Chapter Text
Only once they were sat in one of the large dining areas of Polis did the ringing in the women's ears go away. Valya had gotten her palm cleaned and sewn, too weary to do so herself. Now Yelena was returning to their table with two glasses of ice-cold water; it was all either of them wanted at the moment.
"We can take the books around tomorrow and have them appraised and looked at, and I'll take a closer look myself." Valya spoke between long drinks of water. "It's too late and I'm too tired."
"I'm with you there," Nina replied, her nose also buried deep in the glass. They were lucky they still had clean, fresh water in the metro. Nothing felt quite like it.
Once she had downed her cup, Valya spotted a familiar face in the crowd coming towards her. A smile spread across her lips as he neared, one he returned when he met her gaze.
Nina waited to turn, noticing the recognition in Valya's eyes but not wanting to make herself obvious. She realized she had no need to turn, however, as the man approached their table directly. He took the third remaining chair and spun it around, sitting in it backwards.
"Good evening, ladies," he said with a smile, curved by a scar near his upper lip. "I hope I am not interrupting."
"Not at all," Valya replied. "We were just resting. We returned from the surface not long ago."
"So I heard. Tell me, Valya, what kind of fantastical story do you have to tell me today?"
Yelena knew he didn't mean to ignore her, but Yelena also knew that Idiot—she always had trouble remembering his real name, but he seemed to prefer that anyway—had no interest in her, anyhow. They knew each other in passing, and had for some years now, but being two Rangers does not make two friends. It was different for him and Valya, she noticed time and time again.
Valya scoffed, compiling the events of that night in her head. "Well, you might not believe me."
"Try me. And you might have a scar to prove it." He tapped a finger lightly against the side of her hand, where the bandages were wound tightly around it.
Valya flinched slightly at the touch, masking it with a nod towards Yelena. "We were chased by a Librarian on the surface."
Idiot's eyes widened genuinely. "Am I speaking with a pair of ghosts, then?"
Valya laughed lightly. "Almost. It took my boot."
"And I shot it," Yelena added, downing her glass as well after she spoke. "It didn't seem to mind, but at least that got it away from us."
"I think it was just glad we were out of its territory."
"I'm not surprised, Valya. You seem to have a knack for escaping large beasts hellbent on devouring you."
Yelena rolled her eyes slightly. Neither were looking at her, but she was slightly amused by their exchange nonetheless. She spoke up, not wanting to be entirely excluded, "She does, doesn't she? I'm not sure if I would have preferred staring them in the eye like she suggested."
"I've heard of that as well. I've never had to do it, myself, but I wonder how easy it might be. They could have been human, once."
Valya felt a shiver go down her spine. "Interesting to say in retrospect. But to look at them, you can only hope there's nothing human in them. If there is, I don't like what that says for us."
"It would be telling, if so. It's only right that those of us who survived without scurrying underground like rats would turn into beasts." He stood from the chair, giving a nod to both Yelena and Valya in farewell. "But we'll have to speak on this another time. I was just passing through. Goodnight Valya, Yelena Nikolaevna." The differences in the formality of his address did not go unnoticed by Yelena.
"Goodnight, Idiot," Valya replied as he turned. He smiled back at her as he walked again into the crowds of Polis.
Once he was safely out of earshot, Yelena said simply, "You let him call you Valya."
Valya shrugged. "I do. I have known him for over a year now and we speak often. We're friends."
"I know that. I just find it charming, somehow."
A slight snort of laughter escaped her. "Well, I appreciate that, Nina, but I really must take my charming self to sleep now. Forgive me for not pleasing you with my presence any longer."
Nina smirked, following her as she stood. "Alas, we sleep in the same room."
"You're lucky you can still joke after today."
They walked to the barracks together. "Any time you live where others might have died is cause for laughter, is it not?"