She's not mad, at least about the together part, but it's still a lot to wrap her head around.
But somehow...she's not mad, to be here, either. She thinks about friends she had made, about how they had made it a home, and how-- Shit. Jinx? Was she still here? And...Gods, Viktor. She was going to have to check in on him, too.]
You're the dirt under my nails, Violet. [She echos the quote that filled her with so much happiness, to know that Vi was with her until the end, no matter what they found themselves in next. She didn't expect anything like this, but she would always be happy to have Vi at her side, whatever the universe brought their way.]
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[there's a lump in her throat. did her sister go back too? was she still here? was... Silco still here? what about Viktor?
oh god, Viktor.
but then she comes back to reality at the answer to her question. at the full name. at the words that she'd said to Vi only hours ago, at least to her.
she can't help it. she moves to grasp Caitlyn in a rough embrace, relief flooding her chest. she'd seen the eye patch, known that it was likely... but still, she didn't know. the confirmation was everything she needed to know. that as always, they were on the same page.
gods, she loved her.
it's while she's holding Caitlyn for dear life that she speaks again. low. almost in a whisper.]
If Jinx is here... I have to find her.
[she has to see her sister again. has to.]
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It catches her a little off guard, when Vi throws herself at Caitlyn and pulls her close. She melts into Vi's embrace, burying her face into her love's shoulder and closing her eye.
The relief she felt, knowing they really were on the same page. The relief that they were both back here again, together, and didn't have to stress about being separated or pulled apart again.]
I know.
[Because-- of course. There's no shame in her voice, no question to it. She knows, and she wouldn't have it any other way. She would never make Vi choose between her and her sister again, but it didn't have to be a choice here, did it? Unless...she was gone. Gods, she hoped, for Vi's sake, that wasn't the case.]
When was the last time you saw her? Silco had said-- that she was gone. I haven't kept tabs on her in months.
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everything in hindsight seems to matter even less now.]
It's been a couple months. I dunno, October? November? She was running some errands or something out of town.
[she puts her chin on Caitlyn's shoulder, sighing quietly.]
I just want to see her again. Whole.
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Grieving Jinx had been...a time. Even if Caitlyn was positive Jinx was still out there, it didn't make losing her sister any easier on Vi. And now? It was like the Jinx wound was in danger of being ripped open again. What if Jinx really was gone? What if she had left, and didn't come back like they did?
It would be better, if Jinx didn't remember what they did. If she still just remembered here, and not-- everything else that went to shit.
But she knows, regardless, she wasn't going to be able to stop Vi from trying to see her. She wanted Vi to see her, to have her sister again, because she deserved to be happy for one goddamn minute, even if it was in this torture creation.]
I know. I want that for you, too.
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it's wild. and she knows firsthand how hard it is, from the fact that Silco was here too. she doesn't know how she does it.
she sighs a bit, and then sits back down on the bed.]
Man... you'll have a lot to update your Conspiracy Wall with at the detective agency, huh?
no subject
Even with the heavy thoughts, she smiles at Vi's joke, getting a soft laugh.]
Yes, I'll have my work cut out for me. [She's going to want to talk to anyone, that's experienced something similar, too. She needs to collect data and see what she can learn from it, like the nerd that she is.]
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I'm just glad we're still... [there's so many words she could say here, that she has a hard time picking one.] I'm glad we're still on the same page.
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So I am. I was worried, if we ever went home... it wouldn't be like this.
[That they wouldn't go together, that everything would be worse, that they'd lose each other-- and they did, but they found each other again, and came back, together.]
I love you, Violet. [She knows she doesn't have to say it, but she wants to.]
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it's so comforting.]
Yeah. And... we did it. We have each other, even at home.
[even though the cost was so high. so terribly high.]
I love you too, Caitlyn. I always have... through everything at home, too.