Chapter Text
Vodyanitsa has been alive for a pretty long time.
Of course, not that long. She was still a young adult by fae standards and had some good hundreds of years ahead of her. But, as she was reminded when she was around 250, her lifespan was just too long when compared to humans.
Which sucked a lot, because it just so happened that she had fallen deeply in love with three of them.
And it was so cruel, you know? For she fell in love with them, and then had to watch as they grew older and older, until they became frail, oh, so frail…
One of them, who used to dance to her singing, couldn't even move her legs without hurting anymore. The other, who used to hunt for a living, lost both his hearing and sight with the age. And, perhaps the case that broke her heart the most, was the one who used to be so, so brilliant losing his cognitive functions to the point they couldn't even recognize any of his lovers anymore.
And Vodyanitsa, for whom time worked so much slower, stayed the same.
And she could only cry as she buried them one by one, her singing heavy with grief and tears.
She made a promise back then. She would never, ever fall in love again. Even if it meant she would be alone for the next hundreds and hundreds of years.
For even with all the joys love had brought her, the pain of losing them was just too much to bear.
—
In the 150 years or so that followed, Vodyanitsa lived a relatively quiet and comfortable life. She kept on her promise — while there were some flings here and there (she was a woman with needs, after all), Vodyanitsa never got into another romantic relationship.
What was the point, if she knew all the pain that it would bring her?
Her heart mended over the century and a half, and she went back to being the bubbly, joyful water imp she was before losing her beloveds. The memories were still vivid in her mind, and thinking of it always made her heart ache, but it was easier and easier to live with it.
She had learned to find love in other places — in her music, in the people of Snezhnaya, in helping others… But more importantly, she found love in each member of the Korolevskiy Troupe. She cared about them, made sure to remember each of their names and all of the ways she could be of assistance. She was their beloved Prima Donna, after all!
But Odette, their new Prima Ballerina, was an odd one.
She never stayed after rehearsal, usually off to some Fatui mission or training, so it was hard to speak with her. If Vodyanitsa managed to exchange three words with her, it was too much. It didn't help that she was aloof, never looking anyone directly in the eyes — Vodyanitsa wasn't even sure what color they were — and giving short and direct answers to questions that just made it difficult to continue.
So no, they weren't close.
Which made the silence backstage kinda awkward.
They were resting from their performance, both their parts of the play already done. Vodyanitsa focused her attention on the music that played from the stage, nursing a glass of water in her hands as she tried not to let the silence between them bother her. Odette, quiet as ever, was concentrated on peeling off her costume in favor of more comfortable clothes.
And then, a pleasant surprise.
In the blink of an eye, the ballerina was in front of her (did she even make a sound?), dropping something in the singer's glass. Confused, Vodyanitsa looked up at Odette and tilted her head, a silent question.
"It's good for your throat," the ballerina said, almost bashful in the way she refused to meet the water imp's gaze. Before she turned to leave, their eyes met for a second and
Oh…
Odette was long gone, and Vodyanitsa could still feel her face warm as she fished the honey candy from the water and moved it around her mouth. Her heart was thumping in a way it hasn't for over a century.
Odette's eyes were the most beautiful and familiar shade of purple.
—
Vodyanitsa had heard about reincarnation from other long lived fae through her life. She'd heard stories from those who swore they met the same human multiple times throughout the centuries. How they may have looked different, but just a look into their eyes and they could tell it was the exact same person that had died long ago.
For a long time, Vodyanitsa didn't really believe it, specially after her beloveds' departure over a century ago. She couldn't bear the idea of clinging to the hope of meeting them again only to be disappointed.
But now, with the brief sight of Odette's eyes, she was convinced it was real. Because they were the exact same pair of amethysts she could get lost in all those decades ago.
And it just made sense, you know? Because thinking about it, Odette had a lot of similarities with one of her past lovers. They were both incredible dancers (which Vodyanitsa admits to have ignored at first because, well, she was always surrounded by amazing artists), hard working, kind of aloof at first but showed how she cared in little gestures…
Vodyanitsa couldn't help but feel the pull to get to know her better, to know what else stayed and what had changed.
She shook her head and slapped her cheeks. No! It was a trap! She told herself to never fall in love again, and she wouldn't.
It would be best for the both of them.
…
It would just be rude not to thank her, though.
So, a few days later, the first thing Vodyanitsa did after being done with rehearsal was to go after Odette before the ballerina could leave for Fatui training. She should still be in the green room, resting a bit before departing, so that's where Vodyanitsa went, a box of honey candies hidden behind her back.
When she knocked, there was a muffled "Yes?" from the other side.
"It's me, Vodyanitsa!" the water imp announced. "I wanted to chat a bit before you left!"
There was a moment of silence, and the singer could feel an odd anxiety starting to bubble in her chest the longer it lasted. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe that was just a random act of kindness, and Odette did not want her company. Maybe it would be for the best if Vodyanitsa abandoned the idea altogether.
She was about to leave when the door opened.
Vodyanitsa would be lying if she said she had never noticed Odette's beauty before — she had working eyes, after all. But she never actively paid attention to it.
Now, she had no other choice but to and, boy oh boy, was she paying attention to it.
For starters, Odette's hair was down. Vodyanitsa never saw it free from a tight bun before, and that caught her off guard. She also had no make up on, and her smooth skin was still glowing and her eyelashes were still long and dense, fluttering around gorgeous, gorgeous violet eyes.
"Woah…" Vodyanitsa, always honest, sighed in awe.
"Excuse me?"
"Oh, sorry!" She quickly snapped back to her senses, her cheeks burning. "I was just thinking about how beautiful you are!"
Odette's eyes widened ever so lightly in surprise and a faint shade of pink dusted her cheeks. Oh no, Vodyanitsa thought, she is cute too!
"I see… Thank you," the dancer gave her a slight nod. "You… Are very pretty as well."
Vodyanitsa couldn't help her smile from widening with the compliment. Now, she knew she was a pretty lady. She had mirrors. But to hear someone like Odette say so, it made her feel like… Like… Back then…
Oh, no.
"Is that all?" Odette questioned, motioning to close the door. "I have to—"
"Ah, wait!" Vodyanitsa held the door open. "I actually came here to thank you for the candy from the other day! You know, there was really no need for it— water imps' vocal chords are quite strong! But the gesture was so nice, so I brought you this!" She finally revealed the box of candy, proudly handing it to the ballerina.
Odette glanced at the box and took it in between her scarred yet delicate hands. She stared at it for a bit before turning her attention back to Vodyanitsa.
"I gave you one singular piece of candy," she said. "And you gave me a whole box of it in return?"
"It's not my fault they don't sell them individually!" Vodyanitsa pouted, hands on her hips.
"True."
And there it was. So small, it was almost imperceptible. But Vodyanitsa had keen eyes, used to small changes in people's expressions. And that.
That was definitely a smile.
(She tried to smother the butterflies that were fluttering in her stomach.)
There was a beat of silence, and Vodyanitsa wondered if maybe she should go. She did what she came here for, and now neither of them seemed to know what to do next.
Before she could bid farewell and leave, Odette stepped to the side.
"Do you want to come in?"
Vodyanitsa didn't have the willpower to say no.
—
That night, Vodyanitsa couldn't sleep.
The conversation she had with Odette before it was time for them to leave echoed in her mind. It was pretty one sided, with the water imp doing most of the talking, but she didn't mind. Odette was a good listener, and they both chatted about nothing in particular until the box of candies was empty.
(Thinking back, Vodyanitsa was the one who ate most of them. If Odette ate two, that was too much.)
When she left, she was giddy in a way she hadn't been since… Since…
Since they died.
The memory stung, a bitter reminder of what awaited Vodyanitsa if she followed down that path.
But… It wouldn't hurt to be friends, right? Vodyanitsa could use a close friend, and the reincarnation of a past lover would hardly be a bad pick.
She could do it, yeah. She could just be friends this time around.
(And if she lulled herself to sleep with a song she hasn't sung in 150 years… Well, that was nobody's business.)