Chapter Text
Mylo and Claggor would say there’s nothing that scares Vi. She can dish out punches and evade danger better than anyone. She’s their fearless leader, always ready to take them on a job and back without losing anyone. It’s that level of assurance that they have in her, that confidence she exudes, that makes them trust and believe in her.
But they’re wrong. Powder knows there’s something that scares Vi. And that’s because it scares Vander.
He’s like a silent spectre, never sitting at the bar where the noise is the loudest, or where the light is the brightest. Always taking to the shadows and sitting in the booth with a notebook in front of him and a pen in his hand, always engrossed in the numbers in front of him. Powder’s only seen him a handful of times and each time she’s noticed Vander’s shoulders tense as he polishes a glass. His hands don’t shake as he poures drinks, but on an occasion or two, he has spilled over Powder’s drink. This is when Benzo or someone else calls Vander drunk and slaps him hard on the shoulder. But Powder and Vi both know it’s because of that man.
For all their years spent living at the Last Drop, Powder’s never seen the man speak to Vander once. There’s a woman, Sevika (Vi helpfully supplies the name), who usually goes and speaks to Vander on behalf of the man. She brings the notebook and points inconsistencies out, calling to attention what needs to be cut and what needs to be replenished. Vander listens to her with half an ear, like everything she’s saying would sound so much clearer if it came from the man’s mouth instead.
Powder turns to look in his direction, but he’s already gone. She blinks, when Vi calls her out on spacing out. ’’Come on, Powder, we gotta go. Mylo and Claggor are waiting for us at the Arcade.’’
She smiles and goes, but she doesn’t miss the way Vi looks towards that booth, wondering where in Janna’s name that man went. He disappeared in a blink of an eye.
Powder flinches when she sees the man from a different angle. All this time, he’s always made sure to sit so the side facing the bar and any potential danger is always his good side. His eye is a deep wound, shrivelled and scarred. And suddenly Powder knows who this is.
’’Yeah, the Eye of Zaun,’’ Ekko’s holding his wooden sword and swinging it around, ’’he comes ’round to Benzo’s and they talk. Benzo’s always uneasy.’’ A shrug, a swipe of the sword, while Powder’s sitting cross-legged on the floor and holding onto her knees, looking up at Ekko raptly, listening and taking information in. ’’But you know, he always brings good business with him and gives us tips in advance if there’s gonna be an enforcer raid. So I guess he’s okay.’’ Another swipe. ’’Come oon, Powder.’’
Powder takes up her paint gun and stands up. She shrugs her shoulders. ’’Don’t come crying to me if you lose again, Little Man.’’
Ekko grins. He waves his sword. ’’Not gonna-’’
’’- happen!’’ Mylo’s pointing at Powder, angrily waving his hands around her. ’’You can’t be serious, Vi. She’s gonna jinx us.’’
’’Oh shut up,’’ Vi shuts this down, grimacing with disbelief, ’’like the shit you pull is any better.’’
Mylo’s sputtering. ’’I-I-I’ll have you know I got talent!’’
’’So does Powder.’’ Vi puts a hand on Powder’s shoulder and brings her closer, ’’She’s an awesome shot.’’
Claggor cracks a small smile. ’’Doesn’t hurt to bring her along.’’
They’re still too young to try and take their shit topside. Even Vi’s holding off on bringing Powder along to those jobs. So it’s a stunt they pull with enforcer’s stationed in Zaun. What’s supposed to be an easy pickpocketing gig turns into a full chase through the Lanes. Powder’s hood falls and they see her blue hair, singling her out. She pulls it up hastily and runs, but her legs are shorter than Vi, Claggor, and Mylo’s. And they climb up the marketplace stands faster than she does. Powder’s on the brink of screaming for help, as she sees the enforcers cornering her. But she succeeds in climbing the stand. The roof she’s on is cloth, but she’s light on her feet and she hopes it’ll support her. She can’t see Vi and the others, and that sets her off into another douse of panic. Especially when the enforcers throw things at her, to get her to come down.
’’Kid, we’re going to fucking get you and your friends, so just give up!’’
The other one’s laughing. With a crack of his knuckles: ’’Give the money back and we won’t beat you up too much.’’
Powder’s trying to navigate the marketplace atop the cloth awnings. The Enforcers can’t follow and they don’t have a clear view of her from the other awnings blocking it from sight the faster and harder she jumps from awning to awning. But she can’t see where Vi and the others went. And that accelerates Powder’s heart. That makes her whirl around madly until she misses a step and falls straight through the crack between two awnings.
She falls straight into a chair, groaning as it breaks her fall. Her head hurts, her ears ring, and she shakes it all off because there’s no telling how quickly the enforcers are going to come for her. They must have seen her slip. Powder whirls to take in her surroundings and blanches utterly at the man sitting at the booth on her right. She sees the Eye of Zaun stare right through her.
’’I saw her go this way!’’
’’When I get my hands on that brat-’’
Powder scrambles to her feet. But when she makes sure to duck away, she finds a vice, unrelenting grip on her upper arm holding her in place. ’’Jericho, another bowl for my friend here.’’ And he tosses her back in the chair she fell into moments ago. Slowly the Eye of Zaun turns toward Jericho, his back to the street and the enforcers approaching footsteps. Powder shakes as she takes his cue and positions herself the same. The bowl of Jericho’s is divine in front of her. And yet her stomach is in knots.
She feels a hand reach for her hood and toss it over her head. Patting her once. As a comfort. An assurance that she won’t get caught. Powder sees the Eye of Zaun leisurely take a fork and stab some of the fish. He eats, without a care in the world. Sitting in silence and looking straight ahead. Powder takes up her own fork and does the same, but her hands are shaking.
The enforcers are so close. She can hear them. They’re just one stall away. Because her hands shake so much, Powder has to hold one hand with the other to steady them. Why does this always keep happening to her? Why isn’t she fast enough? Why isn’t she tough enough? Powder chews on the fish and tries to lose her anxiety and fear in the wonderful taste of the food.
She can’t. Not when the enforcers flip open the flap of Jericho’s stall and announce her: ’’There she is! Kid –’’ but the enforcer’s threat dies on the tip of his tongue. Powder doesn’t turn away, no matter how much she wants to. Because if they don’t see her face, she’s just a kid in a hood. But if they see her face, then they’ll know who to look for later. Powder’s biting her lip raw, just trying to stay as still as she can.
’’Fuck it man, we’re getting our pay check tomorrow anyway-’’
’’But she’s right there-’’
Powder, very briefly, very carefully, turns a fraction so she can see, out of the corner of her eye, the way the older enforcer’s looking at the Eye of Zaun. Who has turned his back to Jericho, and is simply looking at the both of them, as if asking to see what their next move will be.
There is a reason why Vander is afraid of the man sitting beside Powder. And she begins to understand why that is. If this is the way enforcers react to him, he’s got to be bad news.
She curls her fingers inward, embedding her nails into her palm to stop herself from moving an inch. Once the enforcers have left, the Eye of Zaun spins back to face Jericho’s. He resumes eating in silence. Powder manages to finish the bowl, because she doesn’t want to offend the other’s extended hospitality. Plus, Jericho’s really is fantastic. When the ebb of anxiety unknots itself from her stomach, she even delights in the textures.
’’Thanks for the food.’’ Powder mumbles out. And then, what she knows is coming: ’’What do you want for it?’’ Helping someone out like this doesn’t come for free in Zaun.
The Eye turns so he looks at her head on. To really look at her, as if he couldn’t make her out very well from the angle he held before. ’’You’re one of Vander’s kids.’’
’’Yeah...’’ Powder nods. Maybe he won’t want anything from her, then, but from Vander. She grimaces, already anticipating the earful she’ll get from Vi, and then Vander to boot. ’’But you can’t ask him for anything.’’
’’I can’t?’’ There’s amusement shining in his other eye. ’’Who says? You?’’
’’Y-yeah I do.’’ Powder tries to appear as tall as she can as she speaks: ’’You helped me. So I gotta be the one to help you back.’’
’’I see.’’ The Eye of Zaun nods slowly. He turns away from her. ’’Did you hear that, Jericho?’’
Jericho makes some sort of noise that sounds a lot like ’she’s got you there’, before moving on to cook something else in his kitchen.
’’Well,’’ The Eye of Zaun makes a move of leaving, indicating that she is to follow, ’’I suppose I shall have to think very carefully how you’re going to help me, then.’’
Powder, if she’s being very honest, is terrified of what he’ll make her do. People like the Eye aren’t known for their kindness. Not if that’s the reaction the Pilties have of him.
He’s walking her to the Last Drop. They use lesser known paths that not even Vi knows about, let alone the enforcers from before. Powder feels important walking these paths without the rest of Vi’s gang, because next time, she’ll be sure to show this to them and be praised. Make up for being a screw up on this job.
Vi and the rest are already at the Last Drop, waiting outside and anxiously looking around. Vander’s exiting the shop, grim expression on his face, worry marring his features. He’s speaking to them, asking them where they last saw Powder. They’re preparing to go look for her.
But then Mylo catches sight of her. And he yells, with a big, relieved grin. ‘’Guys, she’s safe!’’ Only for him to register who’s with her. That’s when Powder sees the same expression the enforcer had cross over him. She turns to look up at the Eye of Zaun, who simply nudges her to keep going. The closer they get to the rest of them, the grimmer both Vi and Vander look. Powder thinks about running away, not facing them, just so she can prolong not getting the we were worried sick about you speech, never scare us like this again spiel, followed by what she knows is going to be a if you can’t keep up with all of us maybe you shouldn’t go on jobs like this comments.
The Eye of Zaun guides her forward, as if reading her thoughts. But instead of Powder having to defends herself and explain, it’s his calm and very cool voice that speaks instead: ‘’The enforcers won’t be coming back for her.’’ A disdainful once over for the rest of them. ‘’Or any of you.’’ A very small chorus of ‘’thank you’’s follows. His good eye narrows slightly, Powder watches. ‘’When you bring someone younger than yourself along, you make sure they’re not the last one behind on jobs like this.’’
‘’We’re sorry if she caused you any problems, sir.’’ Vi speaks like an older sister, having to take charge of Powder time and time again. She glances worriedly to Powder, and makes sure she isn’t hurt in any way. ‘’Thank you for helping her. If there’s anything I can do to repay you-‘’ Vander puts a hand on Vi’s shoulder, as if to tell her that it’s his duty as their father to deal with that part of this.
‘’As it stands,’’ The Eye of Zaun pats Powder on the shoulder, ‘’your sister’s already agreed to help me with a job. Isn’t that right?’’
Powder nods. ‘’Yeah.’’
The Eye of Zaun hasn’t acknowledged Vander once, this entire time. Vander, Powder watches, has to restrain himself from speaking to him, from asking him what he’s making Powder do.
Vi’s the one that asks, instead: ‘’What’s – what’s the job? Maybe I should better help out and make sure –‘’
‘’No need.’’ He says. Gesturing to Powder. ‘’She’s outright forbidden me from contracting either you or your father for this job.’’
Vander’s shoulders slump, in what Powder can only describe is relief. It must be because of the joking tone of the Eye, or an acknowledgement of Vander’s existence and role in their lives that does it.
Emboldened, Powder puffs out her chest and proclaims: ‘’Yeah, Mr Eye and I have a business agreement.’’
Vander breaks. He whispers so low, but not low enough so he isn’t heard: ‘’Mr Eye, eh?’’
Said Mr Eye is looking straight at Powder. He outstretches his hand for her to shake. ‘’As we will be business associates starting from today, it is crucial we make proper introductions. My name is Silco.’’
‘’Oh, uh,’’ Powder stammers, shaking his hand, ‘’hi, Mr Silco. My name’s Powder.’’