Chapter Text
For a while, it was black.
Then, she could hear the crunching of gravel, and roar of an engine. She could hear her blood pounding in her eyes.
Something smacked into her stomach - hard - and it was all she could do not to scream. The taste of copper was on her tongue, and her eyes couldn't have been shut tighter if they'd been glued. Pain coursed through her body, and she could feel a liquid (her own blood, she'd realise soon) seeping through her jacket, cold and sticky. Above her, someone chuckled, and the engine picked up. It faded away after a short while, and she let out the breath she'd been holding.
She took in a few more, chest heaving, and realised she was hyperventilating. And it hurt. Gods did it hurt.
Come on, Crowe. Can't go into shock now.
Her body stilled as she tried to steady her pained breathing. She wasn't sure how long she'd sat there, but when she was certain she was safe, she opened her eyes to the beginning of the sunset. Damn, she'd wasted too much time. She sat up, hissing as her torso moved. Pulling her arm towards it, she felt around, pressing at her ribs. At least one of them was bruised, she was certain.
"That fucking bastard." She cursed under her breath, and cursed again when a pang of pain flooded her chest, and turned her attention to the source of the bleeding, above the broken rib. It hurt like all hell, and was bleeding too fast for her liking. She somehow managed to remove her jacket, cursing at every jolt of pain, and tied it around her torso as tightly as she could.
Her bike lay a few feet away, and in the dwindling light it didn't seem damaged. She dragged herself over to it, and pulled it upright, leaning heavily against it. She knew she couldn't stay where she was; Leide may be right by Insomnia, but the daemons were still prevalent at night, even this close to the city. There were havens around, she could see the blue smoke rising in the distance, but she wasn't certain she'd make it through the night if the hollowpoint Luche fired stayed inside her. Luche. Crowe was going to murder that măgar if she made it back to Insomnia. When, she corrected. When she made it back. The when of course, would depend on how soon she got help. But then, what of the mission to Tenebrae?
Her head swum, and a sense of nausea filled her. She gagged, and swallowed what came up, grimacing at the taste. No use throwing up what little she'd eaten that morning, she needed her strength. There was an outpost near Ostium Gorge (Gods, what would Libertus think when he found out what had happened to her?), a garage if she remembered right. They'd be able to help. They had to, she wouldn't make it anywhere else.
Her body was heavy, and it ached every time she moved, but she somehow managed to heft herself up onto the bike's seat. The keys were still in, she found, so she pressed the ignition. For a second, nothing happened, and she nearly panicked, but the engine roared to life, and she exhaled, heavy with relief. The hollowpoint was just above her ribs, and she knew she had a limited amount of time. Half an hour wasted, she had no time to waste trying to fix a bike.
Leaning forward, she rested the bulk of her weight on the front, and pushed the bike back onto the road. Keeping a weather eye on the slowly setting sun, she pushed her mussed-up hair out of her face, and headed in what she hoped was the direction of the garage.
Cindy yawned, and stretched her arms above her head as she watched the sun retreat. It had been a busy day, and Cid was grumpier than usual, what with the news of the treaty conditions reaching the rest of Lucis. People had been driving into the city, hoping to find out more, or watch the ceremony for themselves. Honestly? She was glad to see the war end, but couldn't help but worry what would become of Lucis when the Niffs came in. A few people lingered- Hammerhead was never truly deserted- but it was quiet. It was getting darker now, there wouldn't be many more people pulling in. Wouldn't be safe for them to drive for much longer.
She pulled on the garage door, and it creaked shut. The hunter at the weapons stall bade her a goodnight as he packed up, and she returned the call with a passing wave. A chill shook her shoulders, and she zipped up her jacket, heading into Takka's. Just as she set foot inside however, she heard the rumble of an engine pull into Hammerhead behind her, and she turned to look.
It was crown-city made bike, she could tell instantly, but it looked a little worse for wear, scraped and muddy along the sides. The rider was hunched over the front of the bike, barely holding themself up. Her brow furrowed, and she moved to call them when the bike toppled over, pulling the rider with it.
"Hey!" She bolted over, and pulled the bike away, and finally she could see the rider clearly. It was a woman, her age maybe older, with terribly messy chocolate brown hair, who seemed far paler than she ought to. The brunette groaned loudly, clutching her torso, and Cindy thought she could see blood seeping through the jacket hastily tied around the woman. Had she been attacked? "Paw Paw!" She called, trying to lift the woman. She must've sounded quite panicked, because Cid came running (as well as an old man can) out from their home beside the garage.
The woman in her arms began to stir, groaning loudly. "Cindy? What's goin' on?" Asked Cid, as he approached. Cindy lifted the brunette as gently as she could, and Cid's face fell. He helped lift the woman, taking some of the weight off of Cindy, and cursed when the woman cried out. Together, they maneuvered the injured woman into their small living area, resting her on the couch.
It wasn't the first hunter to come in with an injury, but rarely was it one like this, or one who didn't have at least a small potion with them. "Get that jacket off 'er, gonna need to see the wound." Ordered Cid, as he headed into the kitchen to fetch their emergency med-kit. The blonde nodded, carefully undoing the poor knot, and wincing when the woman hissed. Her eyes opened, and they were a curious shade of brown, seeming amber in one way, and chestnut in another. She locked eyes with Cindy, and the blonde smiled, hoping to reassure the woman. She moaned, mumbling under her breath as Cindy eased the jacket away from her.
She winced upon seeing the mess of blood and dirt that marred the green top underneath. "Shoot," She clucked her tongue, and the woman scoffed, as though amused. "You just hold on now, ya hear me?" Bunching the shirt up beneath her chest, she gasped sharply. The wound itself appeared small, but the area around it was grotesque. The skin was graying, and black vein-like lines extended outwards from it. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen before.
"What in the..." Cid entered before she could finish her thought, carrying their med-kit, and tutted loudly upon seeing the wound exposed. He knelt by the couch, med-kit next to the patient. He was silent for a few seconds, studying the wound and possible infection, before cursing. Cindy started, and looked away from the woman. "What is it?"
"Looks like a hollowpoint." He grumbled, yanking some gauze out of the box. "Special kinda bullet, ya won't find it out here. Insomnia, though, for sure. Nasty little things, they are. Puts the victim through hell." His voice was full of disdain, and he rolled his shoulder back. "First things first, if we don't stop the bleeding, there ain't gonna be nothin' we can do." He unraveled the gauze, and pressed it against the wound, earning a sharp hiss from the woman. "Hold this here, an' tight." He commanded, leaving the room.
Cindy did so, quietly apologising when she groaned, back arching. Her eyes opened again, and again Cindy found herself admiring them. Even though she was in such a state, those eyes were a blazing fire, determined and full of life.
"You with us, darlin'?" She asked, in a hushed voice as the brunette let her eyes adjust.
"Mm...mhm." A smile graced her face, and she felt relief sink in.
"Can you tell me your name?" Cindy knew to keep her talking, blood loss was always serious. In her peripheral, she saw Cid re-enter the room, but she kept her eyes fixed on the woman beneath her.
"...Crowe. Altius." Crowe's voice was hoarse, but there was something...nice about it. Cindy thought she'd like to hear more of it when it wasn't full of pain.
"Well, isn't that a purdy name. Mine's Cindy." She pulled her hands back to check the bleeding every so often, folding over gauze when it seeped through too much. "Y'able to tell me what happened?"
A shadow of rage fell upon Crowe's face, jilted and angry. "Got shot. Kicked...it hurts to breathe."
"Did'ya know 'em?" Cindy asked, hesitantly. She needed Crowe to stay awake, but was reluctant to ask about a potentially sensitive subject. Crowe nodded, her voice like a growl.
"Yeah." She muttered something else, that Cindy couldn't understand, another language maybe. Crowe certainly didn't look Lucian, in any light. "Or...thought so."
Cid moved her hands aside, and seemed to be satisfied enough that the bleeding had slowed, because he pulled out something that looked like a small pair of pliers. "Y'ever had a bullet pulled outta ya before?" Crowe nodded.
"Couple...times. Niffs got...lucky." He huffed at that, a small grin gracing his surly face. "Smarts though."
"Want a drink?"
"Want this...damn hollowpoint out." Nodding, Cid began to work. Crowe cried out immediately, and grabbed Cindy's hand in a death grip. Using her free hand, she gently stroked Crowe's hair, hoping to soothe her.
"She got a phone anywhere? See if ya can call someone who knows her." Cindy nodded, petting Crowe's head once more, and tugging back the jacket she'd discarded. Inside was a phone; It was cracked, but still lit up when she tapped the screen. Immediately, there was a fingerprint scanner, and she wondered who'd need such security on their phone. Gently, she placed it under the brunette's hand, and unlocked it. After some fiddling around, and a light squeeze of Crowe's hand when something Cid did hurt her too much, she found the contacts list.
"Crowe, sweetie?" She nodded weakly, groaning. "Who'd you want me to call?" There were only a few names, maybe five. For a moment, Cindy wondered if Crowe had fallen unconscious, she was so quiet.
"...Nyx." Came her response, quiet and delayed. She tried to say something else, but cried out suddenly, and pulled at Cindy's hand.
"You hush, it's almost out." Cid huffed, as Cindy pressed call on the man's number. It rang for a while, a long while, and she was about to try someone else before the call picked up.
"Crowe? Aren't you supposed to be on assignment? What, you miss my voice or something?" The man sounded confused, but had a friendly tone, and Cindy grimaced, not at all wanting to be the bearer of bad news.
"Hi, Nyx, is it? My na-"
"Who is this and why do you have Crowe's phone?" The kind tone was gone, quiet anger and a sense of threat replacing it. Crowe tapped her arm against Cindy's and she frowned, confused. Crowe's hand hit her ear, and she pulled away the phone, trying to hit the loudspeaker. Cindy nodded, lowering Crowe's hand in hers and doing it for her.
"Your friend Crowe's been hurt- awful bad too, we're lookin' after her." He didn't speak for a while, but she could hear fabric shifting in the background.
"What happened? Where is she?"
"Well, we're not too sure just yet, but she pulled into the outpost a while ago, barely conscious. Somebody put a bullet in her, Paw Paw called it a hollowpoint, an' I'm fairly certain one of her ribs is bruised. We're at the Hammerhead garage, in Leide?" Crowe cried out once again, a mangled scream and she flinched. Her thumb brushed the back of Crowe's hand as she spoke. Cid sat back for a moment, dropping the bloodied hollowpoint into a bowl on the table, before pressing another wad of gauze against the wound.
"Was that her? Is she-"
"She's fine, Paw Paw just pulled the lil bugger out. We'll be closing up the wound as soon as possible." She paused a moment, looking down at Crowe's face, and brushing some hair away from her eyes. "Would you be able to make it out here?"
"No. Gods, I wish I could, but all of us have gotta stay in Insomnia for the treaty signing."
Crowe cussed, and Cindy joined her. "Shoot. Well, she can stay here until she's healed up, but it'll be a longer stay if we don't get her to a proper hospital, an' I'm not sure I can be away from shop long enough to bring her to Lestallum, or Insomnia." Nyx sighed, agitated.
"I'll call the captain and see if I can make it out there." Crowe's head shot up, startling her and Cid, who swore under his breath, nearly dropping the tube of cream in his hand.
"No!"
"Crowe?"
"Don't...call him. Can't trust the Glaive." Cid's head snapped up, a look passing on his face that Cindy couldn't quite make out.
"Wh...You sure?" Crowe nodded, seemingly having expended her energy, and Cindy responded for her.
"Shit. Libertus is on leave, he might be able to make it out there-" Crowe shook her head again, mumbling incoherently. She flinched every time Cid dug the needle too far, and he tutted every time. The stitches were neat enough, though.
"That'd be a negative." Cindy could tell how aggravated the man was, and pity welled up within her.
"So- What, I just don't say anything to anyone? You're not giving me a lot to work with Crowe, fuck I-" There was a loud groan, then a dull thud and more shifting. A deep sigh. "You talk to the Scientia kid, the advisor right? Word is he's taking the Prince on his Royal Arms Trials tomorrow. They'll be going through Leide, they can meet you there-"
Crowe's face twisted, and Cindy couldn't tell if she was happy or frustrated with the amount of concern in Nyx's voice. "Bine, bine, acum lasă-mă să dorm."
"Crowe, fi atent."
"Pa, Nyx." Cindy's eyes flitted between the phone and Crowe, before realising they were done, and putting the phone back against her ear.
"Take care of her. Please." She smiled, softly, resting her hand on Crowe's head again, their hands still entwined.
"Will do. I promise I'll make sure she gets back to y'all safe and sound."
"Thank you." With a heavy sigh, the line went dead, and Cindy placed the phone down onto the table. Cid was gone, in the kitchen she assumed. Looking down at Crowe, she saw Cid had taped the gauze, rather than binding it. Safer for the ribs, if they're bruised, and she hoped it'd be enough for the gun wound. Her legs tingled, and she shifted, wriggling in her seat.
"I'm gonna have to lift you a lil', so I can get up, that alright?" Crowe nodded, lifting herself up as best she could, and Cindy slipped out from underneath the brunette, before extending her hand to Crowe. She took it, smiling weakly, and Cindy helped her stand. "Now then, let's get you somewhere comfier." Slinging one arm about Crowe's waist, Cindy made her way towards her small bedroom.
It wasn't much, the building itself wasn't really...large, but it was big enough for her and Cid. The walls were metal, (both a blessing and a curse, weather depending. Hot days inside were a nightmare, but so were cold nights.) but painted a dull white colour, and stuck to them were many posters and photographs of locations all over Lucis, even a few abroad. Postcards from Holly in Lestallum, photos she'd taken from the group's visit to Altissia (her, Takka and Paw Paw), and posters of places like Tenebrae, and other territories the Niffs had overrun. Magazine cutouts of machines and vehicles all dotted the walls too. (The amount of magnets it took to keep her walls covered was far more than she'd ever admit, but they made her happy enough, so Cid never said anything against them.) There was a multitude of rugs on the floor too, many having corners turned up where a sleep deprived Cindy had tripped over them. The bed was a simple wood frame, her duvet a pale blue, orange waves lapping at the bottom of it, and curtains made of a similar pattern. Against one wall stood a wooden desk, surface cluttered and drawers overflowing, with a lamp that she'd forgotten to turn off. She'd shoved her heater under it sometime that morning. It was a messy, enclosed space, but it was hers.
Crowe managed to maneuver herself onto the bed as Cindy dragged the heater from under her desk, flipping over another rug. Sighing, she kicked it over again, and placed the heater by the bed, kneeling by it. "So this knob here's the one you're gonna twiddle if you're feelin' too hot, or the other way around." Crowe nodded, and let Cindy help her remove her boots. "Can't be comfy sleeping with those on. Now I'll just be in the other room, so you holler if you need me at all, otherwise I'll see you in the morning, alright?"
"Thanks, Cindy." Crowe's voice seemed to come easier, and she was glad for it. The brunette's eyelids were falling though, and she smiled. "Get some rest now, ya hear me? I'll bring 'round some food when you're up." She rocked back on her heels and stood, rolling her shoulders back. "G'night!" Crowe offered her a wave as she left the room, and she grinned. The door was left open just enough that she'd need not fumble with the handle if Crowe called her in.
She dropped rather unceremoniously onto the couch, and it groaned at her weight. She yanked her cap off, carding her fingers through her hair and frowning when she snagged a knot. Cid came through the front door, shutting it loud enough to make her flinch. "Thought you were in the kitchen." She muttered, hoisting her legs onto the couch and kicking off her boots.
"Puttin' away the girl's bike. All scratched up too, an' the darn thing weighed about a ton." He grumbled, tugging at his boots. "I'll take a look in the morning, see what I can do."
"I can do that-" Cid cut her off, waving a hand at her.
"You just focus on looking after that girl. You brought 'er in, she's your responsibility." And before Cindy could say anything else, he strode into his bedroom, ending the conversation. She smiled, and settled herself in for the night.
Let's just see where tomorrow takes us.