A/N:
Chapter Summary: The Children devise a temporary plan as Enforcers stalk the Lanes after the botched robbery. Katya and Sevika teach the revolutionaries some basic first aid. Enyd's motherly instincts kick into overdrive. And act on it.
CW: Sevika makes a 'your mom' joke
Wednesday evening came and Katya filled the pockets within her father's coat with rolls of bandages, tubes of ointment, and vials of medicine. Unbeknownst to the haughty, Piltie medical staff assisting at the mines, she was carefully pilfering the gross abundance of supplies they had brought with them.
A bottle of painkillers here, a spool of surgical thread there.
In the afternoon on Monday, when the medical aid from Piltover finally showed up, Silco sneaked into the small curtained-off section in triage where Katya was setting an unconscious miner's leg. He expected her to jump at his surprise appearance, but she remained attentive and focused on her task, only giving him a quick flick of her eyes as an acknowledgement.
"The Topsiders are here," he had whispered.
"I know," she replied. "I've already heard them grumbling about assisting in the rescue efforts."
"They are currently bringing in their first shipment of medical equipment and supplies."
Katya's fingers stilled for a brief second in setting the splint.
"First?"
Silco nodded, the corners of his lips tilting in that tiny smirk he frequently wore.
"If I start occasionally sending Brothers and Sisters to you for minor medical assistance, do you think you could hand off supplies to them?"
Katya wrapped the miner's leg in a length of gauze, stabilizing the splints, and secured it with tape.
"I do not know any of the others," she said, finally looking at him. "How will I know if they are one of us?"
"We'll use a secret word."
As the day progressed, and as the doctors and nurses from Piltover – and their bountiful supplies – settled in, more miners were unearthed. Most alive, some inevitably dead or close to it. Most of the clinic's focus was on aiding the survivors; but some was given to those workers who got dinged up during the excavation. Clocked on the head by a rock or beam, pulled muscles from loading rubble into carts, cuts from being careless with equipment.
Katya made a point to be the staff member who aided these people. If she heard them murmur 'Zaun,' she'd hand them a small, random assortment of goods.
A couple times, she was hesitant to pass items off. One instance, the girl seemed too young, knobby-kneed, and button-nosed. But she looked fierce and determined, so Katya slipped her a couple vials of tranquilizers. The second time, a young man who looked to be about the same age as her, sauntered into her make-shift exam room and leaned against the table. He looked hungrily at her, and when she went to examine the wrist he said he had hurt, he leaned in too close and whispered the secret word in a low, husky breath. She deemed his wrist to be fine, and sent him along with a box of bandages. She decided it would not be right to deny other Brothers and Sisters because one happened to behave sleazily. It carried on like this Tuesday and Wednesday, Katya stowing away her own stash to bring to The Last Drop, and for her clients, as well.
Once her coat was sufficiently packed, Enyd's empty bag crossed over her shoulder, she locked her home and headed toward Sevika's. Her friend and her family lived in a too-small apartment a few streets down from the heart of one of the Undercity's major marketplaces. Katya slid around the outskirts of the stalls and tents, occasionally dipping through a narrow alley between vendors when an Enforcer appeared on her path.
She turned right at a wide-mouthed lane, followed the winding street away from the pulse and flicker of the marketplace, and came to a stop in front of a tall apartment building. It leaned so heavily into the canyon of the street that metal beams had been drilled and soldered into its across-the-street neighbor to keep it propped up.
Katya stepped under the portico and skimmed the directory before pressing the call button for Sevika's unit. The outgoing drone was quickly cut off by the line being picked up.
"I'll be out in a sec!" Sevika hurriedly promised. Behind her voice, Katya could hear the distinct whining and griping of her little brother. Before she could understand what the child was on about, the call was cut.
She stepped back into the lane, worrying the loose thread in her pocket. True to her word, Sevika appeared quickly; noisily running down the stairs and bursting through the door. Her silver eyes glimmered with annoyance; thick upper lip stuck in a curled sneer.
"Everything alright?" Katya asked.
Before her friend could answer, a small, piercing voice shot down from on high.
"Sevika!"
She growled and turned her head up. Katya followed her gaze and the voice up the face of the building to a window that was pushed open. A small boy with a mop of straight black hair and deep russet skin was hanging out halfway.
"I wanna come!" he cried.
"Go back inside, Lu!" Sevika yelled back. "You're not coming with! Saraph will be home with the twins in thirty minutes!"
"Please!"
"NO!"
Lu huffed and scowled. "You're the worst!"
"Right back at'cha, you little turd!"
He stuck out his tongue and blew a very wet raspberry in Sevika's direction. He then ducked back into the apartment and slammed the window shut.
"Little fucking menace," she hissed under her breath.
"He's a child, 'Vika," Katya admonished.
"He's a brat."
It was the medic's turn to scoff, "He is – what? – eight? He's a dítê."
Sevika rolled her eyes and began stalking down the lane, Katya at her heel. They walked in silence until the younger sighed, and asked, "What did you want to teach the Brothers and Sisters tonight?"
Per Benzo's idea, Katya had approached her friend Monday afternoon to ask if she would consider helping her teach the other revolutionaries how do administer basic first aid. Sevika had enthusiastically agreed, a wide, white smile splitting her coal-streaked face in half.
"I was thinking it would be best to keep it simple," Katya replied in a hushed voice. "How to wrap and bandage wounds."
Sevika nodded, "Simple enough."
Just as with the previous Wednesday, the pair rounded the back of the tavern and performed the intricate knock. After a moment, Silco opened the door. He appeared stiff and agitated.
"You're early," he commented as they slipped inside. He eyed the bag over Katya's shoulder, squinting in confusion. "Is that? – "
"Your mother's bag, yes," she answered. "I did not know when I might see her again. Can you return it?"
Silco sighed and mumbled, "She's here. You can give it to her yourself, if you'd like."
"Your mom's here?" Sevika asked, disbelieving. "Like, for the meeting?"
"Yes," he answered tightly, "for the meeting. She wants to know what's going on."
"That's great!" she chirped. "Maybe she can encourage older Trenchers to join us!"
Katya watched the man's face pinch and she said, "Do not saddle his mother with such a big expectation, 'Vika."
The trio entered the large stockroom. Crates had already been butted up against the walls, and a small number of people had already arrived. Enyd sat at the back of the room, stitching the hole in a shirt. Vander and Mek stood near the front of the room, both of their hulking frames leaned over a stack of crates as they quietly spoke. The augmenteer had a stubby pencil in his hand and he scribbled over a scrap of paper. Benzo was propped up in a ratty wingback chair, his injured leg held up by a small box. He still looked a little sallow and tired, but Katya noted that his eyes were not nearly as fever-fogged as when she had last seen him.
"Sevika, can you go ask Benzo if we can use him for our lesson? I want to go put these supplies away."
"Uh, yeah. Sure," she responded, leaving Katya and Silco's sides.
"You have supplies?"
She nodded. "In my coat."
When his eyebrows dipped, she opened one half of her coat and opened one of the secret pockets she'd sewn into the seams. She reached in and produced a small bottle of painkillers. Silco's eyebrows and the corners of his mouth lifted, and an amused breath puffed through his lips.
"Very innovative," he praised.
He walked with her to the corner of the stock room where she and Vander had stashed her first offering of supplies the week before. Watching Katya pull vial after vial, bandage after bandage, syringe after syringe from her coat, Silco was reminded of hearing about something called a 'circus.'
When he was little, there had been flyers stuck to the lamp posts on the Promenade advertising for the event. It would take place in the heart of the Golden City, so of course he and his mother could not go; but the images of exotic animals, colorful tents, and people with painted faces had intrigued him. He battered anyone he could with questions about it. What was a circus? What happened there? What did the animals do? Who were the painted people?
He had finally found some answers in a wizened miner who was working the same tunnel as him and his mother. He claimed that he snuck into a circus in his youth, and regaled Silco with descriptions of acrobats and giant wild cats leaping through rings of fire. There had also been people called magicians – not mages – who performed sleight of hand and magic tricks that enthralled the audience; pulling a whump out of a hat and strings of handkerchiefs out of their mouths. The people with the painted faces were called clowns, and they performed silly skits. Apparently, one skit involved over ten clowns emerging from a comically small carriage. The old Trencher recalled that after the fourth clown appeared from the tiny vehicle, the audience began to gasp and laugh in increasing disbelief and joy as more and more performers tumbled out onto the dirt arena.
Watching Katya pull several medical supplies from her unassuming coat, he thought her a little bit magical and mischievous. He'd never been to a circus, nor seen magicians nor clowns, but he thought the delight and wonder with which he watched her had to be similar to that of the old miner.
"What?" she asked, wedging rolls of bandages between bottles of ale. She felt her cheeks pinch pink and her lips pulled into a self-conscious smile.
"I'm just," Silco began, his mind racing to explain why he had been staring at her, "glad that you decided to help us. We'll be much better off with your access and expertise."
Katya was grateful that the blush she felt creeping under her skin stayed mostly to her neck, which was hidden by the collar of her coat. Once the last of the stolen goods was hidden away, they made to stand and she unslung the bag from her shoulders.
"I need to give this back to your mother."
While putting the supplies in there hiding spot, the stockroom had filled more. Katya craned her neck over the incoming crowd and spied the woman on the stack of crates with her needlepoint. Her lips were in a tight, amused line and her blue eyes flicked up as she felt the other's on her. Gently weaving through the meandering bodies, she and Silco made their way to her.
"Hello, Katya," Enyd greeted, setting her sewing in her lap.
"I wanted to return your bag," she said quietly, clumsily folding the canvas sack and handing it to her.
"Oh, thank you, dear. Where you able to find a use for those trinkets?" Enyd asked, taking the bag, and stowing it under her sewing.
Silco's eyebrow cocked at the question. Before he could inquire, Katya answered.
"Yes, I took them to Benzo's, and Cairn was able to give me coin for them – "
"Wonderful!"
"H-he gave me quite a lot," Katya said in a hurried and hushed voice. "I don't feel right not giving you any in return."
Enyd's jaw set and she took the young woman by her upper arm.
"Katya," she said firmly. "It was not strictly a favor. I am paying for your services. Yes? How much would that medicine cost otherwise?"
Katya's voice caught in her throat; her mouth opening and closing mutely until words came.
"I – I am not sure. The mine gets the product at cost because of buying in bulk – "
Enyd chuckled and gently shook her arm, "It's alright, Katya. You are helping us," she glanced up at her son, "let us be there for you."
Just as when the older woman had presented her with the bag of treasures, Katya's throat squeezed and her heart clenched.
"I'm sorry," Silco broke in, "what are you referring to?"
"Alrigh' let's get this gatherin' goin'!" Vander yelled over the crowd, clapping his hands, and walking over to the designated front of the room. The chatter of the crowd died down and heads swiveled towards the barkeep.
Vander's eyes found Silco in the crowd and he jerked his chin, beckoning his friend to join him. Giving his mother and Katya one last look, he left their sides and strode to the front of the room.
"Now, all o' yas probably know that we did not get th'shipment last weekend," Vander began, his tone apologetic but firm enough to insinuate that commentary was not wanted. Regardless, a discontented murmur slithered through the crowd.
Vander's jaw ground side to side, his eyes skirting over scared and agitated faces. At the back of the room, he spied Katya standing next to Enyd. He peeled his tongue from the roof of his mouth and stood taller.
"The plan fallin' apart is on me, Sil, n' 'Zo," he added. Beside him, Silco's face briefly twisted before dropping back into something aloof. He folded his arms across his chest as Vander continued.
"We shoulda planned better n' made our instructions clearer 'fore headin' out on th'job," he said, settling large, bruised hands on his hips. "We'll do better next time – "
"When will next time be?" a voice called out.
Heads swiveled in the direction of the question, and Katya's nose wrinkled to see that it was the same Brother that had whispered the secret word too close and too wet into her ear earlier in the week.
Annoyingly, but not entirely unfairly, questioning murmurs ghosted through the crowd as the Brothers and Sisters looked back to Vander, Silco, and Benzo.
"There haven' been no other reports of artillery shipments comin' in," Vander answered. "An' even when they do start deliverin' again, security may be beefed up."
"What we need are more numbers," Silco broke in. "We can use this blunder to our advantage."
Vander looked over to his Brother. The crowd leaned in, interested as to what he meant.
"LeDaird has ordered more Enforcer presence in the Lanes since Saturday. The brutes are questioning and intimidating anyone and everyone in their path. We can use this injustice to persuade more Fissure Folk into our fold. This setback can be a means to bolster the Children of Zaun's numbers."
The bodies in the room shifted in tentative excitement, wondering hums and looks exchanged between neighbors. Next to her, Katya felt Enyd tense, her breath hitching. It caught in a wheeze at the back of her throat, and the older woman brought up the back of her forearm to muffle the sound of the cough. Katya reached for the glass of water at her side and Enyd met her hand halfway, gratefully taking it. Her blue eyes crinkled in silent thanks as she lifted the drink to her mouth.
"That'll be th'focus fer now," Vander agreed. "Get more people t'join the cause. Topside may have means, but we have the numbers."
Stronger sounds of affirmation jostled through the room and Vander looked pleased. He grinned and looked to Silco. The other's lips hooked up briefly, but despite it having been his idea disappointment rippled under his skin.
"Now," Vander called again, cueing the crowd to quiet, "not gettin' th'weapons wasn' the only thing that went wrong last Saturday." He gestured over to where Benzo sat propped up, "'Zo got shot."
Benzo jokingly waved and flourished toward his bandaged leg.
"Luckily, one o' our newest Sisters was able to patch him up," Vander continued, bright silver eyes honing in on Katya. "An' she n' Sev have agreed t'take us through some patchin' n' healin' basics. Katya?"
Katya felt her cheeks heat up as heads swiveled in her direction.
"Give me your coat, dear," Enyd murmured, already gently peeling it from her shoulders.
Katya allowed her and made her way toward Benzo. A low, wheezy whistle blew through the bodies, followed by stifled giggles and groans. Unsurprisingly, it was the troublesome young miner. His friends sniggered around him, while Katya frowned and rolled her eyes. She made a point to stand taller and drew her shoulders back.
Vander and Silco stepped into the audience, allowing the room's attention to fall on Benzo and the two women flanking his chair. While the barkeep stepped only a few people deep into the crowd, Silco slithered a little farther in, skirting the edges.
"You're alright to do this?" Katya asked Benzo in a hushed voice.
He smiled, nodding, and gave her a thumbs-up. An appreciative look came over her face and she tenderly placed a hand on his lifted shin. She looked to Sevika. The teen was vibrating, excited to help lead something; to be looked at for guidance and information. She grinned broadly, her round cheeks colored coral.
Finally, Katya faced the gathering fully and took a deep breath.
"Hello Nurse!" the cat-caller cried, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify what he clearly thought was a clever jape.
The group around him cackled loudly, and Katya sorely wished she still had her coat. She would've whipped out her father's revolver and shot the ground at the asshole's feet. Her teeth squeaked between the squeezing of her upper and lower jaw, willing some sort of snappy retort to arrive on her tongue.
Suddenly, there was a loud, splintering THWACK! The miner's laugh was cut short and he jumped as a knife blade appeared between his fingers, expertly threading the gap between them, and puncturing the wooden crate beneath. The hilt was in Silco's white knuckle grip and he stared down at the instigator.
Daggers in his icy eyes, as well as his hand.
The group that had been laughing with their friend began to rustle agitatedly; clearly wanting to stick up for their peer, but uncertain if they should mess with one of the revolution's founding members. The air was sucked out of the room as the rest of the crowd tensed. Enyd had bolted out of her seat, clutching Katya's coat against her chest. Her eyes were wide with fear and disbelief. Once again – for a split second – she didn't recognize her boy. The flash in his eyes; the twisted scowl on his face. But she restrained herself from interfering. If she wanted access to his world, she needed to adapt and let him be the leader. Her jaw cramped and her heart thundered. A gross tickle built in the back of her throat, and she choked back the phlegm climbing her trachea.
Finally, the cat-caller scoffed, "It's just a joke, mate."
"Your commentary is unimaginative, unnecessary, and unwelcome," Silco snapped back.
"Shut the fuck up, Kells," Sevika added, puffing her shoulders, and glowering at the man beneath Silco's blade.
Kells huffed and slumped back into his seat. Silco unstuck the blade's tip before tucking it back in his shirtsleeve. Katya watched, her cheeks sucked against her teeth in overwhelm. She looked at Kells, who sat like a toddler – arms crossed and avoiding her gaze – and then to Silco. He gave the smallest of nods to encourage her to continue. She swallowed her crossness down, along with a sweet swell of gratitude and began the lesson.
"Tonight, Sevika and I will show you how to treat and dress an open wound that does not need sutures – "
"What's sutures?" came a loud, young voice from within the group.
The interruption through her off, but the bright genuineness of the question caused her to grin.
"Sutures is another term for stitches."
"What if the cut needs su-chus?" came another voice.
"Pipe down!" Vander cried over the heads of the revolutionaries.
"We will get to that a different time," Katya said. "For now, let us keep things simple, yes?"
She stepped to the side and allowed Sevika to kneel behind Benzo's extended leg, dictating the steps as her friend completed them. For the most part, the presentation was quiet, save for the intermittent murmurs and hums of understanding and awe.
"Now, obviously, we are just redressing Benzo's wound here," Katya explained. "If and when you need to assist another or yourself, chances are likely that it will be . . . messier. Once you and the injured person are in a safe space, you'll remove any clothing that may be in the way."
Sevika plucked at the fraying edge of Benzo's cut pantleg pointedly.
"An' be certain to bring any bloody clothes with ya," Vander interjected, "or burn 'em. We don' want'a leave a trail fer Enforcers t'follow. Yeah?"
"Vander is correct," Katya agreed, her stomach jolting. She hadn't thought of that piece. Of Enforcers using bloody clothing and trails to sniff out the Children. She was grateful for his attention to that detail.
"But before you do away with any piece of cloth, make sure that there are no scraps or threads stuck in the wound. Leaving foreign objects in the body could lead to infection. Before I could stitch Benzo up or dress his wound, I needed to fish out a piece of his trousers that the bullet took in with it."
"Hurt like a mother fucker, too," Benzo added with a shudder.
"Yes, it is not pleasant. But developing sepsis is even worse – "
"What's sepsis?"
Another rogue question from a small voice.
"Sepsis is the body's extreme reaction to an infection," Sevika answered. "It causes your organs to malfunction, and shut down if not treated."
Katya's chest swelled with pride as her young friend took a more active role in the demonstration. She was pleased that 'Vika had retained so much from their time together.
"Speaking of," the medic continued, "this is a particular challenge in the Undercity, but when you go to clean or dress a wound – fresh or no – do so with as clean of hands and tools as possible."
Muted scoffs and muttered exasperations prickled in the air. Heads shook and eyes rolled.
"I know, I know. Just . . . do the best that you can under the circumstances. Now, once the injured party is in a safe location and you are certain there are no foreign bodies in the wound, you will want to gently clean the area with water and a clean cloth."
Sevika made a show of dutifully and delicately wiping down Benzo's leg around the healing wound.
"Didn' know ya had such a soft touch, Sev," Benzo joked.
"You should talk to your mother more then!" Sevika snapped back.
The group snorted and giggled. Vander and Silco went about trying shush them, and Katya closed her eyes, her hands finding a home on her hips.
Children indeed.
The laughter simmered quickly under her, Vander, and Silco's unamused looks, and she was able to continue.
"Once the area is clean enough, take a piece of cloth or gauze, place it over the wound and apply direct pressure."
Sevika took up a square swatch of gauze and draped it over the line of stitches, before lifting to her knees, placing a large hand on Benzo's thigh and pressing down. He yelped and hissed, and a shit-eating grin curled her lips.
"It will hurt," Katya confirmed. "As should a tourniquet, if it is necessary." She paused. "We will discuss tourniquets next, perhaps.
"Once it seems like the blood is clotting, take a long strip of fabric or gauze, or whatever you have available, and wrap the body part."
Sevika unrolled a length of gauze and wound it around Benzo's meaty thigh, mindfully overlaying the strips as she went.
"Don't make it too tight," she said, tucking the end of the cloth into the pleats of the bandage.
Katya nodded and finished, "The wound will need to be cleaned every day. We will have anti-biotic ointment and burn cream in our stores. Not many, though, so we will have to administer them on a triage basis."
Silence stretched through the store room and Katya nervously shifted from one foot to the other.
"Are . . . there any questions?"
There were murmurs at first, and then like a wave coming to shore, a swell of questioning voices crashed over Katya and Sevika.
"What if a limb needs to be amputated?"
"What's triage?"
"Is it true that if you soak in mineral water, it's good for a cut?"
"I have a cut. Can you take a look at it?"
"How long does it take something like that to heal?"
"What are we supposed to do if someone's guts get blown outta their body? What's that called?"
Katya put her hands on her hips again and sighed.
"That is called evisceration," she said heavily. "Hopefully it is something we will never have to deal with – "
"But have you seen it?" a young, wide-eyed teen asked.
"I have," she answered. The youth in the crowd 'oo-ed' and 'ah-ed'.
"Like I said, hopefully it is something we are spared."
Katya's heart pattered and her tongue felt fizzy as she added, "Hopefully we are free before something like that can happen."
Her gaze found Vander and Silco's in the crowd, and she smiled at their hopeful expressions of pride. The rest of the questions were shared between her and Sevika. Benzo even answered a few of his own. Namely "Did it hurt?" and "Did you cry?"
The meeting slowly petered out, the Children having instructions to lay low and scope out potential recruits.
Before leaving Benzo's side, Katya rechecked his wound and its wrappings.
"How have you been feeling?"
"A little better each day. Fever's gone down, I think."
She held the back of her hand to his forehead, and then his cheeks.
"It seems so," Katya agreed. "You've been eating and drinking, yes?"
"Yeah, Van's keepin' me well-fed and watered – "
"Actually water, right?" she sternly asked. "Not beer."
"No beer – "
"Or hard liquor."
Benzo rolled his eyes. "Aye. He's been followin' your pain-in-the-ass-no-fun instructions t'the letter."
"Not fer a lack of tryin' to misbehave," Vander chuckled, appearing at Katya's side. "Caught 'im tryin' to hobble his way to the bar one morning."
"Walking on it may not be a bad idea at this point," Katya mused. "To maintain strength in your leg before the muscles can atrophy any further."
"Oi, Van."
Mek had trundled up to their small group, the paper he had been scribbling on earlier clenched in his large hands.
"I should have your things ready by the end of this week. We got plenty o' scraps in the back." He looked the Katya and continued, "Your brother's brace should be ready by Friday, by the way."
She nodded, still not use to the various contexts of her life intermingling in one place. Her mind raced, trying to recall how much coin was left from her clients; then she remembered the surplus of money Cairn had given her and her worry eased.
Mek bid them good night and shuffled off.
"If the walking goes well," Katya said, rising to her feet and brushing the dust from her knees, "you should be able to return to your shop soon."
Benzo chuckled. "Yeah, don' want Cairn over payin' for anymore items."
Despite his playful wink, Katya's stomach dropped.
"He's jus' pullin' yer leg," Vander said kindly, knocking an elbow against her side. "Cairn came by t'give 'em an update on shop happenings. Mentioned ya stopped by."
Discomforting relief coated Katya's bones. She forced a grin and said, "Right. I should be heading home."
"I'll walk with you!" Sevika offered.
"Yes, thank you, 'Vika," Katya said. Her fingers went to worry the thread in her coat pocket before realizing she wasn't wearing it.
"I need to get my coat. Give me a moment."
She weaved through the mingling bodies to the back of the room. She spied Kells as she went, skulking out of the basement with his group of friends. His dark brown eyes briefly flicked to her and his nostrils flared before he disappeared into the hallway. Unease crawled under her skin like cave lice skittering up rock. She shook it off and continued toward Enyd's perch at the back.
Silco was at her side, the two quietly discussing something. The woman's face seemed sterner than at the start of the meeting, and Silco's own expression was tight. Katya was certain she was reprimanding him for nearly skewering Kells' hand. She felt awkward about inserting herself, but she was not going to leave her father's coat behind.
Silco noticed her first. He stood to his full height and his face softened. Enyd gawped for a moment until she also saw the young medic approach.
"Thank you for doing that," Silco said. His eyes flicked around the room before adding, "I'm sorry some of our recruits are not as respectful as they should be."
Katya's mouth quirked and she shrugged.
"The Undercity needs as many supporters as possible. Beggars cannot be choosers. Not all the Brothers and Sisters will be couth – "
"The ability to respect someone is not exclusive to those of us with manners," Silco countered. "He won't interrupt you again."
Warmth spread through the medic's cheeks and she hoped the flush was minimal.
"Well," she stammered, "thank you for your help with the presentation then."
"Katya," Enyd said, gently handing over her father's coat. "I received a large bushel of produce as payment from one of my tailoring clients. Silco and I cannot possibly eat it all before it turns. Would you join us for supper tomorrow?"
Both Silco and Katya stilled at her offer. Blindly, not taking her eyes from the older woman's face, the she reached for her coat and hugged it against her chest.
"I wouldn't want to impose – "
"Nonsense," Enyd scoffed, her hand flicking through the air as if to brush the concern away. "If it was an issue, I wouldn't have offered."
"I – I will not have been able to clean up after work. I do not want to come to your home filthy."
"My dear. I live with my son, who is a manual laborer in the mines. I am unperturbed by most mess."
"Mum – "
"I insist," Enyd implored.
A grin Katya did not mean to let loose curled her lips. She looked gratefully to Enyd and then curiously to her son. Only for a moment was Silco lost for words.
"Yes, come for dinner," he finally said.
A strange cheerfulness coated Katya's insides and she agreed. As she slipped her arms through the sleeves of her coat, Enyd gave their address and the time she should stop by.
She bid them good night as Sevika appeared at her side. The pair left the stockroom, and mother and son watched them go; Silco's eyes lingering after they had disappeared through the doorway.
The hair on the back of his neck prickled and he turned to see his mother regarding him. She looked smug for reasons he couldn't understand.
"What?" he demanded.
"It's nothing."
A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Again, if you are enjoying this story so far, please drop a comment!
Coming Up Next: The Council convenes to address Rynweaver and other donor's concerns about the Academy's scholarship program. Katya has dinner with Silco and Enyd. Can it be called a date if your mother instigated it and she's there?