Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Lucy was fine.

At least that’s what she kept telling herself. Gabby may disagree, Sera might try and send her home more often than not to the amazement of everyone and Cass would sometimes frown with concern as they handed another cup of coffee to her, but overall? Lucy was fine.

Ignoring the unhealthy amount of coffee cups littering the small spaces of her desk that weren’t already littered with paperwork.

And the Lucy-shaped dent that was starting to form in her chair.

And the pain in her neck from resting her head on the desk at a funny angle.

And the fact she was pretty sure she was starting to hallucinate case details whenever she took her attention off it for more than two seconds.

Ok, so maybe Lucy wasn’t as fine as she thought. But it was fine.

Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick,

Her eyes spared the briefest of glances towards the clocks hands. 6:25pm exactly. 13 hours and 25 minutes since she arrived at the station. 10 hours and 25 minutes since everyone else arrived for their shift. 8 hours and 25 minutes since she was forced to take her break. 5 hours and 25 minutes since she pulled out everything she could think of case related. 3 hours and 25 minutes since she begged the room for some silence. 2 hours and 25 minutes since she stood before this board. She hadn’t moved, hadn’t spoken, just stood there staring at the red thread connecting every mismatched puzzle piece that they had collected so far. She hadn’t made any progress with it. No one had. Her annoyance kept her planted there, despite knowing that staring at a dead end and willing it to be something else wasn’t miraculously going to solve her problems. Her eyes flicked towards the calendar.

October 18th, 1922.

Exactly 3 years, 5 months and 19 days since this case began. 3 years, 5 months and 19 days of stress, headaches and dead ends. 3 years, 5 months and 19 days of bloodshed.

3 years, 5 months and 19 days since ‘The Raven’ made themselves known to the world.

Anarchists and terrorism had always been presence, especially so in Lucy’s lifetime. Since she could remember, there had always been a headline in the paper her father read about a bombing, a riot, some sort of violent act. The political motivations were there, but no one wanted to own up to it until they were caught. No one put on a mask, donned an alias, explicitly left their manifestos in the rubble and left a calling card. But 3 years, 5 months and 19 days ago, The Raven became the first to idolise themselves, to put a target directly on their head and wear it like a crown. And for 3 years, 5 months and 19 days, Lucy’s professional career revolved almost entirely around this deranged individual.

But where to even start? All they had to go off was a pseudonym, a black feather and numerous crime scenes. The only people that may have seen the perpetrator were dead. No one could list a single feature, no approximate heights or weights, it’s like they disappeared completely from the world after they struck. But only after leaving their token black feather, and signing the manifesto they’d paint on the wall. Sometimes I felt like they only existed purely to mock Lucy and to bring her work into question. Almost immediately after being promoted to Detective Inspector at such a young age, she was assigned this case. Now, all her achievements at the Angel Academy felt redundant. Her first and only job is to catch this monster and bring them to justice. But for 3 years, 5 months and 19 days..nothing. The public doubted her. Her colleagues and boss doubted her. She doubted herself. The ‘star’ pupil that burned out before she could even properly shine.

Lucy did not know exactly how much of her life she’s spent so far searching tirelessly, thinking constantly and labouring endlessly on this case. She didn’t think she wanted to know, either.

‘Hey,’ a voice suddenly called in the silence, snapping her out of her thoughts. She merely nodded to show she was listening. ‘Do you actually have any blood left in you? Or has it all been replaced by caffeine?’ Gabby laughed as he moved to stand next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder that she didn’t have the brain capacity to register nor react to.

‘It doesn’t make sense-‘

‘Uh..do a really have to explain th— have you not seen the coffee cups on your desk?—-‘

‘—No,not that!’ She huffed as she shrugged his hand off,moving forward to the board to trace her finger lightly over the red thread, ‘This! There’s no pattern whatsoever to these attacks. Well, the property damage is the same, but the casualties aren’t. Sometimes there’s injuries at most, sometimes it’s carnage and sometimes theres no casualties at all in cases where there really should have been, like they meticulously planned it- and that’s not even starting on the identities of the deceased!’ She couldn’t help the groan that escaped her as she pinched the bridge of her nose, ‘-a terrorist trying to send a message of revolution, anger at the hierarchy, yet almost all the deceased are the poorest of the poor..non of it makes sense..’ she sighed in defeat as she collapsed back into her dented Lucy-shaped chair.

Gabby blinked at her once, twice, then thrice. ‘Who really cares about the motivations at this point? People, good people have gotten hurt because of this damned..crow—‘

‘Raven.’

‘—whatever, it’s a maniac all the same. It’s our job to find them and stop them Lulu, not try and find poor excuses for arson.’

‘It’s not excuses-‘ she glared, she knew damn well that he knew damn well she hated being called that, but it’s been his favourite nickname for her ever since they met. ‘It’s reasons. Explanations. My job is to find the root cause for why someone would do such things so that history won’t repeat itself, there’s a clear message they’re trying to send and if no one hears it, then someone else might just continue where they left off.’

Gabby scoffed, ‘Or maybe it’s just another scumbag wreaking havoc for their own pleasure and disguising it as progressivism.’

‘Another possibility. One that it’s my job to rule out.’

And as Lucy leaned back in her chair and glanced out the window, she deliberately ignored Gabby obviously rolling his eyes and chose to instead take in the lights of the buildings that shared the street with the station. Workplaces where she saw many faces she’d grown accustomed too but never truly knew. Fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, daughters and sons in every illuminated window. Lives that could be snuffed out in an instant by a single person. Even with the heightened security the station offered and the reassurances her team tried to give her, it did little to ease her mind. The people she saw everyday walking below her window, walking past her in the street, they could loose everything in a coin toss between their livelihoods and their actual lives, and all there’d be left in the rubble is a single black feather taunting her incompetency.

This ‘Raven’ was the single biggest cause of every ache in her body.

Definitely not the lack of sleep.

Lucy was fine.

Chapter Text

Lucy’s back hurt.

That was her only thought in the cab drive to the crime scene. Any other thoughts, such as when she tried to examine the brief she’d been given, tried to prepare herself for what she was about to see, were washed away by the feeling of a phantom knife wedged between her shoulder blades. She needed to pull herself together, otherwise she would be receiving a lecture from Ari for certain. Those were the worst.

But as she stepped out of the cab, those trivial complaints of aches and lectures were immediately overtaken by the sickly sweet aroma that filled the air. It assaulted her nares and made bile rise in her throat, but she pressed on. She could see the tall silhouette of Ari in the distance, standing over the carnage as tall and upright as ever with her pure white outfit that looked so incongruous amidst all the chaos, not a speck of dust to be seen despite the setting she stood in. Lucy didn’t need to see her face to know she was staring on with the same apathetic calculation she always wore. But it still unsettled her to see her completely level face as she began to approach the crime scene and see for herself what had happened in the night. She supposed it was only natural that age had hardened her heart, especially as the city’s Surgeon General.

‘These..poor people—‘ Lucy started as she moved to stand by Ari’s side, but she was swiftly interrupted.

‘Yes, peasants. The lot of them. Burned to death after the explosions caused by The Raven no doubt.’ Ari only spared her a glance.

The previous bombing a few weeks ago carried no casualties, and deductions of the surroundings showed The Raven must’ve gone through painstaking efforts for it to have ended that way. But this?

It was a bloodbath.

How Ari had managed to discern any form of identity for these people was beyond her, because there was nothing to discern. What lay before them were blackened skeletons, lay in puddles of blood that had since cooled and blackened from a boiling point. Only small scraps of flesh managed to cling onto a few of the victims, and even then it still wasn’t enough to indicate any sort of useful information. But with the severity of the sight before them, Lucy didn’t care about useful information. Her only thoughts were wondering how they were going to careful and respectfully extract the bodies, wondering how on earth they were going to find and inform the families, wondering how they were going to bury these souls with the dignity they deserved.

Wondering how The Raven could sleep at night knowing they did this.

The next time Lucy attended Church, she would pray for all these people. The Lord would show them more kindness and mercy in his kingdom than they were ever shown in this life. And she would continue to pray that The Raven will never know peace after all they’ve done.

‘A single bomb caused all this..? What kind of explosives is this person able to access?’ She couldn’t help but mutter to herself.

‘It matters not, the rest of the coroners will be here shortly to take the deceased. You have permission to search the scene for any hints of an identity or a location.’

‘Of course, I’ll get on that now..but while I’m here, what is that smell?’ She knew it was risky to ask, but her curiosity got the better of her.

‘We are stood before a pile of charred bodies. What do you expect, detective?’ Ari raised an eyebrow in a rare display of an expression. It was brief, fleeting even, but it still made Lucy’s stomach turn somehow more than the scene before her.

‘But I’ve smelled a burn victim before!—‘ she began, but then quickly coughed, trying to force her voice to remain steady, ‘This smell is nothing like that, it’s too..sweet.’

‘Ah. So you’ve caught on.’ Ari seemed to sigh as she folded her hands behind her back. ‘What you’re smelling is simply a perfume the coroners insisted on using to douse the place. They told me they have apprentices among them this time, and fear the reactions their stomachs may have to a scene as large as this might contaminate the scene.’

‘…Right. Ok then—‘ she couldn’t help the face she made as she took a hesitant step away, heading straight to where she could only assume the bomb had detonated. Gunpowder samples could be sent to a lab, and with luck may lead to a supplier of some sort.

As the coroners were beginning to wrap up the scene, Lucy couldn’t help but notice something peculiar. While the bodies weren’t hers to examine, her keen eye caught a glint of colour amidst the blackened rubble. She looked around to see if any of the coroners were going to pick up on this, even though she knew they most likely wouldn’t. Then she simply invited herself over to investigate.

The object was squished between two burnt carcasses, completely unidentifiable. She whispered a quick prayer beneath her breath as she careful extracted the material from between the two. It was easy enough, it was positioned like it had simply fallen in the crossfire. All she had to do was swipe at it gently to be rid of the soot and dust, otherwise it was in completely mint condition. Brand new, if anything. A ticket that looked like it was trying to be golden, but instead was a horrid almost-green colour. It was to a speakeasy on the east side, notorious for being the more ‘dodgy’ part of the city as Gabby would often say. A speakeasy that branded itself so openly was a jackpot for a criminal underworld, often times those establishments feared no authority because they bribed their way to safety. The Angels would not be kind to this place. For to be so unharmed, this had to have belonged to The Raven, she reasoned. But then the doubt began to creep in.

Even if this did belong to The Raven, if it was dropped during the explosion, it still should’ve been damaged. The only way it could be so clean was if they had returned after the explosion and it was dropped then. But what business did The Raven have to return to the scene? Did they initially forget to leave their calling card, and this just happened to fall out of a pocket? Not impossible, but highly improbable. The Raven was deliberate and cunning, as much as she hated to admit it. She didn’t doubt they planned every single step they took in advance and with incredible caution from the moment they left their lair to the moment they returned. For 3 years, 5 months and now 28 days, no one had caught even the briefest of glimpses of this mastermind. She doubted that they wanted that to change, so for such an obvious piece of evidence to be left in plain sight..

All things considered, it had to be a red herring. A trap of sorts. The Raven didn’t do ‘accidents’, especially mistakes so significant and careless as this. It just wouldn’t make sense when all factors were taken into consideration. It had to be planted, it had to be fake. In fact, they were probably hoping for her to take the bait, to bring every Angel the city could offer just so they could butcher them like lambs to the slaughter. But Lucy was too clever for such a simple plot. She wouldn’t do that to her own people. She refused to—-

‘I see you’ve been meddling where you don’t belong again.’ Ari’s stern voice startled her out of her inner monologue, as she scrambled to make sure the ticket didn’t slip out of her grasp in her surprise.

‘Surgeon General! Its just, I uh..I couldn’t help but notice this—-‘

‘A ticket?’ Ari hummed, still a strange sound on Lucy’s ears every time she heard it even after knowing her for almost all her life. ‘A good find, I must commend you on your appreciation for the finer details. Hand it in with the rest of the evidence, we’ll get a warrant signed.’

‘But—-‘ she went to warn, but was cut off by Ari’s cold and unforgiving gaze that actually seemed to soften slightly after a brief moment.

‘Hm? Did you say something, child?’

She hated when Ari called her ‘child’. It was her way of asking her to leave without explicitly saying it.

‘…Nothing, Surgeon General. Take care.’ She feigned a smile.

‘You too, Lucy. Take some time off after you hand that in. Gabby tells me you’re exhausted, you know as well as I do that your way of working is detrimental to your health.’

And with that, Ari simply turned and left to go speak with the senior coroners on scene.

She trusted Lucy to hand it in to evidence. It’s what she should do, the right thing to do. If her superior believed it to be a legitimate piece of evidence, then she should trust them. Yet with every step her body took closer, her mind screamed at her that this was wrong. She wondered just how much the smell must be messing with her cognitive function to make her think this way, to make her doubt her own mentor of all people. She couldn’t excuse her actions enough to erase the guilt when she simply pocketed the ticket and hailed a cab to take her back to the station. She was grateful to have fresh air fill her lungs for a change, she felt like she could finally think clearly again.

And the first clear thought that occurred to her was that her back still hurt.

Chapter Text

3 years, 6 months and 2 days.

This case was going absolutely nowhere.

Nothing Gabby said or did could draw her from the piling work on her desk, or ease the growing tension in her mind despite his numerous attempts. Invitations to events, clearing and cleaning her desk, trying to make her coffee but always adding a splash of milk to try and make it less bitter, she knew his intentions were good and that he was only worried for her. But if she was being completely honest, everything Gabby said and did just made it worse.

‘You’re gonna burn yourself out if you don’t let yourself relax..’

‘You’ve said. Twice now.’ She didn’t spare him a glance as she adjusted the red string connecting her images together.

‘Well, I’ll just have to keep saying it until you believe me. Come on Lulu, when was the last time you slept?’

‘It doesn’t matter. This case comes first and foremost. You said it yourself didn’t you? The Raven will only continue to hurt and kill until I find them—-‘

‘Until we find them, Luce. You and I, we’re a team remember? And as your teammate and friend, I say you need to lighten up.’

“Lighten up”. She just needed to “lighten up”, apparently. Who knew that after 3 years, 6 months and 2 days of never ending labour, “lightening up” was all she needed to do to catch The Raven. Brilliant. Genius, even. Because busying herself with dancing, laughing and partying while The Raven set up their next explosive and brutally murdered even more people for their hypocritical political ideologies, that would certainly keep the public safe. “Lighten up”. She scoffed at the idea, before noticing how Gabby’s eyes nervously darted around the room. He had already grown slightly rigid from the heavy silence after his words, but now he actually seemed somewhat nervous.

‘What have you lost this time?’ She sighed.

‘Lost? Nah, I’m just trying to see if that uh, the new one? If they’re still about.’

‘New one..?’ She frowned, but then her eyes widened, ‘you mean Cass? They’ve been here almost a year now, I wouldn’t call them new. But what do you need them for?’

‘Nothing. The opposite, actually.’

‘They left about half an hour ago.’

‘Great!- Well, I mean, shame really, but uh..you know what? Never mind that. Look, I was thinking of hitting up that dance hall, the one near the pictures? It’ll be a good chance to unwind, you should come with!’

Lucy turned to stare at Gabby, who was avoiding her gaze with a nervous grin. The clock ticked the seconds away as her brows only furrowed, before her thoughts seem to click in time with the passing seconds.

‘That’s it.’

‘Oh, great! I didn’t think you’d agree actually, but it kicks off at—-‘

‘No, no not that! But a dance hall, a bar, something! With the rise of moonshine, even after closing so many breweries on the east side, we’ll still be bound to find drunkards, and so we’ll be bound to find honesty and slips of the tongue. If we go into the heart of what the Raven supposedly fights for, we can gauge public opinion, hell maybe even strike gold and get some more straight forward intel. Why didn’t we think of this before?!’

She couldn’t help but laugh with newfound motivation. The closest outside of an operation you’d see an Angel go were the outskirts of the border patrol, Angels never patrolled in the heart of the East side unless it was to make an arrest. Even then, operations were executed as swiftly as possible and statements were often forgotten about in the haste. Sera had explained to her when she first started that the reason for the urgency and false arrests were due to the smog and pollution messing with their senses, judgement and health. It’s why she refused to hand in that ticket even now, because she knew that no one else would bother to check her suspicion that it was a red herring, they’d just run in possibly to never run back out. But it seemed foolish to not at least try and send a select team to go undercover, to find out as much as they possibly could as opposed to arresting the first mildly suspicious individual they saw and locking them away trying to make them confess to something they didn’t do, as they had tried in the past with arrests linked to The Raven.

She was brought out if her thoughts when she notice Gabby staring at her blankly. He blinked. ‘Mad woman. Mad, mad woman.’

‘Excuse me?!’ She couldn’t help but laugh at his words, almost in disbelief, ‘It’s perfect, everyone’s heard of the Raven by now, whatever information we can get is a lead as opposed to just sitting here hoping that the next bomb will give us something new!’

‘Lucy, it’s dangerous down there!’ He suddenly shouted, ‘We can’t just waltz in without the necessary preparation, precautions and backup, it’s suicide! Besides, they’re not like us. They refuse to integrate with others outside their own so much so we’d get sniffed out purely because we coughed wrong or something.’ He sneered at her like she was some kind of idiot.

And she was some kind of idiot in his eyes. She hadn’t been past the border since her training days, since she was just a little cherub and they made them breathe the polluted air for half an hour and conduct searches on suspicious civilians with no gas masks to test both their lungs and their resolve. No one would be willing to do that when there was a potential for it all to be futile, for them to bring detriments to their own health for a simple possibility that there may be information. But oh, how she wanted to argue back, to argue this was the next best thing they had as opposed to just sending their Angels to their potential deaths with the ticket Ari wanted her to hand in. But of course she didn’t. She couldn’t. So Lucy simply sighed, and gave a weak smile.

‘..Yeah. Yeah, I know. I guess I’m just..desperate at this point..’ She quietly admitted as she sat on the desk so she could rest her head in her hands. Then, she felt Gabby hesitantly place his hand on her shoulder.

‘Look, Luce..I get it. But you’re our star detective, remember? If anyone’s got this, it’s you. But that doesn’t mean you can just go do reckless things in the name of the case. I..we care about you too much to let you risk your life like that. We’ll find something soon that’ll get you your lead, I just know it. Forget the dance hall, just go home and rest..please?’

She felt like the ticket was burning a hole in her pocket as she looked at him with a weak smile. ‘Ok..I will.’

Chapter Text

Gabby didn’t need to know that her ‘home’ looked strangely like the east side at this moment in time. The burning hole in her pocket only grew bigger and bigger with each passing moment, the guilt eating at her stomach. But she knew going straight in with the warrant without scoping the situation first would be detrimental to the case. And after second thought, trying to send a smaller team would probably hail the same result, knowing the Angels. Not that they were incompetent, they all just seemed to avoid the east side as much as physically possible. Even with specific instructions to act like civilians, they probably wouldn’t listen. The next reasonable step was to send in the only person she could really trust to get the job done: herself. She never thought this would be the case where she’d find herself waist-deep in DIY, but the lord worked in mysterious ways, she supposed.

She kept thinking back to how Ari didn’t even bat an eye at the ticket. Was she so sure it was legitimate? Did she even fully recognise what she was holding? Or was Lucy’s paranoia all for nothing and she was, in fact, walking into the lions den completely naked? It was all so confusing in her mind. Just like The Ravens methods and motives, it didn’t add up. But she was here, and she had to investigate for herself. Call it intuition, or just stupidity. She didn’t care.

So all dressed up in not quite one of her nicest dresses, she walked. And lord above, the smog hit her like a brick wall. Her lungs screamed at her to turn back, but she needed to do this. If not for information, then to prove Gabby wrong that she wasn’t completely fragile. She had an inhaler with her containing fresh air, which she figured could replace a gas mask in this situation. She figured she’d be out of here for 12am. 2 hours to get in, get something worth bringing home, and get out with enough time to spare for her nighttime facial routine. So with a puff of fresh air and a sting in her eyes, she pushed on.

66 Treacher Street. ‘No Man’s Land Speakeasy’. The building did, in fact, exist. She saw bouncers stood at the doors and heard music and patrons inside. This seemed to be a legitimate bar, which was reason enough to draft a warrant despite that being the lesser concern in her mind. She couldn’t understand why such a..run down place, for lack of better words, would be linked to The Raven. Their displays were too big, too grand for such a dingy place, she initially thought. But then again, on the east side there wasn’t anywhere exactly ‘nice’.

As she hesitantly approached the steps, she couldn’t help but chuckle weakly as she looked between the ticket and the building, it was almost like the set up of a joke. ‘A detective walks into a speakeasy during the Prohibition..’

If she could think of a punchline, she’d probably tell it to Gabby one day.

The bouncers at the front shot her a confused glare, and she feared for a brief moment her disguise wouldn’t be enough. Makeup was a secret hobby of hers, so she had done her best to do a completely different look to what she normally wore as well as artificially create features she didn’t have. She painted shadows to make her nose thinner, her cheeks sallow, her jaw sharper and her eyes more sunken in. Definitely not the most attractive she’d ever looked, but it’d do. Without overthinking it, she flashed her ticket to the bouncers, and reluctantly they let her past.

It then dawned on her these people don’t have television sets here, so they probably wouldn’t know ‘Lucy Redimere’ if she stood right in front of them. She mentally facepalmed as she made her way to the bar to get herself a non-alcoholic drink she could only hope wouldn’t taste like sewer water.

Now onto phase 2 of her plan: make conversation. Easier said than done she found out very quickly. The most interaction she had managed so far were a few ‘‘scuse me’’s and ‘sorry’’s, even those she tried to casually started talking to seemed to just fade back into the crowd. After some time, she settled to just eavesdropping, made difficult by the music but she just about managed.

Talk about parents, talk about children, talk about work, talk about debts, talk about health, talk about alcohol and other vices that disgusted her to her core. But nothing about The Raven, not a single word. Surely someone had to be talking about them and she just missed it over all the singing.

At least the singer was good, she thought as she nursed her drink, and the performance kept her mind from feeling completely dejected. The woman up on stage resembled a peacock in both her attitude and how she showed herself off. It dawned on her that performers often saw a lot of the workings behind the scenes, if she could maybe catch her as she came off stage there may be a chance she could get something out of her instead—-

‘Oi, pretty missy~’

Her thoughts were interrupted by an assault on her senses. A man, balding, wearing scruffy clothes and clearly slightly tipsy to the point he’d forgotten the definition of personal space was already trying to slip his arm around her. She dodged his touch by moving to put her drink down, but she could not dodge the stench of alcohol and nicotine.

‘Oh…hello.’

‘Shy one,hm? I don’t bite~’ he grinned as he leaned next to her. ‘How’s about I get yous a real drink? That fancy juice won’t do nowt for ya!’ He barked out a laugh, and she could see all his missing and decaying teeth. She grimaced.

‘Ah,um. It’s alright, thank you though. Drinking will only worsen my nerves—‘ she could only pray he’d take the bait.

‘Nerves,ey? Pretty little missy owe some debt?’ He tried to tease. Lucy wanted to pat herself on the back.

‘Oh,Nono! Just..this whole situation with The Raven. I mean, the explosion just a few days ago? Just horrible what happened to those people, right?’ She glanced up at him, and he only seemed to stare back confused. But then he seemed to roll his eyes with annoyance.

‘Bah, who gives a shit about that here? If it ain’t gin or women, i ain’t interested. And speaking of women..’ He looked her up and down with a wicked grin, ‘You look preeeetty clean~’

‘Excuse me?!’ She couldn’t help but shudder as he felt his gaze rake up and down her body.

‘You heard me. Small, pretty and clean. Why don’t we get outta here? Do something more fun ?’ He was uncomfortably close. It wouldn’t take much effort to take him down, with her training she could have him restrained in seconds. But here, she feared that would give her away.

‘Sorry, I’m, um..not sure I understand—-‘ she felt like a fool for stuttering. This would’ve never happened to her back home, so she didn’t know how best to handle the situation.

‘Fucks sake, you dumb too? Suppose that’s ok too, come on. Finish your drink, why dontcha?’ His tone became much more aggressive. Wrong move, Lucy.

But then his hand snaked down to paw at her thigh with a disgusting smile, and she immediately smacked his hand away, causing him to make a noise akin to a growl as his hands balled into fists. Before she could grasp the hole she was digging herself, she only had to go and make it two feet deeper by blurting out, ‘I’m with someone!’

The man didn’t look convinced. ‘Really now? Where.’ He didn’t ask, he demanded.

‘Well, ah, you see, they’re—-‘ she stumbled over her words as she looked about frantically. She was done for, Gabby was right. This was all a major mistake, she wouldn’t survive tonight.

‘Missy, no one gives a shit.’ He began to lean over her, almost trapping her against the table. She was going to have to fight, and blow her cover completely. This was all a mistake. A big, horrid mistake that would cost her the case.

‘No, really! They’re—-‘ she all but yelled, watching as the man opened his filthy mouth to say something again.

‘Right here. Now piss off .’

Chapter Text

The new voice completely threw her off guard, and for a moment Lucy was convinced God was personally watching over her. To the empty space on her right now leaned a tall but incredibly slim figure, all points and sharp angles in both their features and their clothing. Clad in all black, it would’ve been easy to have mistaken them for a shadow at first. But those eyes..those upturned eyes were fierce, with almost slit like pupils sending a glare that Lucy was grateful not to be at the receiving end of. Those eyes made this shadow of a person real, and those eyes made the saying ‘if looks could kill’ a reality.

‘What part of piss off are you struggling to understand here?’ Their voice was much more level, but still dripping with venom. With fists clenched, all the my had to do was tip their head to the side slightly with a raised eyebrow to get a reaction.

The man seemed to literally cower in fear, recognition maybe? But regardless, he muttered something halfhearted about Lucy ‘probably being an std ridden prozzy anyway’ as he turned and all but ran back into the crowd of dancers. Only then, did Lucy all but heave a sigh of relief.

‘Thank you, so so much—-‘ she shot the stranger a genuine smile as she shakily reached for her drink. But instead of feeling cool glass, she instead felt fabric. Actually looking at the scene, she realised the stranger had reached for her glass and beat her to it, and now she was just awkwardly holding their hand. She was quick to snatch hers away, but her confusion must’ve been evident.

‘It’s spiked. You drink that now, you’re fucked.’

Oh. She pinched the bridge of her nose with frustration, ‘Oh for goodness sake, of course..sorry.’

‘Don’t apologise,’ they waved her off with a small laugh, ‘you’re the one that just got perved on. I’ll buy you a new drink.’

‘What?! Nonono, I can’t possibly—-‘ she tried, but was interrupted by a sudden coughing fit, the smog and cigarette smoke piling back into her lungs. She must’ve looked pathetic taking out her inhaler then, and she didn’t miss the way the strangers eyebrows raised in amusement.

‘Not from here, are you?’

‘..You couldn’t possibly tell from just that—‘

‘Meh, it was more the nail in the coffin. If you got breathing problems down here, you’re either dead or locked away in the cleanest room of your house. But your walk and talk also gave it away,’ they hummed as they led her to the bar, a hand resting on her shoulder like some kind of shield against the sea of patrons.

‘Well..now that you’ve pointed it out—‘ Lucy frowned.

‘Aww, don’t get self conscious on me now~’ They almost cooed, ‘Now, what do you want?’

‘I couldn’t possibly—-‘

‘You ‘‘couldn’t possibly’’ do a lot of things, hm?’ They hummed with amusement. ‘Pay me with your name and a snippet of your story, if it makes you feel any better. Mik!’ They called, knocking their fist against the wood of the bar twice. The bartender in question, a large and scruffy looking man but with much softer features, seemed not to notice as he cleaned the glasses. After a beat of awkward silence, they gave a sheepish smile at Lucy and cleared their throat. ‘Mik!’ They tried again, then after another pause, made a face that was a cross of an eye roll and a pout before leaning over the counter an unsafe amount. ‘Oi, Mik! Deafhead!’ They grabbed the closest rubber coaster and frisbee’d it directly at the man, almost falling flat onto the counter as they did so. They laughed when it hit his shoulder, and so did the bartender. Only then did he pretend to take notice of them, and sauntered his way over.

‘You do my proper nut in sometimes, you know that right?’ He tried to sigh, but could only chuckle.

‘Maybe if you weren’t so plastered on your own booze, I wouldn’t have to resort to elderly abuse.’ They grinned, before their eyes widened slightly, ‘ooh, that rhymed!-‘

‘Well maybe if you started showing more respect to said elder, he might get to you quicker. Now- hang on a minute. She with you?’ He glanced at Lucy, nodding his head towards her with a raised eyebrow.

‘Aye sir~’ they hummed, looking rather pleased, ‘Drinks on me.’

Mik seemed to turn his full attention to Lucy, as if he was studying her. Initially he seemed to do it just to embarrass the stranger, but then his brow furrowed. A strange look suddenly glazed over his eyes as he muttered a small ‘Blummin’ hell..’

Suddenly, Lucy broke out into a cold sweat. He was the owner of the bar, an illegal distributor of alcohol. If anyone here knew what she looked like, it would probably be him. Was the makeup not enough? Was her cover blown? She glanced between the man, the stranger, and the nearest exit. If she ran now, she could probably loose them if she took a sharp left—-

‘Take one word of advice from me love, milk them for every penny they’ve got and then don’t look back.’ He tried to deadpan, but burst into laughter after glancing over at the person in question and seeing them slump onto the bar in defeat.

‘Do you have to do this every time..?’ They groaned, which only made Mik cackle harder.

‘I’m joking, I’m joking..’ he finally managed to calm down. ‘Now, what does the lovely lady want?’ He turned his attention back to Lucy.

‘Oh!’ She laughed nervously, ‘Um..just a raspberry punch, please-‘

‘Of course—-‘

‘And a raspberry vodka!’ The stranger suddenly piped up.

‘Shame, last I checked I only asked for orders from a lovely lady, not a scamp.’ The bartender grinned.

‘ Meh meh meh meh ,’ they mocked rather childishly, ‘Get moving before the arthritis kicks in old man.’ They waved him off with a smile.

He only laughed in response, turning away to go make their drinks. As he left them, Lucy looked between the two before hesitantly asking, ‘You two know each other then?’

‘Unfortunately so.’ Was all they offered as they leaned against the bar, stretching their arms. Lucy couldn’t help but notice the groaning noise they made, and then it dawned on her how their posture looked hunchbacked or deformed. Pity must’ve flashed on her face, because they glanced at her and were quick to try and right their position. Mik had slid them their drinks, and had given a knowing nod to them both before moving to serve other customers.

‘I’ll be taking my payment now, if you’d be so kind~’ they jokingly put their hand out, revealing black nails that looked as sharp as talons. Lucy would’ve been disturbed if she weren’t still overwhelmed with gratitude for this stranger. But now she panicked, fearing their would take offence to her pity, causing her to stuttering over something as simple as name. She coughed, took another puff from her inhaler, and cleared her throat.

‘Gabby. My names Gabby.’ She lied through her teeth.

‘Pfft, that’s a shit name!’ They threw their head back in laughter.

‘..Pardon?’ She blinked blankly.

‘I mean come on, Gabby? With a face like yours? You’re too sweet to be a Gabby.’

‘Is that supposed to be a compliment, or?—‘

‘Ima call you dove.’

She sputtered at that, trying to think of something to say. A moment of silence passed between them where the figure grinned rather smugly and she could only avoid their gaze as her face grew warm.  She sipped her drink, suddenly wishing there was just a hint of alcohol to take the edge away.

‘Well, what can I call you then?’ She found herself asking after a beat of quiet.

They took a swig of their drink. ‘Ray.’

‘You don’t look like a Ray.’ It was a sad excuse of a comeback, but she tried anyway.

‘Eh, you’re kinda right.’ Ray shrugged, swirling the red liquid around their glass. ‘What about the next part of my payment, I wonder?’

‘Oh! Right—-‘ one would think that a detective would be good at making up stories on the spot, having faked so many identities and deduced so many lives as part of her job. But under the gaze of this so called Ray, Lucy’s brain was reduced to mush it seemed. Maybe she had actually manifested that drop of alcohol into her drink, or whatever that last drink was spiked with had somehow managed to reach her system after all. ‘It’s a bit stupid..’ she started hesitantly.

‘Aren’t most things?’ They raised an eyebrow.

‘It’s just a standard family pressure thing, you know? I got sick of my parents always bossing me about, telling me what to do and what they expect from me, and long story short.. I’m here.’

‘Ain’t much here for you dove, I’ll tell you that now.’ A thoughtful hum. ‘But, if I wanted to prove myself in your shoes? There’s some ruins on the outskirts that them Angels cornered off and the city never bothered to fix. An old posho dress factory that Raven blew up some years back. Roll around in some dirt there, steal some fabric covered in as much rat shit as possible, sew a scarf or something fancy like that and leave it at their door. That’ll send a message!’ They couldn’t help but laugh. This was perfect, Lucy thought, they’ve walked right where she needed them.

‘The Raven?’ She feigned apprehension. ‘But they’re dangerous, wouldn’t that be dangerous?’

‘Oooohoho sweetheart, everything down heres dangerous~’ They grinned, a sly smirk as they tapped their fingers against their glass, ‘But if you don’t fancy that? Then I say run away and elope with the ugliest bloke you can get wrapped around your pretty little finger. That’ll do it.’

‘..I don’t understand how you guys do it.’ She suddenly started, surprised at her own honesty.

‘Do what?’ They tipped their head slightly with confusion.

‘Live so..normally, I suppose. No one knows which buildings going to go up in flames next, and no one knows who’s going to end up dead because of it. There’s a murderer on these streets pretending to be a hero—‘ she cut herself off rather suddenly. She was getting too opinionated, speaking too freely. Why was she speaking so freely to someone she just met? She needed to hear them speak.

And for what felt like forever, they didn’t. Not a single word. Ray drank in contemplative silence, their grip on the glass much tighter than before.

‘I’ll be honest with you, dove.’ They suddenly began as Lucy had just started thinking about changing the topic. ‘Nothing about our lives should be considered normal here. You’re from the west, you’re on a completely different planet to us out there. You don’t see or think things the way we do. You wouldn’t understand. I wouldn’t expect you to..’ They muttered with a sigh.

‘..But I want to.’

Ray’s head snapped to look at her then, their expression slightly bewildered. Those upturned eyes with those sharp pupils looked at her, but this time they weren’t fiercely glaring. They were soft, almost vulnerable she’d dare to say. For the first time, it felt like they were actually looking at her. That they actually saw her. Not just as another face from the west looking for petty rebellion, but as someone who wanted to listen, to learn. Someone worth talking to.

For the first time, Ray genuinely smiled that night. And for the first time, Lucy saw that there was something actually worth fighting for in the east side. That these people could be more to these people than drunkards, brutes and thieves. Lucy smiled too.

Ray then suddenly laughed, throwing their head back in laughter that made their shoulders shake. ‘You’re right weird. I like it!’

‘Wh- how is that weird?!’ Lucy felt herself growing flustered, but she couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her too. That laugh was really starting to become infectious.

‘Dunno.’ They pretended to wipe a tear as their giggles subsided, ‘Weird hearing those words from a posho, I suppose ~’ They mocked lightheartedly.

‘Is that all I am to you, then? Just a posho ?’ She tried to joke, but her tone didn’t quite match her intention.

‘Not anymore, you’re not.’ They simply stated as they drank. When they next glanced at her, something about her expression must’ve made them crack up again, almost choking on their drink. ‘Don’t overthink it, dove.’ They waved her off.

‘You’re weird yourself, you know.’ Lucy managed to feign a sigh, sipping her drink to mask her smile.

‘I do try my best~’ They stretched again, and Lucy couldn’t help but think how much pain that hunchback must be causing them. But they didn’t show it at all whilst they chatted, something that she couldn’t decide if it was something to be commended or concerned about.

‘Hey,’ their voice drew her gently from her thoughts. ‘Look, when you left home, I know some manky pub in the middle of smog central probably weren’t the sort of adventure you were looking for..but here? At least here, shitty parents, expectations..even the Raven, and all those other worries that I can see running through your pretty head, they’re out there. And we’re in here. A perfect little hell of escapism for all of us..’ They muttered, so quietly to the point where Lucy had to lean in close to make out their words.

‘..Do you come here often?’ She couldn’t stop herself asking quietly.

Ray looked at her and smiled. ‘Often enough.’

As she necked the rest of her juice, she couldn’t help but take a moment to stare at left over droplets deep in thought. Why was she here again? Oh right, the case. Of course. A sample size of 2 people and a few eavesdropped conversations weren’t exactly indicative of anything. People like them had died, yet non of them seemed to care. And if they did, they didn’t want to talk about it. Life went on, people kept drinking, people kept dancing, people kept singing. And as she considered Ray’s words, turning them over in her mind like a precious gold coin, she may finally be able to begin understanding why.

She watched Ray tell a story of some event that happened to a friend some years back. They talked with their hands, surprisingly animated for someone who dressed like they didn’t want to be seen. Her eyes briefly flickered to the nearest clock face. Approximately 2:15am. The only people left here now were the drunkest of patrons. She didn’t know when the upbeat music had ended and switched to a smooth jazz to fill the silence instead. She didn’t care either. She sighed contently and leant back in her seat, going back to watching Ray talk with a soft smile.

Wait.

2:15am.

She got here at 10pm.

She’d been here for approximately 4 hours and 15 minutes.

Panic begin to set in, panic that didn’t go unnoticed.

‘Hey dove, you ok? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost—‘ the concern on their face was evident as they leant close, studying her expression carefully.

‘I have work at 5.’ Was all she could mutter grimly.

‘ Oh. ’ Ray looked horrified on her behalf.

‘Yeah, I should um, I should probably get going—‘ Lucy wanted nothing more than to slam her head against the nearest wall at her own stupidity. But even in her haste, she still paused to turn back and look at them, smiling softly. ‘Thank you for everything tonight..Ray.’

‘Don’t mention it. Til next time’ They gave a slight wave as they rested their head against their other hand. They sounded so sure they’d see each other again. Deep down, Lucy hoped they were right. ‘Try not to climb back onto too high of a horse, dove.’

Chapter Text

Lucy returned that night with reddened conjunctiva, a dress covered in a fine dusting of dirt, a nasty cough and no leads on The Raven. She should’ve been angry or upset. If this was any other situation, she probably would have been. She didn’t know what she felt exactly, but she knew it wasn’t anger or upset. “Lightening up” did nothing for the case, that much she maintained. But..it did do something for her it seemed. She couldn’t help the ghost of a smile on her lips as she sat at the vanity in her room, glancing at her reflection as she reached for the cold cream.

Lord above, she looked ugly .

Before she left, she considered those painted features unattractive enough to not draw attention to herself. But now, she thought she looked a straight up mess. Sweaty, hair a mess, red and puffy eyes and smile lines so deep they might as well have been drawn in with black marker. When had she last smiled so much?

How anyone could stand to look at her for more than five minutes baffled her, and made her laugh at the same time. Ray just seemed to be strange and eccentric like that, she supposed. Come to think about it, she supposed a lot of things about them. For all the stories they told and entertainment they gave, she realised she knew shockingly little about them.

She glanced at the clock on her wall.

3:05am. 1 hour and 55 minutes until it was business as usual.

Hopefully she could just claim it was a really bad nightmare, and Gabby would stay off her case.

As she gently applied the cream to her face, and her face belonging to the night smudged away into nothingness, she reflected. Instead of her reflection, she tried to see red string and pictures.

That ticket had to have been dropped after the bombing, that much was certain. But despite selling alcohol, the speakeasy seemed strangely.. innocent? That most definitely wasn’t the correct word, it was a speakeasy for heavens sake. But the people there seemed to be genuinely partying or drinking their sorrows away. For all the talk of debts owed, she didn’t see any deals or trades being made, even in the darkest of corners. There were no ‘goons’ other than the bouncers outside, and there was no talk of The Raven. If anything people avoided the subject. She found it hard to believe The Raven would use such an..honest (again, not the right word Lucy) place as a base of operations. Of course, it could all be a front, and she hadn’t even scratched the surface all night. But why would they risk so many civilian lives, if that was the case? Another inconsistency, just like the victims of their attacks. The Raven supposedly fought for those people. How could they stand to use their people as human shields?

People like Ray.

The thought angered her.

She narrowed it down to two possibilities; either The Raven just really wanted a drink that night, or they really were that much of a monster. Admittedly, she believed one more likely than the other, but neither could be ruled out this moment. She supposed now with an investigation conducted and the building not spelling imminent death, she could hand in that ticket and get the warrant signed. It was still an illegal distributor of alcohol after all.

She only hoped Ray wouldn’t be there when they raided the place. And that they wouldn’t be angry she lied to their face for the entire night.

Wait.

Why did she care so much all of a sudden?

Because they saved her, that’s why. It’s the only logical explanation. She felt indebted to them, and doing this one thing didn’t feel like clearing her debts.

Something twisted in her stomach as she sat down on her bed, grabbing a book on her nightstand. ‘Pride and Prejudice’ was what she was last reading apparently. It’d be so long since she last enjoyed some proper downtime, she forgot. She couldn’t sleep, but this should keep her occupied.

“A single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

And maybe some wives were in want of answers, Lucy bitterly thought. For all the effort she went through tonight, she only gained more questions than answers. Well, that’s a lie. She gained one thing, she supposed.

“It is very often nothing but our own vanity that deceives us.”

3 years, 6 months and now 3 days, The Raven had been running circles around her and making her out to be some sort of fool unfit for her job. Nothing about them made sense, even after all this time and with what little they had learnt. Ray seemed angry when she brought them up. Maybe the east siders were all just as confused about the matter as she was? Maybe they did live in constant fear that they were next, but tried to live life to the fullest anyway? That was admirable. They may not have said much on the subject matter, but Ray really had opened her eyes to a new way of thinking.

“Stupid men are the only ones worth knowing after all.”

Lord have mercy, Gabby and the others would kill her if they learnt what she had done. It dawned on her that she may even get demoted or worse, fired. Lucy really didn’t think any of this through, and learnt for future reference to gain greater control of her impulses. That’s if she even had a future after tonight. She’d have to think of a convincing excuse, and she could only hope that Ari had forgotten about the ticket and wouldn’t rat her out for it. Even if she was disciplined, she hoped that they’d at least let her know when they’d hit the place. Maybe then, she could try and find Ray before the chaos kicked off. Ray didn’t deserve to get caught in the cross fire.

“In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed.”

She did wonder how she’d possibly see Ray again. She didn’t really think that one through either, she realised. Where else would they go other than the bar? Would they even want to see her again after the place was shut down? They seemed to know everyone there, what exactly would Lucy be taking away from them by shutting the place down? All she’d be doing was proving she really was just another ‘ posho ’, as they put it. It was a speakeasy , it had to be shut down, she tried to reason with herself. But the worries and guilt didn’t quite leave her mind. She couldn’t understand why.

“But that was only when I first knew her, for it is many months since I have considered her as one of the handsomest women of my acquaintance.”

A wave of nausea hit her so violently and suddenly then, sending a terrible shiver up her spine. She covered her mouth with one hand, and placed the book down with the other as she stared ahead in both pain and shock at the suddenness of it all. She forced herself to glance at the clock.

4:30am.

Time to get ready for work.

Chapter Text

November 1st, 8am.

She told Gabby she must be getting sick when he finally arrived at the station. He wasn’t happy, to say the least. That whole morning, he spent scolding her for her carelessness, that she promised she’d go to sleep. She tried to defend herself by saying she was plagued by nightmares the whole night. It wasn’t entirely a lie, in fact she vividly remembered every night that had happened before. But Gabby didn’t seem to take that as a satisfactory answer, much to her disdain. Even as she was very clearly trying to work on the case, he would blabber on and on about how she had to take care of herself, how she had to take a break. All she wanted right now was silence and another coffee. Sera shot her a disproving look as she walked past her office to get to the kettle, which she did her best to ignore. Just as the bitter taste went down her throat, the bitter thought entered her mind:

She should hand in the ticket.

November 1st, 1pm.

‘So when do you think they’ll next strike?’

A voice she wasn’t expecting brought her out of her daze, and another coffee cup was set down next to her. She looked up confused, only to find Cass awkwardly taking a step back to give her some space.

‘The uh- the Raven that is. The press keep fear mongering, and I was wondering if you’d seen any pattern to the attacks—-‘

Lucy groaned. ‘I have no clue,’ she admitted with a heavy sigh, ‘Could be next week, could be in two months. Tell the press that they’re more than welcome to join the force and have a crack at it.’

‘Right, right, of course..you do take your coffee black right? I’ve messed up enough people’s drinks, I’ll remake it if you want—‘

‘Cass.’ She raised an eyebrow, cutting off their rant. ‘You’re a liaison officer, not a barista.’

They blinked. ‘Right, yeah, um..yeah, I guess you’re right—‘

‘Just how much has Gabby been bossing you around?’ She squinted at them, ‘Do you want me to talk to him? He’s so full of himself sometimes, I’m sorry-‘

‘Nonono, it’s fine!’ They laughed nervously, shaking their head. ‘Really, it’s..fine. I uh, best get going. I hope you managed to get some rest soon, your eyes are really red—‘ They blinked. ‘Sorry. Bye!’

They were gone before she could finish rubbing her eyes. Just how thick was the smog over there that her eyes were still red? Another groan escaped her, but at least she had more coffee to distract her this time.

Speaking of distractions, she should hand in that ticket.

November 1st, 8pm.

She waved goodbye to her colleagues as they clocked out for the night. She turned her back to look at the board, and briefly wondered if they’d have to buy more red string soon. But then a hand touched her shoulder, and she had to suppress any sign of visible annoyance.

‘You’re seriously not going home in this state? Look at yourself Lucy.’ Gabby frowned.

‘I’ll go home, don’t worry,’ She tried to wave him off, ‘I’ve just got some documents I need to file away for the night. I’ll have this place locked up for 9 at the latest, I promise.’

Gabby raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t convinced. She expected another rant that she’d be able to quote word for word, and mentally prepared to tune him out. But instead, he asked, ‘When was the last time you went to Church?’

A pause. ‘Gabby, you and I both know that attending Church won’t solve the case. I pray when I can, that’s the best I can do at the moment.’

Another pause, this time much longer and much thicker. ‘Well maybe if you had a bit more faith, we might be blessed with a better fortune..’ He finally grumbled under his breath.

Lucy’s head turned so sharply to him it was almost unnatural, and her anger must’ve been written as clear as day across her face with how he seemed to clear his throat and stutter, ‘That is to say, I-I mean—‘ He tried, but she just raised a single finger to silence him.

‘Whatever you’re trying to insinuate about my faith, stop. I pray for the people that died, I pray every single day for the people that are lost just like the sermons say to do, and I pray for a miracle that God would smite The Raven where they stood for all the atrocities they have committed. But God won’t do that, and no justice will be brought the longer I sit around idle, taking away precious time doing something that I can do everywhere else, when I could be examining evidence instead. I try and attend Church when I can, and I’ll attend regularly once this war is finally over, once I can guarantee our people’s safety. But until then, don’t you ever. Ever . Breathe a word about my faith again.’ She paused to take in a shaky breath, glaring at him, ‘I’m trying my best Gabby , you of all people should be able to see that!’

She couldn’t help the tremble of her voice. Somewhere in her rant, she had smacked Gabby’s hand away, and even in her anger she felt guilt. She didn’t look at him, but she could hear him take a step back towards the door.

‘..I’m sorry, Lulu. Try and get some rest..goodnight.’

She didn’t respond.

November 1st, 10:30pm.

Anger was a double edged sword. It sparked her to get more work done, to burn through documents with a speed she could never quite replicate in any other mood. But at the same time, the quality of her work was always the lowest when she was angry. She had no doubt that she’d look at the writing scrawled across these pages tomorrow in shame and disgust.

Speaking of shame and disgust, she forgot to hand in the ticket. There was always tomorrow, she tried to reassure herself.

Now she stood at the window, holding an empty mug and using the residual heat to keep her hands warm. There she watched the lights of the buildings surrounding her, watching the people she fought so hard for. She could remain Gods most faithful Angel even if she didn’t attend Church, she tried to tell herself. He’d understand and forgive her because it was for the greater good, she tried to tell herself. She was keeping his kingdom safe, she tried to tell herself.

But what if Gabby was right?

Attending Church was one of the simplest but most effective ways to demonstrate your faith. If she couldn’t do that, did she really love the Lord as much as she claimed too? She should be setting an example for the public, but so far she’s been everything but a role model. Their faith was what set them apart from other societies, and she needed to be the pinnacle of that faith. God blessed them with fortune and prosperity in return for their faith and love. Was she being unfaithful and unloving by omitting this one simple thing?

She tried to picture it now, kneeling on the cold, stone floor in that white box of a room, hands clasped in prayer until she couldn’t feel her legs. The raised alter where the preacher would stand delivering the holy sermon, the singular golden cross on the wall to remind them that God was watching, the hundreds of other faces surrounding her demonstrating their devotion, she could recall the image so clearly. It should’ve brought comfort to her.

But it didn’t.

Was her anger really controlling her that badly?

She tried to walk through it in her mind again.

Kneel to show your devotion. Clasp your hands until your knuckles are white. Listen to the preacher. What was the last sermon she heard?

Chatter and music and glasses clinking and ‘Dove’ being said amidst a fit of laughter.

God on high, she desperately needed some sleep.

As she gathered the papers to file away, she couldn’t help but wonder. Was Ray one of those atheists that renounced the Lord? She hoped not. What would they think of all this? Would they think she’s failing God by not attending Church? Would they understand that she’s having to sacrifice certain duties for the greater good? She didn’t know anymore, and she didn’t think she wanted to know either. She shouldn’t even be thinking of such a place at a time like this.

November 2nd, 2:53am.

Lucy went home and prayed until she collapsed on her bedroom floor, hands still loosely clasped and begging for understanding.

Chapter Text

November 2nd, 8am.

She was exactly 4 minutes late to work this morning. No one should’ve found out considering she’s the only one that gets there for 5am, but something possessed Sera to check the cameras and now suddenly everyone knew. Despite Gabby saying he was glad her resolve was ‘slowly breaking’, as he put it, he really didn’t let it go, and it annoyed her more with each time he brought it up. She did everything she could to try and tune him out and continue with her work as if he wasn’t there. Funnily enough, replaying her conversations with Ray seemed most effective.

She should hand in that ticket.

November 2nd, 1pm.

She shared some sandwiches with Cass during her lunch break after they noticed she hadn’t brought any food of her own. They still were so nervous as they initially approached her, but when it was just them alone in the break room they seemed to relax if only slightly. They were sweet when they were actually allowed to speak.

She should hand in that ticket.

November 2nd, 8pm.

Gabby argued with her again that she should go home. And Lucy argued again that she had some papers she needed to finish up. She made an empty promise that she would be finished before 9.

She forgot to hand in that ticket.

November 3rd, 12:30am.

She prayed. But this time, she made sure to actually climb into bed at some point. She swore to herself she’d get there half an hour earlier today to make up for her tardiness, and to hopefully get some work done. Gabby proved too much of a distraction and kept her from making any meaningful connections on the case. As she drifted off to sleep, one final thought entered her mind:

She will hand in that ticket.

November 3rd, 4:30am.

Lucy arrived at the station with enough coffee in her system to kill a small horse. In the silence of the room, with nothing but writing on the board and pictures of crime scenes to accompany her, her mind couldn’t help but wander to when she said goodbye to Ray. They seemed so sure when they said they’d see each other again. Were they waiting for her at the bar at night? No, she held her head in her hands as she sighed to herself, they were still strangers to each other. They were an interesting character in her eyes, but she seriously doubted she made as much of an impression on them and they did for her.

She will hand in that ticket.

November 3rd, 8am.

Gabby made Cass get the two of them coffee. She tried to tell them she was fine, but it didn’t stop him from ordering them about like he owned the place. She thanked Cass profusely when they returned, and offered to buy them a coffee sometime as a minimum repayment for all they’ve done for the service. They smiled genuinely at that until the scowl Gabby sent them made them scurry away back to their desk. Lucy then made a point to ignore Gabby for as long as she could after that. It wasn’t difficult, surprisingly easy if anything with Ray’s words replaying in her mind proving to be more than enough for her daily socialisation needs, even though it wasn’t technically socialising. Gabby was really starting to get on her nerves as of late.

She should hand in that ticket.

November 3rd, 1pm.

She apologised to Cass on Gabby’s behalf. She felt a pang of pity in her stomach every time she watched them shuffle around them after that morning. They seemed too eager to forgive him despite the fact that he wasn’t even the one apologising. She sighed and shook her head as they hurried off again. Somehow that made her angrier at Gabby.

She should hand in that ticket.

November 3rd, 8pm.

Gabby didn’t seem as insistent and as willing to stick around and fight with her on going home this time around. She was glad in a way, her silent treatment hopefully taught him something about respect. She didn’t miss the way he kept glancing at her constantly throughout the day, but a mental chat with Ray made it scarily easy to ignore his presence. As she watched the rest of her colleagues leave, it hit her again.

She forgot to hand in that ticket.

November 3rd, 11:45pm.

She prayed for forgiveness for how she treated Gabby as the guilt of it all started to eat her alone in the comfort of her own home. Would Ray have spoken to her with such enthusiasm if they knew what kind of person she really was? She supposed it didn’t really matter, after all.

She will hand in that ticket.

November 4th, 5am.

She really didn’t want to talk to Gabby today. If anything, she completely dreaded seeing him. She’d rather be around Ray.

She will hand in that ticket.

November 4th, 8am.

Gabby tried to catch her as she was coming back to her desk with stacks upon stacks of papers but she ignored him again. He reluctantly gave up after some time, but she couldn’t focus on the case at all with him glaring dangers into the back of her head from his desk. She was starting to run out of things to overanalyse about Rays words in the bar.

She should hand in that ticket.

November 4th, 1pm.

Cass avoided her just as much the next day. Their eyes were slightly bloodshot and they looked so tired with how they were slumped over at the break room table. However, they were quick to wave her off when she tried to express her concern. She sighed. Were they near the east side at some point last night? She never understood how people like Ray could build up such an immunity to the smog.

She should hand in that ticket.

November 4th, 8pm.

Sera called her into her office, much to her confusion. It was there she was given a thorough lecture on the importance of compliance and teamwork, and how deliberately sabotaging her relationships with her colleagues will do nothing to prevent people from being killed. It was embarrassing to be scolded like a child by her superior, and even worse infuriating to know that Gabby’s pride had been so hurt that he went and cried about it.

Lord above, she was starting to sound like Ray.

She should really hand in that ticket now.

November 4th, 9:15pm.

As she sat at her vanity with anger pupeteering her movements, she pictured herself doing the right thing. As she painted shadows around her jawline and nose, she imagined herself kneeling. As she added a subtle yellowed tinge to her skin, she imagined herself praying for forgiveness. As she dressed into not-quite-nice dress, she imagined herself attending Church with Gabby at her side.

She imagined herself handing in that ticket.

November 4th, 10pm.

Lucy had no good excuse for why she was stood outside the No Mans Land Speakeasy, and no excuse for her sigh of relief as she entered the building.

Chapter Text

As her no doubt already reddening eyes darted around the room, the first person she noticed was Mik behind the bar. He was stood by two patrons, a man and a woman (whom she recognised as the good singer from last time) with an empty seat between them. All three of them seemed to look puzzled, staring at the empty chair like they were expecting something. But then Mik looked up and locked eyes with her, and she noticed his posture relax. That gave her a sense of relief.

But where was Ray?

Despite their main singer being at the bar, she could still hear a saxophone playing smoothly in the background. It reflected the much quieter night it seemed to be this evening, and it gave her the confidence to make her way over to the bar where Mik was waiting to greet her. Looking around, they seemed to be the few people left that were still relatively sober, with few other patrons sat around and fewer still that could properly lift their heads off the tables.

‘Well well, didn’t think we’d be seeing you round here again.’ Mik chuckled as she neared, turning towards the glasses and grabbing two from the rack. ‘What’ll it be?’

‘You..actually remember me?’ She couldn’t help but laugh after a moments pause.

‘Course, Rays been pestering me all bloody week for if I’ve seen you at all.’ He didn’t seem anywhere near as shocked as she was at those words.

‘I’m..honoured I suppose? I’d never have thought I left an impression..oh! And could I have a raspberry punch?’

It was then that the male patron, whose face had previously been face down on the counter, perked up. ‘Wait, that’s you ??’

‘In the flesh.’ Mik answered for her as he poured her drink, and then what she recognised to be a raspberry vodka into a glass next to hers.

‘Aww, y’aight duck?’ The woman smiled warmly at that, scooting her stool closer. ‘Oh look at yous, cute as a button you are~’ She took the time to inspect her face for a moment, and hummed happily at what she saw. She didn’t understand how she could, what with the makeup and all.

‘I feel like I should be concerned that you all know of me—-‘ Lucy couldn’t help but laugh nervously, thousands of questions entering her head all at once. Many of them were along the lines of ‘Why?’, but the biggest one still remained a ‘Where?’. 

‘Nonsense, nonsense!—‘ The woman started to counter, but was quickly cut off.

‘Bollocks, if you’ve caught that bastards eye then you should run for the hills,’ the other man muttered with a lazy smile, earning a light smack on his arm from the woman and a laugh from Mik.

‘Nonsense to that especially!’ She gasped, ‘I can’t believe you’d say such a thing, ignore him please- ‘ She turned back to Lucy with what looked like a strained smile.

‘Well, it’s comforting to know I’m acquainted with someone so..notorious?’ Lucy tried to joke, glancing between them all to see if it landed. It did, judging by the man’s snicker and Mik’s quiet chuckle, and she felt her shoulders relax a little. ‘But, if I may ask, where are they?’

‘Funny that, we’re trying to figure that one out too. Right here they were, but then they suddenly buggered off mid sentence. Then in walked you not long after.’ Mik shrugged after nodding to the empty seat.

‘..Oh.’

Lucy didn’t quite know what to make of that, which made her laugh internally now but would’ve made her scream anywhere else. All her life of puzzles and problems, all her years of detective skills, and all her hard work seemed to get reduced to mush the second she stepped foot beyond the border. She blamed the stench of nicotine coming from the woman. Everything down here felt like it was tailor-made to mess with her critical thinking.

‘Never mind that!’ The woman suddenly exclaimed, ‘That Ray, always been running around like a looney since they were a little girl. They’ll be back at some point, they always come back.’

‘Busy person, then? They didn’t really tell me much about themself when we first met-‘

‘Ain’t the faintest. Other times they’ve disappeared they’ll sometimes say it’s odd jobs, cash in hand labour to help out, but we all know it’s crap. Say, we ain’t introduced ourselves have we?!’ She suddenly gasped, nudging the other man awake, ‘Sorry duck, so rude of me! I’m Lia, this is my useless brother Uri—‘

‘S’mean..’ Uri tried to make some form of protest, but it died very quickly on his lips as he reached for the beer bottle next to him.

‘Pleasure to meet you-‘ Lucy tried to smile genuinely, but she wasn’t sure how convincing it was. What was the name she went with again? Ah, yes, she remembered now. ‘I don’t know if Ray already told you my name or not, but I’m—‘

‘Dove.’

The new yet familiar voice made her nearly jump out of her skin as her hands raised defensively out of pure reflex. Her heart was racing in her ears as her eyes locked with those upturned eyes that seemed just as wide as hers. They looked taken aback by the extreme reaction, leaning away from her out of their own reflex. There was a tense pause where they only stared at each other, Lucy’s arms raised to protect herself and Rays legs positioned ready to run.

Then they burst into laughter.

‘Well hello to you too, dove~’ They grinned, an air of excitement about them, ‘Was starting to think I weren’t gonna see you again!’

‘Ray!’ Lia started in a scolding tone, ‘Where have you been?! Your friend has been waiting for you!’

‘Oh you know me, I was off running along the roof tops to get the closest thing to clean air we’ve got, then I singlehandedly went and saved some poor elderly gentleman from getting mugged. Even ran into the Raven on my travels, lovely chap.’ They smirked.

Ray didn’t seem to miss how Lucy stilled at that name, and their gaze flickered between her and Lia’s incredibly unimpressed face. After a brief second, they frowned and rolled their eyes. ‘I went for a piss.’

‘Oh, well that’s alright then! No need to be so vulgar about it though-‘ Lia hummed, slowly returning back to her cheery attitude.

‘Ask stupid questions, get stupid answers.’ They shrugged, reaching for the other glass Mik had poured alongside Lucy’s own after seeing him gesture towards it with a knowing smile. The warm light traced an outline of their hunchback, and Lucy struggled to tear her gaze from it until they piped up again. ‘So, didn’t scare you off then after all? You were starting to worry me there, dove~’

‘Worry..you?—‘

‘Don’t mind them, they just love being dramatic.’ Mik interjected with a small laugh. Though his jab no doubt was meant to be humorous, she didn’t miss how Ray’s eyes narrowed at him with an expression that she couldn’t name. But then they sipped their drink, and all was right again.

‘You been stuck with these guys long?’ Ray turned their attention back to her.

‘Oh not at all, you’re all lovely people actually-’ She smiled awkwardly as her eyes looked at the four people surrounding her. Lia seemed unimaginably happy, Mik watched the scene from behind the bar with mild interest and she genuinely couldn’t tell if Uri was awake or not. A lovely bunch indeed.

‘Oh good. Hey, is Uri still breathing?’ They jokingly asked Lia, who was more than happy to elbow him awake much to his annoyance.

Lucy took this moment as they chatted amongst themselves to reevaluate the situation now that she could breathe in the scent of raspberry punch and cleanse her body of the nicotine and smog and alcohol if only for a moment. It was only her second time here with a sizeable gap between visits, which was more than enough time for suspicious activity to take place. At the end of the day, the ticket led here. But without properly exploring the place, she couldn’t figure out if any of her 3 theories were correct. No patrons she saw seemed to acknowledge or care for the Raven other than small jests here and there, so this being a fully fledged red herring designed to trap them was unlikely. But that still left the possibility of it being a base of operations, or just an innocent night out. Even monsters could want for fun, she supposed. Without being able to  thoroughly examine the scene, she couldn’t say which option was the most viable. She couldn’t possibly know just what kind of secrets lay behind the bar.

But now that she could confidently rule out the possibility of a trap, she could safely hand in that ticket and set up a bust operation. She could hand over the job of raiding the place to the task force, and do her job of examining what’s discovered and how that linked back to the Raven. It was the next step, the right thing to do. This place was still illegal at the end of the day.

Yet, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt deep in her stomach as Ray’s laughter filled her ears.

The Prohibition was a funny thing, now that she thought about it. It had only been around for 2 years, but all it was good for was highlighting the weak links within the Angels. Lucy always believed alcohol to be a vice and she didn’t necessarily disagree with the ban, but the actual enforcing of the ban was practically impossible as the Angels discovered very quickly after its enactment. For every bar that was shut down, three more took its place like some drunken hydra. She didn’t want to think about how much time and effort was wasted shutting these places down that could’ve gone into more important cases like robberies and murders. But it was the law at the end of the day, and this place would have to go. She could only hope Ray could find something nicer to indulge in. Speaking of the peculiar character next to her, she faintly registered their voice becoming more prominent against the background chatter.

‘Dove—‘ She heard Ray’s voice call gently, a soft touch nudging her and bringing her out from the flurry of her own thoughts. ‘Hey..you alright? You were just kinda staring off into nowhere-‘ They frowned. She didn’t need to look behind her to feel Lia’s worried gaze and Mik’s curious eyes burning into the back of her head.

‘Oh. Oh!’ She wanted to facepalm as the embarrassment hit her, ‘Sorry about that, I’ve just..got a lot on my mind—-‘

Somewhere, someone made a comment saying something. But all Lucy could focus on was the genuine concern in Ray’s eyes as they tipped their head slightly with a frown. Their gaze was both suffocating and refreshing. She couldn’t stand it.

‘I’m going to get some air.’ She abruptly stood and excused herself, giving a half hearted hum at the collective mutter of ‘Good luck with that’ that came from both Ray and Uri. She could see a glass door leading to what looked like a balcony, so she was quick to hurry out.

The ‘air’ really did nothing to ease her mind. If anything it choked her even more. She could’ve sworn she read somewhere in a history book that someone built a ventilation system to combat the smog. She should conduct an investigation as to if it still works as, after all, it was built sometime in the early 1800s. The system would be archaic compared to those of the west. She should lead an investigation after she orders a raid on this place and shuts it down, it was unfair for the actual good people down here to live like this. The question of how people like Ray spent their lives here was confusing her just as much as some of the Ravens cases. A great, unsolvable mystery.

She coughed, and a hand gently patted her back.

For the second time tonight, she flinched drastically away from Ray with her hands lifted ready to defend herself, and Ray just stared back at her with the posture that was ready to bolt. But this time, there was no laugh that followed after a beat of silence. Only a deepened frown.

‘Sorry,’ she breathed out shakily, and coughed again, ‘You just startled me, you move.. really quietly—-‘

‘I mastered the art of sneaking as a kid to scare Uri.’ They offered in explanation after seeing how much their action disturbed her. It still did nothing to ease her mind, however. Lucy had always been too observant for someone to sneak up on her just like that.

A silence hung between the two of them, and Ray moved next to her to lean against the balcony, facing the city before them. Again, Lucy’s eyes were drawn to the shape of their hunchback.

‘Family giving you shit?’ They suddenly asked, glancing at her. Lucy was quick to avert her gaze.

‘Sort of. They always do,’ She lied, ‘I guess works just been so stressful lately, and my closest friend has suddenly become..become such an asshole lately!’ She spoke a little more honestly than she intended, but it earned a laugh out of Ray. Finally.

‘Didn’t take long to corrupt you, did it?’ They grinned, resting their head in their hand.

‘Pfft,’ She couldn’t help but laugh, ‘You don’t know me. Just because I’m from the west doesn’t mean I act like a princess all the time.’

They blinked and stared blankly for a second, then chuckled as they lifted their hands in mock surrender. ‘Got me there dove. So, shitty friends and shitty work, you said?’

‘Mh, there’s just..too much going on. Everything feels like it’s going wrong and my friends becoming so full of himself to the point where I don’t even want to look at him sometimes—-‘

‘Can’t relate. My friends are great.’

She stared at them blankly for a moment. ‘…Helpful.’ She then groaned.

‘Sounds like you just need to remind your friend that you’re equals. He’s no better than anyone else there, even if it means dragging him into the mud by the scruff. Tough love, yknow?’ They hummed in thought before continuing, ‘And work? Well, I’m surprised a pretty princess like you is willing to get your hands dirty with any kind of work. Then again, you are down here..’ They trailed off as they glanced at her face, not even trying to conceal their impish grin. They laid the bait, and she took it like an idiot.

‘I think you’ll find that if you took the time to know me better and look past your stereotypes, you’d see my hands are bloody filthy, thank you!’

‘Really now? But those perfectly manicured hands look so soft and dainty to me~’

‘I thought you were trying to give me advice, you’re horrible at this!’ She hid her laugh behind an attempt at an annoyed huff.

‘One thing you need to learn sooner or later, never take advice from me. I’m the worst of the worst~’ They grinned, their voice oversaturated with confidence as they stood up as tall and proud as their back would allow. But she didn’t miss the way they winced slightly, and she didn’t miss how they covered it up with their signature smile.

How much did it hurt?

Ray peeked an eye open after only silence responded to their joke, and slumped against the rail again with a sigh. ‘I’m sure you’ll figure it all out. No one knows your friends and your job better than you..or whatever. Posho enough for you to understand?’

‘Plenty enough.’ She groaned as her head hung low.

Lifting her gaze and squinting, she could see the faintest outline of the mill ruins they had mentioned in their first meeting. She could see the skeletons of other speakeasies that had been shut down by her Angels, growing muscle and tissue that would shape them into factories or newer, better disguised speakeasies. If she really focused her eyes amidst the black smoke, she could see the drunkards vomiting in the street, prostitutes trying to entice their next customers, and rowdy teenagers terrorising whoever had the misfortune of being in their line of sight. Being an Angel meant she had sworn herself to protect even these sinners. It was sights like these that made her wonder if the East side was beyond salvation.

But now, after living in their world for a mere two nights, she remembered that there were people, too. Just like her, just like Gabby, just like Cass and Sera and Ari, these people worked like dogs to earn their living and survive. Now, if she looked hard enough, she could see past the sinners, and see something worth all the pain and headaches and sleepless night. She could see exhausted factory workers coughing up soot as they trudged home. She could see children up way pay their bedtime waiting to greet their fathers at the door. She could see friends laughing with one another, leaning on each other for support. She could see a homeless child scamper around dustbins, searching for a meal. She could see a woman feeding a stray cat.

All her life, she was taught that these people were godless beings, devoid of goodness. But now, to see goodness, she only had to look to her right.

‘Hey, Ray..’ From the corner of her eye, she watched as they stilled slightly, then turned their full attention to her.

‘Yeah, dove?’ Came a hesitant response.

Her eyes traced their figure. She saw the way they held themselves in tentative thought, the way their head rested in their claw-like hand, the way neon shop signs reflected in their eyes, the way the dim light traced the outline of their hunchback. A million questions ran through her head.

Are you scared? Does your back hurt? Do you believe in God? Do you think this bar would survive a purge? Who do you think the Raven will kill next? How much do you care about your friends? Are you immune to the smog? What do you think about the Raven? How much pain are you in right now?

‘Am I imagining things, or have you got the longest hair this side of the city?’

Whatever Ray was expecting her to say, it certainly wasn’t that. She couldn’t blame them. She sure as hell wasn’t expecting that to be the words that left her mouth either.

‘Right weirdo..’ she heard them mutter after a heavy pause, and she feared that of all things, that was somehow the wrong thing to say. But then their shoulders shook, and they threw their head back in laughter, laughter so loud she could hear it echo slightly in the streets. ‘Proper weirdo, you are!’ They all but cackled, wiping away a tear amidst their laughing fit. Lucy couldn’t help but laugh too.

‘I’m so sorry, I don’t know why—‘ She held her stomach as she laughed properly for the first time in weeks, ‘But I mean, I’m not wrong am I??’

‘Nah, suppose you ain’t-‘ They calmed down from their giggle fit, a wide smile still on their face. ‘Though I’m honoured you’ve noticed~’

‘The more I think about it, it’s hard not to notice..longest I’ve seen walking around this area is shoulder length maybe? But yours is just so..I mean, how long actually is it?’ She squinted at their single messy braid, trying to guess for herself.

They hummed in thought, before gesturing to their hips. ‘Bout here?’

‘Wow.’ She absentmindedly ran a hand through her own hair. ‘It’s already beautiful, but it must look so pretty when it’s down-‘ she couldn’t help but think aloud. She heard Ray cough, and when she glanced over she swore she saw what could only be described as a sheepish smile. ‘How come no one else here has long hair?’

‘ Obviously cus I’m the chosen one, duh.’ They tried to nonchalantly shrug, but couldn’t help the giggle that escaped them.

‘Oh but of course, of course, how could I have been so blind?’ She joked back, fully preparing for this to be another mystery she’ll never know the answer too. But then Ray coughed as if to clear their throat, and shifted almost nervously.

‘..Lia used to have long hair-‘ They hesitantly began, like they carefully thought about every word leaving their mouth. ‘Hairs a bit of a luxury down here, I was told stories of how back in ye olden days,’ They gestured dramatically, but then quickly gave up on the theatrics, ‘People used to sell their hair to the rich in last ditch attempts at paying off debts. Teeth too, in some cases.’ They watched Lucy from the corner of their eye at all times, trying to gage her reaction. When her expression twisted trying to imagine such a scene, they took that as a sign to continue. ‘Well, it’s rare people have to do that anymore, but uh..caring for hairs still expensive. And people have families with many mouths to feed, so most people chose the obvious option.’

‘But Lia used to have long hair?’

‘Yeah, Lia used to have long hair..til she met me.’ They couldn’t help but give a weak laugh at the memory. ‘Lia used to have the prettiest long hair you’ve ever seen until she had the misfortune of running into some scruffy street rat. But still..’ They sighed, ‘She took me in. Fed me, bathed me, clothed me, even though she couldn’t afford to. But every time she came at me with a pair of scissors to try and cut my matts, apparently I’d scream so loud Uri swears his ears still ring—‘ Another weak laugh that died out into a sad hum. Lucy frowned. ‘So Lia brushed out my matts and cut her hair instead because it was the most affordable thing to do, and it made me happy back then. She swears she likes it short, but..’ They trailed off, briefly glancing in Lucy’s direction to gage her reaction again. ‘I’m kind of attached to it, y’know? If I cut it now, what would it have all been for?’

‘..Do you struggle?’ Lucy dared to ask.

‘I manage.’ Came a sudden and terse response. The words left their mouth before she even finished her question, and she looked away sheepishly.

‘Sorry, I..well.’ She cleared her throat. ‘It really does look beautiful. Makes you stand out, if you ask me.’

She couldn’t have sounded more honest if she tried, considering all the lies she’s told this night. When Ray smiled and gave a little huff of amusement, there was a glint in their eyes that suddenly made Lucy think of the little girl that Lia had mentioned all those hours ago.

‘Oh please-‘ They waved her off, ‘I ain’t got nothing on the shit you west siders come out with. All those fancy braids and colours..I mean, look at yourself. Your hairs gorgeous, you’re basically glowing.’

‘You think so?’ She couldn’t help the slight bashful feeling that arose within her.

‘Oh I know so, dove.’ They hummed.

Lucy had no idea what time it was. At this point, she didn’t care. She didn’t know if the black clouds were corrupting her mind or what, but right now, this was the most refreshing experience for her in what felt like years. Let the Raven be damned.

‘Do you travel to the west side often?’

‘Enough to know my way around.’

‘Because of your work?’

‘Damn, starting to feel like I’m in an interrogation,’ they hummed jokingly, ‘Can I ask you some questions for a change?’

Shit.

‘Sure.’

‘Hmm, what to ask..’ they touched a hand to their chin in dramatic pondering, before turning to face her, ‘What the fuck kind of job does Princess dainty-hands have that required you to be there at 5 o’fucking-clock?’

Double shit.

‘Admin. I’m a surgeons secretary. My boss is uh..incredibly booked. She demands perfection, so I have to be there early to make sure everything’s in order for her-‘ She managed to explain convincingly enough. It wasn’t an entire lie, she offered to do the job for Ari’s secretary at the time once to repay a favour after they’d taken ill. Never again.

‘A surgeon ? Tch.’ They rolled their eyes as they all but spat out the word. ‘Sorry for underestimating you dove, sounds like bloody torture.’ Their empathy seemed genuine enough, but they spoke with gritted teeth.

‘It’s not that..no, no, I lie. It is that bad.’ Lucy’s head hung in mock-defeated, but she smiled when she heard Ray laugh.

‘And what about tomor— today?’ They corrected themselves, glancing at her with sympathy at the realisation. ‘Well past your bedtime, it is.’

‘Hahaaaa.. yep .’ Her face must’ve said it all in that moment, as Ray quickly moved to place a gentle and comforting hand on her shoulder.

‘Shit..you should probably get home then. Your boss sounds like an utter bitch.’

‘But—‘ She felt the argument on her tongue die right then and there. It was rather childish of her to argue back, after all. Ray was right. She was spending far too long in this place, she couldn’t afford to get attached just because she found an interesting stranger with a smooth tongue and strange mannerism enjoyable to talk to. This place needed to face the Lords justice. She sighed. ‘I suppose you’re right..though, I hope you’re not just saying that to try and get rid of me?~’ She tried to throw in a tease, to try and make Ray smile one last time.

And they did. But not in jest, in pure genuineness. ‘How could I even think of doing such a thing? I like you too much.’

She blinked. ‘..Sorry?’

‘That horse of yours is still high as shit, but I’ll make an east sider out of you yet.’ They hummed, a hand on their hip and an eyebrow raised. Lucy laughed.

‘Sure you will, sure you will..’ She pretended to wave them off as they both walked back inside, side by side and laughing together. Ray ignored the look the others shot them as they walked Lucy to the door, opening it for her. Lucy smiled. ‘Goodnight, Ray.’

‘Night, dove.’ They lifted their free hand in a slight wave. ‘Til next time.’

Chapter Text

Days passed. A week passed. A month passed. Time kept ticking until, to everyone’s pure shock, it was now well over three months, almost four, since the last act of terrorism committed by the Raven. They usually followed a pattern of their ‘acts’ being roughly a month apart, maybe bimonthly at a stretch. Even if it wasn’t a building blown up, they’d do something to build up anticipation for their next move. Graffiti, other forms of property damage, knocking someone of interest unconscious and leaving a feather for them to wake up too, anything to keep their name in the papers. But for over three months? Nothing. Nothing at all.

Nobody was happy about this. The public were anxious. The Angels were anxious. Sera bit her nails at every empty report given to her at the end of the day. Ari visited frequently to discuss evidence, to check and double check everything for what felt like the millionth time to make sure no detail went undiscovered. Cass seemed extra avoidant and buried their nose in their work. Even Gabby, Gabby who had been the one happily exclaiming how they were sure to catch the Raven soon, paced about nervously and was muttering angrily under his breath.

Lucy was anxious too. Just what exactly were they planning? No one could say for certain, and it terrified her.

However, unlike her colleagues, she could see the good side of this inactivity. They still worked tirelessly on the Raven’s case, but now they could focus on arresting copycat acts and other reckless individuals, rather than all their efforts being split across the Raven’s many cases. Things were getting quieter in general now that more arrests had been made, it seemed. Less buildings were being destroyed. Less people getting hurt or ending up dead. She could take comfort that in this period of stillness, Ray was safe.

She couldn’t get much more information about their ventures onto the west side after that night, and she tried everything. The closest she got was getting them to talk about one of their odd jobs, and even then the best she could do was infer small details. They didn’t stray ridiculously far from the border, they went often enough that they knew street names and landmarks. These were the small and minute details that one day she’d be able to build a bigger case out of, as long as Ray was happy to keep talking. However, there was only one thing she knew for certain from what little they revealed in their stories, and it made her heart sink into her stomach.

Ray was at risk of being a victim.

Good people like Ray always suffered because of the Raven. The thought was already like a knife twisted deep into her gut, but now? With the added stake of this newfound friendship being snuffed out just like some sort of candle flame? Lucy only grew more frustrated in her work. But all things considered, the quiet was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing in that it allowed her to breathe, allowed her to step back and examine the bigger picture she was missing. A curse in that it was only a matter of time until Ray would be at risk and living in fear once again. People like Ray.

So now, she stood at work before the board and the red strings that seemed too many and too few all at once. One thing she had picked up early on into the quiet now that there wasn’t that immediate pressure she oh so despised, was that the Raven was starting to move outward. Before, they mostly didn’t stray too far from the border, attacking properties within the east side known to be owned by west side businessmen, or attacking west side properties before fleeing back into the shadows of the east. But finally having the chance to take a step back and look , she saw they were moving out. Further from the border, further from safety. They were getting bolder, but were still cautious. Perhaps a trap could be laid? Perhaps they could be baited into straying too far into the light?

No, they were much too smart for such a simple trap. Too cunning, too careful. She dismissed the idea not long after this period of quiet had been officially identified and recognised as such. In her frustration, she ended back up at the bar.

Her trips to the speakeasy were becoming more and more frequent. Painting a new face on top of her own was therapeutic, she found. It was refreshing being able to live like she wasn’t Detective Inspector Lucy Redimere for once. She could laugh and joke and enjoy a drink of juice like the world wasn’t resting on her shoulders and without prying eyes critiquing and praising her every move. And Ray was always there to indulge her. She didn’t protest as their relationship moved from that of acquaintances to friends, as Ray took her by the hand and guided her in how to survive this harsh environment. They taught her what to say and how to act, even if they didn’t mean to, and Lucy found conversation becoming much easier within the small group of friends she had made. Lia was always happy to see her, Mik now poured her a drink without even asking for it. Heavens above, even Uri now opened his eyes and lifted his head in the briefest of nods whenever she walked into the room. That, Ray had told her, was how they knew everyone liked her. Despite their warnings, she often still went to Ray for their advice, no matter how horrible it ended up being. Even on the worst of nights, at the very least they were still able to make her laugh.

It was quite hypocritical of her, she thought to herself one night as she wiped away the makeup and the good memories she just made. If she were found out, she’d face repercussions to kingdom come. If this were anyone else, she’d shake her head and tut with disappointment.

But oh, she really did love not being Lucy Redimere. And that thought scared her more than she’d ever dare to admit.

For over three months she kept up this work-life balance, and quite successfully too. She knew it was wrong to think this way, to actually want to keep this act up on both sides. She was a liar after all, and a liar was still a sinner. It won’t be for much longer, she kept trying to tell herself as she brought her coffee from the break room back to her desk. She prayed every night for forgiveness and understanding until her knees were red and she couldn’t feel her hands, until the tears had run dry and she collapsed with exhaustion, unable to hold her own body up anymore. The speakeasy would get raided eventually after all, she tried to reason with herself. It’s not a sin to enjoy talking to a friend for a little while longer. 

But as her desk came back into sight, she paused. 4 chairs pulled up at her desk, 3 occupants in them. Gabby and Ari seemed to be having a quiet yet heated conversation between themselves, while Cass noticed her presence and shot her an apologetic look.

‘Hey Lucy—-‘ They started, then glanced at the other two. Neither of them seemed to even notice her standing there.

‘..Hey. Cass, what’s going on?’ She raised an eyebrow, trying to smile casually. She didn’t need a mirror to know she failed miserably. Cass seemed to take a moment to try and figure out how to word the situation to no avail, as she moved to sit down and place her mug on the table. The sound of ceramic on wood seemed to finally grab Gabbys attention, at the very least.

‘Lucy? Oh good, you’re finally here-‘ He sighed, before glaring at Cass, ‘Why didn’t you say anything?’

‘I—-‘

‘They did.’ She stared back, unimpressed. ‘Must’ve been a very interesting conversation you two were having to not notice.’

‘Observant as always, child.’ Against all odds, Ari managed to somehow sit up even straighter. Lucy hid her groan at that name by sipping her coffee instead.

‘So..what’s all this about then? Have I done something?’ She dared to ask.

‘Well, that’s the thing..we were um, hoping that you had. Done something, that is—‘ Cass tried to explain, but with each word that left their mouth, Gabby and Ari’s glares only worsened in intensity.

‘..Excuse me?’

‘What they’re trying to say-‘ Ari interjected after clearing her throat, ‘Is that we wanted to check in with you. We all know it’s been uncharacteristically..quiet. We were hoping that by now, you’ve managed to review some evidence, reanalyse a case. Give us something new, if you will.’

‘Yeah..we’re still trying to figure out what’s actually caused the damned pigeon to go so quiet in the first place. We were hoping you’ve had a bit more success than us-‘ Gabby added.

Lucy glanced between the three of them, then sighed in defeat.

‘Nothings changed since you last checked in, unfortunately..’ She winced internally at the frustrated groan Gabby made. ‘Look, I’m trying my best. Everyone on this team is doing their best. But no new attacks means no new evidence or clues to work with. I’ve double checked, triple checked, for heavens sake quadruple checked every scrap of evidence we have! And you know I have too, because half of the time one of you just sat there and watched me do it—‘ She didn’t mean for such a blatant display of frustration in front of her mentor, but she quickly continued before Ari could voice her displeasure. ‘Like I said before, the most I can do is deduce. I predict that when they next attack—-‘

‘Not if?’ Cass chimed in, their gaze tracking Lucy as she stood before her maze of red string once again.

‘No, there’s no ifs here. Only when. When they next attack, it’ll likely be the furthest out they’ve ever been. And chances are, it’ll be the biggest display of theirs to date. I’ve marked areas of potential interest to them and I’ve had Sera’s approval to dispatch higher security to these locations. But until then, it’s a waiting game. And I know we can’t afford to be patient with this case, but at this point..they’ve forced our hand. We have to wait for their next move before we can decide how to respond.’

Cass seemed happy with their explanation. Ari seemed unimpressed, and Gabby was very poorly trying to mask his frustration.

‘And you’ve looked over everything?’

‘Yes, Surgeon General.’

‘Everything?’

‘Everything.’

‘Thoroughly?’

‘With the keenest eye God blessed me with.’

‘Are you sure?’ Ari’s eyes narrowed at her, and Lucy felt her heart skip a beat. Her hands balled into fists and she let out a shaky breath before she responded.

‘Yes, Surgeon General. I am absolutely positive.’

Ari raised an eyebrow, studying her for a moment. Then she sighed in defeat and pinched the bridge of her nose, ‘I see…Well then, you must excuse me. I have other matters to attend to. Good evening.’

Lucy could’ve sworn she saw Gabby and Ari share a look in that moment as she passed him. What it actually was, she didn’t know, and the second she blinked it had vanished. An odd feeling settled into her stomach nonetheless as she watched Gabby slump further into his chair once Ari had left the room. Lucy moved to sit back down in her chair, now stuck between Gabby and Cass. If she were alone, she would’ve allowed herself to show the giddiness that brewed inside her. She’d never been able to tell a lie so confidently to someone’s face before, and then they believe her. Lucy had never successfully told a lie in her life before. She had Ray to thank for that. But as things stood, that giddiness was already being suppressed by the thick air that weighed down on everyone.

‘Look..’ She tentatively began, ‘I know it’s rough. There’s a killer on the loose, and I don’t think it’s wrong to say that I, of everyone here, am the most eager to catch them. But there’s nothing we can do, and it’s so, so frustrating. I get it, I really do..but please. Have faith in my judgement and abilities. They’ll be brought to justice soon, I’m sure of it.’ She sighed after taking a sip of her coffee. Lord above, she sounded too much like Ari in that moment.

‘Aww Lulu, you know that’s my line-‘ Gabby chuckled weakly at that, the ghost of a smile on his face. ‘And don’t think we were doubting you or anything like that, how could we?’

‘Well it sounded to me like that was the case.’ She raised an eyebrow, and watched as he shifted nervously.

‘Well, we weren’t.’ Came a reply that sounded much more aggressive than she expected. Gabby paused, his brow furrowed, before he continued in a much gentler voice. ‘So get that idea out of your head. You’re our star , Lucy. We just wanted to check in, see if you had any new ideas. Lord knows the rest of the team don’t..’ He muttered the last part under his breath, but it didn’t go unheard. He must’ve realised this after glancing at Lucy’s face, shrinking in on himself as Lucy felt her own annoyance boil over the edge.

‘How dare you.’

‘Look, Lulu, i was just joking—-‘

‘Nono, how dare you?! Everyone here is trying their best, their absolute best to solve this case. We’re prepping for the largest scale attack we’ve ever seen, for heavens sake! And what have you done?!’

‘Lucy—-‘ He went to reach for her shoulder, but she moved away before he could touch her.

‘No, answer me Gabby!’ By now, she had risen from her chair and was jabbing an accusatory finger at his chest. ‘What exactly have you done to help our efforts other than boss everyone around like you’re some sort of king?! All you’ve done is doubt everyone else, but then you put me on some sort of pedestal like I’m the only one here worth something! It’s not right, and you know it’s not right! Just what has gotten into you?! Because you’ve barely made your own substantial progress on the case, you’ve treated everyone else here like they’re nothing but dirt on your shoes, and you’ve just been..you’ve just been such a shit friend!—-‘

‘ Detective Inspector Redimere! ’ She heard Sera’s voice suddenly shout from across the room, like a violent hand grabbing her by the scruff and pulling her out from the sea of her own thoughts. ‘What in the Lords name is going on here?! What is the meaning of all this?! Redimere, my office. Now . The rest of you, back to work, there’s a terrorist on the loose for heavens sake!’

The room was so silent. So very, very silent. No one dared to breathe a word, and it felt like her senses were heightened. She could hear each individual breath of her colleagues as they all stared at her with wide eyes. She could hear Gabby cough and sit up straight. She could hear Cass sigh shakily, like they were letting out a breath they didn’t know they were holding. She could hear each tick coming from the clock inside Sera’s office. She could hear each click of her heels as she walked towards her doom.

She could hear the explosion that came from twelve streets away.

Chapter Text

It was just the noise initially. A bang that made her pause in her steps. If it weren’t for the large echo that resounded throughout the district, she would’ve thought someone had just dropped something heavy.

But then came the shock wave. Even though it wasn’t anywhere near the building to cause damage to them, she could still feel the ground shake slightly beneath her feet. From the corner of her eye, she watched her coffee mug get shaken off her desk. She watched as it shattered on the ground and spilt the black liquid everywhere, making the most ear splitting noise she heard that evening.

And then, everything descended into chaos.

It all felt like a blur. It was a blur. One moment she thought that she was about to get demoted, the next she’s caught amidst a crowd of people rushing to grab coats and guns. She knew that she was running too, but she was just following the crowd outside at this point. The movement was automatic and rehearsed, like a natural reflex. She heard Sera practically screaming orders, and she thinks it was Gabby who shoved her into a car and sped off. Sirens, so many sirens that wailed and wept as the Angels took to the streets like a dissonant symphony, trying to pinpoint the exact location. She saw other emergency services join the race against time too, whatever fire services and ambulances were closest by and could respond. Amidst the noise and the blurry sights, she struggled to make out anything clearly. What was the date? Where were they heading? What street were they on now? She could tell, until she saw black clouds of smoke getting closer and closer. Then everything became clear again.

January 22nd, 1923. 20:00. Midas Bank. Mammon Street.

It was a sorry sight.

The once great building had been reduced to ashes. Nothing remained, other than burnt and scattered remnants of its foundations. Its neighbouring banks didn’t come away unscathed, half blown away with fires clinging onto whatever flammable surfaces they could find. Window glass littered the street and made each step a hazard. As they pulled up, she could see innocent civilians caught under the rubble, running from the dust cloud and to fresh air covered head to toe in soot. Blood was splattered all over the street as pedestrians tried to limp away from the scene, skin riddled with glass shards.

This was no doubt their work. She didn’t need to see a calling card or a manifesto, she could just feel it in her blood. And she hated being right when it came to this monster. The Raven was back, that much was certain. They were back, and they wanted to remind the world that they were to be feared. But with them managing to get to the scene so close to the explosion happening, there was a chance. A slim glimmer of hope that maybe the Angels could bring all these needless destruction to an end, that they could finally catch the Raven and bring their reign of terror to an end. Lucy rushed out of the car and went to go to join the hurry to secure the perimeter, to hunt down any immediate clues that’d give the dogs a scent to hunt. But then she faltered, as she glanced something in the corner of her eye. A woman, trapped beneath destroyed architecture. She squirmed and struggled as she tried to push the pillar off herself, but each attempt just made her cry out in pain.

‘Oh god.. please ..help..’ She heard her faintly whisper to no one as her strength gave out on her, and she lay there trapped. Why was no one helping her? She wondered as she gave the briefest of glances to the surrounding area. It was then that she grimly realised there simply weren’t enough. It seemed for every seven Angels hurrying past the wounded, there was only one paramedic to help tend to those in need. And Lucy would rather be damned before she let someone die on her watch all in pursuit of the Raven. She refused to let blood they spilled rest upon her hands.

She must’ve looked strange in that moment, actively fighting against the crowd of Angels rushing to get to the scene. But still she pushed and shoved her way past until she finally got to the woman, immediately falling to her knees to help try and push the giant concrete off her. It made her break into a sweat with exertion, but after concentrating her strength into the weak points, she was able to lift it just enough for the woman to wiggle free.

‘Hey, it’s gonna be ok!’ She tried to calm her down as she cried in pain, ‘You’re ok now, do you hear me?!’

The woman grimly nodded as she looked down at her own legs. Her nice dress was in tatters, and her right leg was bent at an awkward angle that would land her time in hospital for sure. Though, judging by the pearls on her ears, that wouldn’t be too much of a problem for her. In fact, judging by the quality of the outfits the other victims were wearing before they were covered in dust and blood, insurance wouldn’t be an issue for these people. That filled Lucy with a sense of relief.

‘I’ll stay with you until a paramedic can get to you, ok? Don’t worry, you’ll be in good hands..can you focus on breathing for me? In..and out..just like that. Perfect—‘ She moved to gently take the woman’s hand, and she squeezed it in response, breathing as she had instructed to try and calm herself down. Eyeliner leaked down her face alongside her tears.

‘I don’t..I don’t know what happened—‘ She began to ramble, ‘I was just walking by, I was about to hail a cab home, everything happened so fast-‘ She went to look around, but yelped in pain at the movement.

‘Don’t move, you need to stay as still as possible for me.’ Lucy frowned. ‘We’ll get you out of here.. did you manage to see anything while you were trapped at all? Did anyone..run out maybe, after the explosion happened?’

‘No, no..I didn’t see anyone at all! The bank closed at 4 today, so I can only hope no one was actually inside..but no, I didn’t see anyone run out—-‘

That both filled Lucy with annoyance and relief. The bank being closed for a time beforehand reduced the potential number of casualties tremendously, but at the same time it only led her to further believe the Raven was some form of virtuosic disappearing act. How they kept running circles around her like this, she would only find out if she caught the bastard. She took a moment to consider this knowledge and turn it over in her mind as a paramedic finally came over to assist the woman onto a stretcher. But before she could be wheeled off, she weakly reached for her hand again.

‘I’m in your debt..thank you for saving me, miss..?’

‘Oh!’ She tried to smile sincerely, to keep her calm, ‘Detective Inspector—-‘

‘ LUCY !’ Gabbys voice cut her off, and she was grabbed by the shoulder and pulled back. ‘Where in Gods name were you?! We need you in there now!’

‘Lucy..?’ She could hear the woman mutter, and the begin to choke up. ‘Lucy Redimere, is that who you are?? Does that mean..’ She trailed off, before bursting into sobs. ‘Oh good lord, have mercy! He’s back! The Ravens back! He’s coming for us all!’ She began to shriek, a terrible noise like nail on chalkboard, as the paramedics finally wheeled her away. Even as Gabby continued to rant at her, her cries rang in her ears.

‘What were you thinking?!’ She finally managed to make sense of what he was saying.

‘She was trapped, she needed help .’

‘And for all we knew, the Raven could’ve been waiting for us and you weren’t there! I can’t believe you, that’s a job for Ari’s lot and you know it.’ He had the audacity to scoff, ‘Come on. We’ve got a perimeter set up, we need to investigate what’s left while it’s still salvageable.’

She couldn’t protest as Gabby all but yanked her by the arm and dragged her to the remains of the bank. She could still hear the cries of people that needed help, that were wounded and hurt and couldn’t get up on their own. But that would have to wait, at Gabby’s insistent. She felt Sera’s glare as she passed. She noticed Cass taking a step away, needed elsewhere to keep nosey bystanders away from the scene. As she took in the scene before her, she could gather that most of the explosive power had to have come from the vaults within the bank. And with an explosion of such magnitude, she could reasonably guess that not much of the contents within these vaults remained. She pitied whoever had to wake up to the news tomorrow that their finances were burnt to a crisp in a single evening.

In the midst of her analysis, Gabby brought her to a sudden stop. ‘Look, star ,’ He all but spat, ‘What do you make of it?’

She was surprised that there was any part of the wall still left in tact. They always knew how to place things effectively to achieve their goal, she had to give them credit for that as much as she equally despised them for it. The singular wall left standing had a message she dreaded to read scrawled across it, in that signature wine red pigment that the media kept mistaking for blood time and time again.

DO NOT FORGET US VOICELESS - IT IS TIME TO REAP WHAT YOU HAVE SOWED.

She didn’t want to look at the ground. Gabby’s voice was fuzzy in her mind, he sounded like he was urging her, but her mind blocked out his words. She didn’t want to look down. She didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of falling for their taunts, of letting her anger control her in a critical moment such as this. She pretended to study the words for a while longer, to take in the surrounding scene for just a few moments more.  But she had to face the inevitable. She’d look weak if she didn’t.

The black feather that lay at her feet spoke a thousand more words than the manifesto ever could. The writing on the wall was a spectacle, meant for everyone to see. But the feather? The feather was a private message addressed directly to her. ‘Lucy Redimere,’ It sang as it pointed and laughed in her face. ‘I was here,’ It teased, ‘I was right here and you failed.’ A part of the Raven that they shed specifically for her as a keepsake, to never let her forget her shortcomings. A part of her died inside each time she had to kneel down to accept their sick and twisted ‘gift’.

If she squinted right then and there, she swore she could see a shadow. She was standing in their shadow. The star of the city, the beacon of light in the Angels, lost in the labyrinth of darkness that this creature left in their wake. All this effort, all this time and work and energy put in, and she still didn’t know whose bed they hid beneath.

3 years, 8 months, 25 days and she still didn’t know who they were.

‘We’ll have enough of those bloody feathers to put the bird they plucked them from back together.’ Gabby’s voice made her flinch. He was so obnoxiously loud in the stillness, she couldn’t help but glance around to see if anyone was as irritated as she was. Turns out, it was in fact just her. ‘So, what does your genius brain make of this, D.I?’ He seemed to hum more as a joke to himself as he looked around.

‘Gabby.’

‘Hm?’

‘Go check if the vaults are safe to get close to and investigate. See how bad the damage is, and if there’s anything at all that might suggest theft.’

Gabby stared at her for a moment, before huffing. ‘Alright, alright. Still snappy from earlier, I get it—-‘ He muttered as he disappeared into the cloud of dust. At last, she was alone. She could still hear people crying, she could hear Cass trying to calm bystanders and the growing media presence, she could hear Gabby calling for others to help in his investigation, she could hear Sera asking for how far Ari was from the scene. But she was alone, and that was enough for now.

She’d sent Gabby on a pointless task. Even if there was theft, all trace of it would’ve been destroyed in the blast. And she was certain the bomb caused more destruction than a theft ever could. Stolen goods were recoverable. Destroyed goods were not.

That led her to another point to consider. Midas Bank, and its surrounding competition. Mammon Street itself was an interesting choice of target, striking right in the heart of the wests financial districts. Midas Bank was rumoured to hold the Mayors assets, though not even the Angels were sure if that was true or not. The only certainty surrounding Midas Bank was that the top of chain trusted them to hold their money, whoever those in the top bracket may be. It made her wonder furthermore just how they managed to get past the security at all. Even if the building was closed to the public, there would’ve still be guards and systems in place. Maybe those three months of silence were all spent plotting for this very moment?

But how could they have known where to step, who to take out and what to avoid? Did they know all of this already? Did they know someone who did?

On one hand, this could’ve been a reaction of some sort. Maybe some wealthy land owner bought up land on the east side that was important to them. Maybe they were hit with financial hardship, and wanted to take revenge on innocent bystanders like the deranged individual they were. She could look into incidents on the east side, bought land and economic depressions that could lead to any sort of clue on the Raven.

But on the other hand, someone higher up the food chain had to be involved in this. Maybe they have an insider working for them? Maybe they weren’t an east sider at all, but in fact some maniacal westerner that saw themself as a twisted sense of vengeance. Maybe they bribed someone who knew the ins and outs? Or maybe they resorted to kidnap and torture a poor soul to be able to pull off such a stunt? She felt her gut twist at the thought.

A million possibilities, yet only one of them could be true. How? How did this keep happening? How did they keep doing this? How did they sleep at night knowing the harm they caused? How?—-

‘Oh good, there you are. I hope you’re not too far gone in that little mind palace of yours.’

That voice made her turn her head so quickly that she registered pain in the back of her mind, but that wasn’t what was important right now. ‘How many??’

‘..Excuse you?’

‘How many are dead?!’

Ari seemed to stare at her a little dumbfounded, before scoffing. ‘You should know better by now than to talk to me like that. But if you must know..’ She sighed with gritted teeth. ‘No casualties to be reported at the scene. Many are injured and at least seven are in need of urgent treatment.’

‘But there’s no causalities??’

Ari frowned. ‘No. And with speedy intervention, even those in critical condition are expected to survive.’

Lucy could’ve collapsed to the floor with relief right then and there. She almost did, if Ari didn’t grab her shoulder with an iron grip and hold her upright. When she got home, she’d sing the Lords praises at the top of her lungs for such a miracle.

‘Pull yourself together, Redimere. You’re our Detective Inspector, for heavens sake. Act like it while you’re out in public.’ Ari chastised her through gritted teeth, which quickly brought her back down to reality.

‘Sorry, sorry, just.. I really thought there’d have been a death—-‘

‘So did I.’ Ari frowned in response.

‘Right. Ok. I have theories. Did you ask any of the wounded if they saw anything suspicious before or after the bomb?’

‘Are you doubting my abilities, Detective Inspector?’

‘Nono, not at all! But we’ve got more hands on deck they had to have gotten out at some point, surely someone saw something —-‘

‘No one could tell us anything, now quiet down child before a newspaper catches you ranting like a lunatic.’

‘..Oh. Right, sorry..’ With the wounded now being carted away, the area got quieter and quieter. She was aware of just how loud her own heart was beating. Ari was right, she’d be taken for a fool by the public at this rate. ‘Nothing? Nothing at all?’

‘I won’t repeat myself, Lucy. Now, what about on your side. Have you found anything worth documenting?’

‘Nothing other than their calling card and their message.’

Ari raised an eyebrow at this. ‘Are you sure?’

There it was again. That sinking feeling that made her feel like she was drowning in the Ravens shadow. Why did Ari doubt her so much? Did she think her incapable? Did she not trust her anymore to take on this case?

‘I’m positive, Surgeon General.’

Ari hummed. From somewhere behind her, she could hear Gabby’s heavy footsteps tread over the rubble. ‘Good. I suspect you and Gabby shall be able to leave the scene and go home soon. I and the others will take care of the rest.’

‘Vaults are completely destroyed. We won’t be able to get in there until the metal frames have cooled down, it’s boiling down there—‘

Ari looked between the two of them, unimpressed. ‘Look at the state of you two, honestly..’ She clicked her tongue. ‘On my orders, you have permission to go home. Try not to be seen by the public looking so disgusting.’ She grimaced, before turning heel and making her way to talk to Sera.

Gabby and Lucy were now alone together. He clapped her on the shoulder, and lead their walk back to the car. ‘What a mess..’ He groaned.

‘I don’t understand..’

‘If you don’t understand then lord have mercy on us all.’ He tried to laugh.

‘There’s too many possibilities still! Too many things to rule out, too many things that just don’t make sense. How do they keep vanishing into thin air like this?!’

‘Look, Lulu..’ He sighed as he held the car door open for her. ‘You’re tired. We’re all tired. Let’s just go home and rest up. I’m sure we’ll catch th—-‘

‘Don’t. Don’t say it.’ She slumped into the car seat, turning to face away from him.

Gabby stared at her blankly for a moment, before rolling his eyes. ‘Fine. Whatever.’

The drive home was suffocating. The air was so thick it felt like each breath was swallowing water, and each cough from choking on dust caused a tsunami that just pulled her back under again and again. Each awkward shift earned a side eye from Gabby, like he was some sort of shark sniffing for blood. 10 minutes felt like 10 hours in that moment, but eventually her home at long last came into sight. As Gabby pulled up, she hurried to open the door and bid a brief goodbye. But she quickly found the car door was locked.

‘Gabby, what are you—-‘

‘Look. You and I? We need to talk.’

‘Can I just go home?!’ She jostled the handle more frantically.

‘Lulu, just calm down for one second. You’ve been acting strange, and I don’t appreciate how you’ve been speaking to me recently—‘

‘Oh for heavens sake Gabby! Just look at us!’ She couldn’t help but raise her voice, it was the only way he’d hear her over the sound of his own. ‘We’re tired, we’re angry, we’re covered in dirt and muck and I just want to go home!.. Please…’

She must’ve looked pathetic as she leaned her head against the window in defeat, staring longingly at her own front door. Gabby just watched her there for a moment with an offended expression, but it soon softened. His voice was much more gentle, and his words much more careful.

‘..No, no. You’re right.’ Click. ‘Go home and get some sleep, Lulu. But can we at least talk about it tomorrow?’

‘Of course we will..look, for what it’s worth..’ She couldn’t help but hesitate in that moment. ‘..I’m sorry. Rest well, Gabby. I’ll speak to you soon.’

When Lucy got home, the first thing she did was shove everything off her vanity save for her red lipstick, and began to scrawl details of the bombing over her mirror. Something that resembled a timeline and would keep the details fresh in her mind. She looked positively mad in that moment, and so did her etchings.

The second thing she did was get on her knees and pray. Her hands clasped so tightly her knuckles turned paper white, she sang hymns in the lords name, and prayed for nothing but suffering for the Raven.

The third thing she did was scream into a pillow after trying to make connections with her makeshift red string. Her lipstick was all but destroyed by now.

The last thing she did was fall asleep at her vanity, still covered head to toe in dirt, lulled into a dreamless rest by her hatred for the Raven.

Chapter Text

January 29th, 1923.

A week had passed since the incident. It felt like every waking moment was spent hunched over a desk and seeing red. Red strings, red lipstick, red paint, red eyes, red wounds, red pens, red blood. Everything was red. Every raven she saw land nearby in the trees taunted her. Every caw sounded like shrill laughter. She swore their feathers were stained at he tips with blood, ready to be plucked for their calling sign. She wanted nothing more than to grab her gun and use them as target practice. So what if it was wasted bullets? Maybe they would feel it. She hoped they would.

Maybe Gabby wasn’t joking when he made those comments about the case sending her insane.

‘The media’s being ruthless..especially now that the banks clientele is trying to sue. I mean, seriously, do they think we’re psychic or something?? They keep asking me for comment, but I don’t know what else to tell them—-‘ Cass muttered sadly as they placed a cup of coffee on Lucy’s desk.

‘Where’s mine?’ Gabby asked milliseconds after hearing the ceramic hit wood.

‘Coming now..’

She heard Cass sigh and their footsteps toddle off back to the break room. She could hear the clock ticking. She could hear the steady breathing of her colleagues. Perfect. She can finally think again. Where in the East had been hit with a financial depression recently?—

‘Keep chewing on that pencil and you’re gonna turn into a beaver.’

Gabby laughed weakly. Lucy’s eye twitched.

‘How’s the sift going?’ She responded bluntly, much to Gabby’s disappointment. Ray’s advice had been more helpful than she initially thought.

‘Poorly, if I’m being honest.’ He sighed as he leaned back in his chair, ‘But I’ve had a lot of fun guessing who committed what sin to land them captured by the images we’ve got. I’ve seen some hideous faces this week!-‘ He barked out a laugh, but it quickly died down when Lucy didn’t even blink in reaction. ‘I’ve flagged up maybe one or two that have potential, but even then those people missing aren’t clients of the bank, or even have a background in finance for that matter…I think it’s a dead end, Lulu-‘

‘Because of course it is..’ She dragged her hand down her face with a groan. ‘Unless we just haven’t found the right case yet—‘

‘But we’ve had a team of ten of us sifting for a week straight, I mean for crying out loud, we’ve reached the reports where the victims are most definitely dead! It’s no use Lucy, you have to accept it.’

‘But it doesn’t make sense at all, how else would they know how to get past all the security systems?!’

‘…Lucky guess?’

‘…A lucky guess.’

Lucy actually almost laughed at that. The Raven, an active terrorist who has undermined every Angel thrown at them for 3 years and 9 months without leaving behind so much as a vague description for them to go off. The Raven, a criminal mastermind who’s pulled off multiple stunts previously thought impossible within the span of months. The Raven, the most wanted person possibly in the entire country. The Raven. Taking a lucky guess. That blew up the most affluent bank in the city.

At this point, she was seriously starting to accept that as an entirely plausible possibility. If anything, it’d make the most sense given every other clue and trail led to a complete dead end. And that infuriated her.

‘Gabby?’

‘Yeah, Lulu?’

‘Keep searching.’

A sigh, followed by a sarcastic ‘Yes ma’am,’ muttered under his breath.

That night, it felt scarily natural as she sat at her vanity at home after being all but forced out of the building by Sera. She noticed she didn’t have to paint as heavy eye-bags this time around. In fact, if she stared into the mirror for too long, she swore her face was morphing more and more into the mask she wore each night she returned from that speakeasy. If she wasn’t careful, there would come a day where that mask wouldn’t be a mask anymore. She knew this well. Sinners were ugly on the inside and the outside, and she didn’t want to be like them. She didn’t want grey hair, or wheezy breaths, or a constantly drooping expression, or a hunchback. Even if they were good people, their sins of indulgence were stuck with them for the rest of their lives. 

But then she paused for a moment whilst sorting her hair, staring back at her rose-tinted reflection from the lipstick smudges she couldn’t quite get rid of after that night. Ugliness surrounded her everywhere she turned on these ventures, even the most beautiful personalities were plagued by some undesirable trait. And yet she was starting not to mind. These qualities that she was taught from the start of her life to fear and watch out for, she was no longer batting an eye towards them. It was starting to bring questions into her mind, questions she never thought she’d find the time to consider.

Was chronic pain really a just punishment for enjoying a drink?

She didn’t know. And she didn’t want to find out. The law was just, and the consequences fitting.

Just a few more trips to figure out how best to guide them to the light. Then she’d bring that bar to justice. She swore it.

She felt like she could hear the music blasting from the bar 2 streets away, and the ruckus only grew as she approached the bouncers. They had grown more accustomed to her presence, but she still flashed the ticket at them as she moved past them to push open the doors. And what she saw was chaos.

Lia was up on the stage, all lights and eyes on her and as glimmered up as she could afford to be. Either side of her were the two twin dancers that Lucy had only ever seen on the stage. Their movements were perfected, but their smiles were forced. And she couldn’t help but smile as her eyes landed on the saxophonist, fondly reminded of that one time she watched Ray try to rob him of his prized instrument in broad daylight, then pout when their hand got smacked away. There was a huge crowd, more patrons than Lucy had ever seen in all her visits. They were all dancing, incredibly drunk or heading that way, but they were laughing. Looking straight ahead, she could see Mik nodding along to the music and Uri sat with a beer bottle accompanying him, but surprisingly still lucid enough to clap along to some semblance of a beat.

But no Ray.

She should have expected it by now, after all, they only made their presence known after she gets comfy enough to let her guard down. They had to be doing it on purpose as they always laughed after making her heart race with a small scare. She began not to mind, though.

Mik had already poured a bottle of raspberry punch by the time she sat down, which she happily accepted.

‘Well well, look who finally decided to show their face again!’ He laughed, ‘Thank God you’re here—‘

‘Why, is something wrong?? Did something happen?!—’ She couldn’t help the pit of worry that twisted in her stomach as she frowned, almost freezing in place before her glass had even touched her lips. Ray couldn’t have been hurt in that attack, she would’ve known. Unless she missed it? Had the Raven struck again? Was Ray hurt? What if they needed her help? Where would they be?—-‘

‘You what?’ Mik’s confused voice brought her out of her spiral. He looked at her strangely, before realisation dawned upon him, ‘Oh! Nah, its nothing serious, don’t worry-‘

‘Nothing serious? Piss off, she’s our saviour!’ Uri butted in, raising his bottle towards her like he was trying to toast.

‘…Sorry?’ Lucy glanced between the two confused.

‘That kid hasn’t shut the fuck up since you last came in, every night it’s been “Have you seen her? Did you see her at all?” Doing my head in, I’ll tell you that.’ Mik sighed with a smile.

Lucy felt a pang of guilt strike her. The last time she had visited was going on a little over two weeks ago now. ‘Hahaa..did they really miss me that much?—-‘

‘Yes.’ Both Uri and Mik answered in a perfect deadpan. It almost sent a chill up her spine.

‘I’m..flattered?’ She finally allowed herself to have a sip of her drink, laughing awkwardly to herself.

‘Good. Never seen them take to someone as quickly as they have to you.’ Uri hummed weakly as he took a swig from his bottle.

Lucy didn’t exactly respond to that, only humming in deep thought as she swirled the pink liquid around her glass. Their reaction was always unremarkable whenever she showed up in her eyes, Lucy had always thought the way they treated her was how they treated everyone. So laid back, it was impossible not to get along with them and find them likeable. Yet the picture that Mik and the others had painted of them tore her own canvas to pieces, she would’ve thought they were talking about two different people entirely.

Who actually was Ray? It annoyed her that she didn’t know the answer, but she could laugh at her own hypocrisy. Despite their friendship, neither knew each other. It seemed they both had masks they paraded in to hide an undesirable truth.

Ironic. She came here to unwind and forget about her life for a few hours, but everything here just added to the ever growing list of mysterious. The Raven, the ticket that led to this place, her best friend’s descent into arrogance, and now Ray. The one person she felt a genuine connection to, brought together by fate instead of necessity for once in her life.

Heaven above, she felt like such a shit detective right now.

But non of that mattered now that she was here. No, what mattered was her glass of raspberry punch she’d grown really fond of, the conversation Mik and Uri were having that she was only half listening to, Lia’s song that rang in her ears and the hand that was suddenly on her shoulder.

It never failed to send Lucy into fight or flight, but now she’d managed to calm her reactions to just a flinch rather than an attempted strike. And there by her side, grinning at her reaction, stood Ray.

‘Dove, there you are! I was starting to think you’d disappeared off the face of the earth!’ They laughed.

‘So I’m told. It’s been a minute, hasn’t it?’ She smiled, even though her heart was still racing.

‘A minute? I thought I was starting to forget your face!’ They sighed dramatically, a gentle squeeze of their hand on her shoulder. ‘But seriously , all this time away doing boring admin and the first thing you do is sit ? With these guys??’

‘Ray.’ Mik raised an eyebrow.

‘No offence,’ They quickly added, before turning their attention back to Lucy. ‘But seriously dove, come on! Get up, come dance with me before Lia’s done with her show!’

There was a spark in their eyes that Lucy had only seen in fleeting moments before, but never as defined as it was. Never to such intensity as tonight.

‘You’re a lot happier than usual tonight,’ She couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, letting Ray take her by the hands and guide her to stand up.

‘Oho, didn’t realise that was such a crime now~’ They grinned, dragging her towards the crowd.

‘Did something good happen?’

‘It’s just a good time to be alive!’ They threw their head back in a cackle.

The crowd was thick around them, a sea of bodies swaying left and right to the music that made her mind rattle in her skull. She had no choice but to grasp Ray’s hand tightly to not get swallowed alive. ‘Ray!’ She called, ‘Ray slow down, I can’t even dance!—‘ She lied through her teeth. She had vivid memories of the compulsory ball dance lessons her parents tortured her with in her youth, and she feared the sheer muscle memory and trauma response would give her away.

‘Well neither can I!’ Came their response, and Lucy yelped as she was suddenly yanked closer towards them, both of Rays hands encompassing her own eagerly yet gently. Their hands were cold. ‘It doesn’t matter if you can or can’t, let’s just have a bit of fun for once~’

‘Ray, are you drunk??’

‘Stone sober actually! Like I said, you just decided to show up at a perfect time!’

Lia’s song was upbeat and dazzling. How the nicotine from the cigarettes hadn’t destroyed her lungs, she’d never know, but she stood on that stage giving the performance of her life. The crowd around them laughed and smiled, and Lucy was astounded by it. By law, all these people were criminals. A year ago, she would’ve had no sympathy for these people. She would’ve detested them, if anything. But here she was, caught in the middle and actually enjoying herself. It really was just a good time to be alive, it seemed.

What her and Ray were doing couldn’t be called dancing in the slightest, if she was going by her old teachers standards. But heaven above, it was fun . Hand in hand, they swayed, stepped and bounced to the beat, Ray beaming the whole time like it was the best day of their life. And Lucy was more than happy to be pulled along, her only form of protest being a surprised laugh when Ray suddenly spun her, grinning at her the whole time.

‘You’re a liar, you know-‘ She commented with a breathless laugh as Ray pulled her closer, shielding her from the rest of the crowd while she tried to gather her bearings.

‘You what?’

‘Saying you can’t dance, you filthy little liar!’ She knew she was a liar too, by definition. But this ‘dance’ was the happiest she’d felt twirling along to music since she was a child, and she wanted to cherish it.

‘Oh shut it, you actually seem to have a sense of rhythm about you, hypocrite’ They leaned closer to her ear so that she could actually hear their words amidst the music, a hand wrapped protectively around her. ‘Was ball dancing part of your lessons at grammar school?~’ They taunted, their breath hot against the shell of her ear. Like the dying fires of the aftermath at the bank.

Lucy was quick to pull away the second the world around her stopped spinning. She didn’t miss the way Ray frowned and how it made her stomach twist, so this time she was the one who took Ray’s hands, making their eyes widen in what appeared to be shock. So help her Lord, she was not Lucy Redimere right now. She was here to have fun, and if that was the last thing she did with this mask on her face, then so be it. ‘What, jealous of a sense of tempo?’ She teased back, ‘That a posho is out doing you?~’

‘Oooooohh, now you’re speaking my language, dove!~’ They grinned, the flashing lights giving only brief glimpses into the mischief on their face.

Now this time, they looked at least a little bit like they were actually dancing, that much Lucy was certain. Taking the lead, she led Ray through steps that she had rehearsed many years ago to the point of tears. Back then, she thought the only time this knowledge would come in handy was at a very fancy event, or her wedding day. But here, everything was decontextualised, shifted into a new perspective. And it was fun. At first it was hard to force the 3/4 waltzes she learnt to fit into the 4/4 swing that Lia was singing, but she improvised. She listened and analysed the song as it progressed, carefully planning out her next moves all while dragging Ray along for the ride. To their credit, they didn’t protest. Mid thought, she’d think to look back at them and see how they were holding up, and staring back would be those upturned eyes with intense interest. Curiosity. Much like hers.

Two enigmas dancing hand in hand, taking turns over who takes the reins. One thoughtless but energetic, the other meticulous and methodical. The poetry almost wrote itself.

She managed to get them to spin with her, the two circling each other in something akin to friendly competition. Like vultures over prey that didn’t exist. Lucy was aware her movements were starting to look rehearsed, but revitalised with a new lease on life. She smiled. Ray’s movements had become sharper, more intense. So had their gaze. Ray grinned. She moved to join hands once again. Step, step, step, right foot then left. Step, slide together, meet your partner in the middle. As the song came to an end, Lucy dared to pull Ray closer by the waist and lean over them, her other hand reaching round their back to support them as she forced them into a dip.

Ray cried out.

A shriek, going completely ignored by the cheering crowd but pierced her own ears like a sharp needle. The skin of their back felt so strange against her hand, a sensation that she could not describe. She didn’t have time to describe. Ray was in pain, and she caused it. Their hands flung out to grab her shoulders in an iron grip and they were quick to pull themselves upright, breathing shaky, gasping for air even though each breath they took struck agony through them. They were leaning their weight against her, like a crutch as they gritted their teeth, cursing in pain.

‘Ray?? Ray! I’m so sorry, are you alright?!’ She held onto their arms in a panic. She was the one who tracked down the cause of other’s pain, never the cause of the pain itself. Guilt flooded each vein as she saw what looked like tears prick in the corner of Ray’s eyes.

‘Nono..’m fine..it’s fine—-‘ They hissed as they tried to stand up right, and Lucy was quick to move to their side, trying to support them. She needed to get them away from the crowd, somewhere where they could sit and they could actually breathe.

She spied an open balcony door from the gaps in the crowd. Was it really ‘fresh air’ down here? It was better than nothing, she supposed. At this point, the smog could’ve been as thick as a blanket and she’d still think it better to take them outside. It made her briefly wonder if Sera had approved her request for an investigation into the ventilation system, but she was quick to shove that into the back of her mind. That didn’t matter right now.

‘Hey, hey! What’re you doing??—‘ Ray protested, trying to pull a way. She didn’t miss the way they winced as they tried to twist out of her grip. It only motivated her to hold strong, keeping a firm grip on their wrist, their arm forcefully flung over her shoulder as she supported them off the dance floor. She had no problem shoving people out the way without so much as an ‘Excuse me.’

‘Sit.’ Was all she simply said as she managed lug them to the balcony, gesturing to the chair.

‘Dove, it was nothing. You’re overreacting, I’m fine, seriously—-‘

‘Ray. Sit. Down .’ She gave a sharp stare.

Ray looked at her dumbfounded for a second, like they weren’t sure what emotion they were supposed to be feeling right now. They tried to speak, but only stuttered and stammered with wide eyes. After a moment of confusion, they sighed and held their hands up in surrender before settling themselves into the chair.

‘You didn’t have to do that, y’know. I’d manage.’

‘Ray, you’re in pain. I..I caused you pain.’ 

‘No you didn’t..’ They muttered.

‘Don’t lie to make me feel better-‘

‘I’m not .’ They stared. It made her blood turn cold.

‘Then what?! Just look at yourself, you’re clearly hurt!—-‘

‘Dove, you didn’t do shit! So just drop it, alright?! Fucking hell-‘ They rolled their eyes, looking away with a huff. ‘You’re starting to sound like everyone else..’ Their voice was so soft in that moment. Vulnerable, even.

‘Everyone..else?’

‘..Pitiful.’ They all but spat after a brief moment of hesitation. ‘People look at me like my very existence is unfortunate. Uri and Lia try to baby me if they think I’ve “gone too far”, whatever that means. Even Mik..’ They paused, frowning deep in thought. ‘I hate it when he looks at me like that. When any of them look at me like that..’

‘Like what, Ray?’ She moved to kneel down beside them, placing her hand gently on their arm. They looked at her unsure for a moment, and Lucy watched as they swallowed in what looked like nervous habit.

‘Like I’m..fragile. That one wrong move will render me crippled, like I can’t decide and do things for myself because it might hurt. Well, guess what?!-‘ They ran a hand through their hair as they laughed with no heart. ‘I’m always in pain! Every single second of every single fucking day, it hurts. It hurts so bloody much all the damn time that at the end of the day, what does it really matter if I stand for a while, or turn funny, or run around, or try and do anything fun?! Cus it’s just gonna hurt anyway!—‘

They held their head in their hands, breathing shaky as their nails dug into their skin, smiling with gritted teeth with an expression that was bordering maniacal.

Lucy reached to place a gentle hand on their back.

‘ Don’t .’

Their tone made her quick to snatch her hand away.

She could see the outline of their strange and uneven silhouette in the dim lamplight, and it made her stretch her fingers uncomfortably. What she felt wasn’t natural, and it only made her imagination stretch further about what Ray was always hiding under that coat of theirs. She had noted in the back of her mind long ago that she was yet to see them take it off, no matter how warm it was. She initially thought it was just them wanted to look as eccentric as they acted. Then she thought it was a poor attempt at hiding their back. Now, as she remembered the ghost of unusual masses and the break in the skin beneath her finger tips, she thought it was a protective layer. To try and stop others from worsening the pain. It didn’t work, evidently.

Lucy stood from where she was crouched. She looked down at them, and they refused to meet her gaze. Even after that, she still did not know anything about Ray, did she?

A moment of silence hung heavy between the two. Lucy cleared her throat.

‘Is there no doctor?—-‘

‘No doctor wants me.’ Ray was quick to answer, not even letting her finish her question.

‘..Right. I see..’ Lucy looked away with a frown.

Another moment of silence. Lucy was starting to wonder what time it was, until Ray cough.

‘Look. Uh, sorry…about all that—-‘ They shifted uncomfortably in the chair, before sighing in defeat and getting up. ‘Didn’t really do much to help my case there, did I?’ They weakly laughed, cutting off any protest she had about them standing. They turned their back to her, but she could see how tense their shoulders were. ‘I ruined your night dove, and I’m..I’m sorry. I’ll leave you be, go find yourself a nice man to dance with instead—-‘

‘No.’ Lucy didn’t even think as she hurried to grasp their arm, pulling them back towards her before they could walk away and be lost to the sea of bodies. ‘Stay..please?’

Ray looked at her confused, swallowing nervously. ‘..You sure?’

‘I don’t want a man to dance with. My legs were getting pretty tired anyway, I’d rather stay out here with you.’

Ray’s eyes softened. ‘If you say so, dove.’ There was relief in their exhale. Their expression finally felt real, and didn’t disappear the moment Lucy blinked. She was suddenly very conscious of how loud her heart was drumming in her ears.

‘I have a favour to ask anyway.’ She hummed, as she led Ray by the arm to the balcony railing, overlooking all the buildings and the lights.

‘A favour? I dunno, everything’s got a price..but for you? I guess I’ll make an exception~’ They joked, trying to act nonchalant. Lucy laughed, even though it pained her to watch Ray struggle to find a comfortable position to stand in.

‘You have to get me Lia’s set list! And introduce me to the saxophonist, I’ve never heard music like it!’

Ray raised an eyebrow. ‘Never?’

‘Never.’

‘Don’t tell me little miss princess was fed a strict diet of Beethoven and Mozart with a silver spoon?~’ They teased.

‘Hey, that’s not—-‘ She paused abruptly, staring at them confused, ‘How do you know about Beethoven and Mozart?’

Ray blinked. ‘Oh my fucking god Dove—‘ They burst into laughter. ‘You right toff, I’m an east sider, not a bloody uncultured, deaf rock wedged under a building! Fucking hell, that horse is higher than Uri on edibles!’ They cackled.

‘Oh ha ha , alright, alright, my mistake-‘ She couldn’t help but pout slightly embarrassed. The way Ray glanced at her after calming down, only to burst into a fit of giggles again made her almost forget that Ray had blatantly admitted another crime of Uri’s. ‘But seriously—‘

‘Set list and sax man, I’ll talk to them tomorrow after they’ve had some rest. Just for you, my favourite posho~’ They gave a sly wink, which made Lucy’s insides turn. ‘And if you must know, Lia knows a thing or three about all that fancy shit, so I ended up knowing a thing or two.’

‘That..makes a lot of sense actually—-‘ She knew it was wrong to laugh, but she couldn’t get rid of the mental image of Ray sat there studying classical music. ‘Do you have a favourite?’

It dawned on her then and only then as Ray made a face in thought that she was probably asking too much. Had she made it awkward? They did say they only knew the basics after all, it was unlikely they’d know much else outside the big names they already listed. She’d messed up, she was only trying to take their mind off of things and now she was expecting them to admit a lack of—-

‘Tchaikovskys my favourite music man. But Rachmanioff’s number.. two? I think it is? Probably my favourite piece.’

Lucy blinked. ‘Wow.’

‘Well, you didn’t specify which sooo..what about you?’

‘Hm..I like Verdi’s Requiem-‘

‘Never heard of it.’

‘-But overall, I think Bach’s my favourite composer.’ She hummed, looking at them from the corner of her eye. ‘You know more than you let on. I’m impressed.’

‘I know a lot of things.’ They looked chuffed at her words, ‘But honestly? That’s about as far as my knowledge goes. Lia managed to nick a few records way back when, and so they’re all I have to go off.’

‘I see..’ She looked out at the city street. Still dirty, but she minded less and less these days. Although the depth the bar was At made it difficult to tell, the sun didn’t seem to be close to rising at all. So at the very least, it wasn’t 7 a.m. Real perceptive , Lucy scolded herself.

‘Pretty perfect west side still must be treating you like shit if you’re willing to keep coming here.’ They commented idly.

‘Yeah..the surgery was overrun after the Raven’s attack on Midas’.’ She told her half truth. Ray went quiet, their shoulders looked more tense than a moment ago. ‘With how quiet they’d been, we just weren’t..prepared. So many people were hurt—‘ She couldn’t help but lament. Sometimes when she sat alone in the silence of her room, she could still hear that lady wailing.

‘..Did anyone die?’ They seemed hesitant to ask.

‘No, thank God. It was mostly just people caught in the blast.’ She looked away with a sigh, before hesitantly asking, ‘What did you guys down here make of it?’

‘Elaborate.’ Their reply came off strangely blunt.

‘Well, their message was about trying to make the ‘voiceless’ heard, right?’ She vaguely explained. It’d look suspicious if she knew every detail. ‘They did this for the people down here, you must have an opinion, surely.’

‘I don’t think you wanna hear my opinion, Dove.’ They muttered.

‘I’ve never wanted to hear anything more in my life-‘ She tried to joke, but their tone made her uneasy. She already guessed that in terms of politics, their views wouldn’t align. East siders were infamous for indulging in violent demonstrations, and Lucy had interrogated more rioters than she could care to count. She could only pray that Ray was one of the rare few that had less extremist views.

‘Trust me on this one,’ They insisted. ‘When I first met you, you were shitting bricks like the Angels were gonna appear out of no where and arrest you on the spot for simply being here. You’re a goody two-shoes, and I hate the government. Let’s just leave it there, shall we? For both our sakes.’

‘..Fine then.’ She huffed.

So much for the original mission , she thought bitterly. She wasn’t surprised at their stance, many east siders have a hatred for the government, most often born from greed and want of handouts. But for all her interrogation skills and years of experience, she realised, speaking to Ray simultaneously felt like a floating down a gentle river and sprinting into a brick wall. She would’ve been impressed if it were any other time. ‘How’s your back feeling now?’

Ray looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Then they gave a weak laugh as they looked back out at the street below them. ‘Uh, better, I guess..yeah. Better.’ Lucy wasn’t convinced as she watched Ray pick at the skin around their nail absentmindedly. ‘Look,’ They coughed to clear their throat, ‘It’s late, you should—-‘

Lucy placed her hand gently above Rays own. The soft touch made them still completely, and the words die on their lips. Their hands were cold, she couldn’t help but wonder how they weren’t shivering all the time. ‘I think I’ll decide when my own bedtime is, thank you-‘ She tried to joke. ‘But seriously..I’m having fun with you. You’re kind of the only reason I come here,’ She found herself admitting. Ray looked up from their hands then, face filled with confusion that immediately melted to softness when they heard the sincerity of her words.

‘You mean that..?’

‘Of course I do. Don’t get me wrong, Uri, Lia, Mik, they’re nice and all but..’ She had to look away from their gaze in that moment, ‘You’re the only one I’m here to see.’

‘Dove, I—-‘

‘But I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up. My job, my health, everything..I feel like I’m risking so much just to spend time with you.’ She spoke honestly. Her inhaler ran out ages ago, and she feared it would look suspicious if she had to keep buying more when she didn’t have a health condition. And she long feared the exhaustions from her nights out were beginning to effect her work. All this for a stranger she barely knew, she realised. But like a siren song, she found herself being drawn ever closer to them. ‘You should get out of here sometime. We could go somewhere closer to the border where the airs a bit clearer—-‘

‘Ah..’ Ray sucked a breath through their teeth. ‘I dunno dove..When I’m not at work, they need me here. It’s not that I don’t want to!—’ They were quick to reassure when she frowned. ‘I just..don’t think I can.’

They both looked away from each other in that moment, but their hands remained connected. A moment of silence hung between them as Lucy traced her thumb over their hand, like that’d warm them.

‘Are you ever worried the Angels will start up another purge? That they’ll..they’ll find this place?’ She couldn’t help but ask.

‘They won’t.’ Came their sharp response. Obviously sharper than they intended, with how they looked back at her with such a vulnerable glint in their eyes. ‘Mik built this place to give people like Lia and Uri a chance. People like me a chance. And now it seems, people like you too.’ They smiled weakly at her, and she couldn’t help the ghost of a smile that began to form her own face. ‘So, they won’t find this place. I’ll make sure of it.’ There was an air of confidence growing about them, as they managed to flash their signature grin.

Lucy felt sick.

Chapter Text

For the rest of the night, Lucy and Ray spent hours sat shoulder to shoulder against each other, looking out at the city before them and talking about anything and everything that came to mind. They ran verbal circles around each other, simultaneously always learning something and nothing about the other. Ray looked calm and peaceful, fully relaxed like they were in their element. They were in their element.

And there sat Lucy, leeching what little warmth they gave off and having to swallow back bile every time she heard Ray laugh.

Guilt was eating her alive, like filthy worms that burrowed and nested inside holes in her stomach. This place was much more than an illegal distributor of alcohol, much more than a place for the lowest of the chain to drown out their self created sorrows. It was a second chance for those who can’t thrive on their own. This was Ray’s home , Ray’s family .

And Lucy was going to rip it all away from them like it never existed.

She’d have to hand in that ticket at some point. She was actively withholding evidence, if she got caught out, she’d loose it all. But was her job more important than Ray’s whole world as they knew it?

Yes , she had to remind herself. She was the prized Detective Inspector of the Angels, renowned for her skills and trusted leader of the operation to catch the Raven. It was her job to reign justice upon the corruption in this city, and the ticket she held was connected to an active investigation concerning the terrorist and led straight here. She was sure Ray and the others were perfectly capable of rebuilding this so-called safe haven in the future without committing a crime. They had no choice after all, her affection towards them didn’t change the fact that they were breaking the law, no matter how badly the guilt gnawed at her stomach.

The neon lights flickered about them as Lucy tried to let her head relax on their shoulder. The noise behind them had quieted hours ago, to the point where she wondered if the pub was even open still. The only noise now was the gentle breeze floating through gaps in the brickwork. Did Mik and the others even know where they were? She hoped not. And she sure hoped they weren’t looking, either. Despite how comfortable the two were, and the only feeling in her gut being guilt and pity, a little voice whispered in the back of her mind that something about this should be considered..wrong.

‘You getting sleepy?’ Ray looked down at her after a long stretch of comfortable silence, shrugging their shoulder gently to nudge her.

‘A bit..’ Lucy faked a yawn in response as she shifted slightly to get comfortable against Ray’s shoulder again. She could see a faint glow coming from where the horizon was supposed to be, so it was most probably in the realm of 6 a.m, maybe closer to 7. She knew her future self would regret every wasted second when she would become unable to sleep after forcing herself to stay up so late. ‘I don’t know how you do it.’

‘Do what?’

‘ This .’ She weakly waved her arms to gesture to everything. ‘Every time I see you, you’re as awake and alert like it’s midday. The sun is rising and I don’t think you’ve so much as yawned.’ She huffed. Her mind was running a thousand miles a minute, yes, but her body often struggled to keep up.

‘I think I’ve just kinda become nocturnal over the years. Never was an early bird, even as a kid.’ They laughed weakly, watching from the corner of their eye as she moved to hug their arm slightly tighter as a particularly strong breeze passed them. ‘The night just calls to me, yknow? I’m comfy here.’

‘What time do you actually go to bed?’

Ray made a face as they looked away, not answering.

‘It can’t be healthy.’ Lucy sighed. ‘No wonder you’re so pale, you’re not getting a single beam of sun on you.’

‘Tch, no wonder Lia likes you so much—‘ They muttered jokingly. ‘Like you can talk anyway, you smell so overwhelmingly of coffee sometimes I wonder if you ever knew what the word ‘sleep’ meant.’

‘It’s not my fault my favourite drink happens to contain a strong amount of caffeine in it—‘

‘ Mhhhhhmmm .’ They raised their eyebrow, unconvinced. ‘Totally not the fact that your job and your friends are working you into the grave?’

‘My sleep schedules going to work me to my grave if I keep this up—‘ She muttered with a sigh. ‘I meant what I said earlier, about this being bad for me.’

‘Dove, everything’s bad for you right now. You’re stressed and overworked, it’s clear as day, and I only see you when you’re smiling and laughing. Can’t imagine what you’re like on the clock.’

‘Well, hopefully for you, you’ll never have to see me on the clock.’ She hummed. For Ray, it was a well wish that their back pain wouldn’t worsen to such a point. For herself, it was a hope that she won’t have to personally oversee the raid when it happened. ‘And..I know you said you couldn’t, but seriously. It’d be nice to see you in natural lighting for a change.’ She smiled as she stood.

Ray got up alongside her. ‘That’s you done for the night, then?..’

‘Morning actually, but yes. I really do have to get home now.’

‘I haven’t made you late for work, have I? It’s gotta be well past 5 now-‘

‘No, no..’ She smiled softly, taking Ray’s hand again. Still cold. ‘I have the day off.’

‘Good, good..look, um..thank you. For tonight. For..everything really-‘

‘Oh, don’t tell me you’re secretly the sappy type—-‘ She tried to joke, but then Ray squeezed her hand tight while avoiding her eye.

‘I mean it.’

Lucy stilled. She was painfully aware of how clammy her own hands felt against Ray’s ice cold fingers. Something fluttered in her chest and twisted in her gut. ‘Oh..well, thank you for spending time with me in the first place—‘

‘When will I see you again??’ They suddenly asked, something akin to worry filling their eyes, ‘Sometimes it’s twice in one week, other times you just vanish for weeks at a time..’

‘I—‘ She cursed herself when she stuttered, but she was just so taken aback by the sincerity before her. Almost every word out of her mouth tonight had been a lie, even when they joined hands and laid their hearts bare before each other, Lucy kept hers behind a thick layer of glass. She assumed Ray had done the same, but as she looked at their beating heart now, she began to wonder if there actually was glass there in the first place. But that’s not what she was here to find out, was it? Though, that didn’t stop her lamenting that their final exchange for the night, possibly ever, was going to be a lie. ‘Soon, Ray, soon..I promise.’

As Ray walked her to the door, she was keenly aware of Mik’s eyes on them when they passed the bar. She didn’t look back to see what type of stare it was. Tiredness? Annoyance? The rest of the bar was empty, no doubt her presence was the sole reason the lights were still on and he was still stood there. She knew Mik’s gaze tracked them all the way to the door, and she felt terrible. Only as Ray held the door open for her, did she finally let go off their hand.

‘Til next time, Dove.’

‘Sure..goodnight Ray.’

When she looked back after reaching the street corner, the lights were off. Sunbeams started to slip through all the cracks in the walls, signifying just how much time she had spent in there. She wondered what Ray was up to. Were they helping Mik clean up? Talking to Lia? Making sure Uri wasn’t sneaking a final drink? Or perhaps, she hummed with amusement at the thought, Ray had just brushed straight past Mik and flopped onto their bed without a care in the world, out like a light. That seemed about right for them.

The bar was long out of sight by the time she finally let out a deep sigh, the mask of being ‘dove’ was long discarded now. My feet hurt , was the first non-Ray related thought she had as she passed closed shops, vandalised signs and beggars getting a last few moments of sleep before the morning stampede. She was used to wearing heels as part of her uniform, but dancing really took a bigger strain on her ankles than she initially expected. Her back also hurt, she faintly recognised, but she felt like she didn’t have as much of a right to complain about that one. A warm bath would help her aches and pains, and there was a new breath of life in each she took as she imagined the scent of lavender oil and chamomile tea. Perhaps, it would even be worth speaking to Sera later down the line about installing more ergonomic options of seating in the office, however fond of her Lucy-shaped dent her chair she had grown over the 3 years, 9 months and 2 days since this all began. With right posture and practice, her issues were fixable. Ray’s were not.

She really did think about Ray a lot nowadays, didn’t she? The longer she gave it true thought, the more concerning the realisation became to her. Her number one priority would always be The Raven. Until the day they are caught, they always would be the object of her obsession. Her purpose in life. That much she was sure. The whole reason she was even at that bar in the first place was because of that damned Raven and their cursed ticket.

But now? Ray occupied a special place in her mind, a space that was beginning to rival the Raven’s in size. She didn’t know why. Maybe it was their kindness is such a desolate place? Their eccentric nature that masked the pain they were in? Their goodness against such a terrible environment? There was no sense to it, she concluded. But she didn’t mind. The Raven was a diseased maggot eating her brain. Ray was a firefly that lighted the way to a brief but happy escape. Even now, she could hear their laughter echo in her mind, warm and tender. The feeling of their fingertips, cold but accepting.

As she pondered the situation at hand, she couldn’t help but laugh quietly to herself at a certain observation. Ra-ven. Ra-y. What would be next, in the order of mental priorities? Ra-dios. Ra-cing. Ra-ilways. It was silly, but this little mind game kept her amused as she neared the bordered, and helped her tame any nerves about walking near her fellow angels on patrol in such a sorry and suspicious state. Ra-tios. Ra-nges. Ra-tes. Ra-in.

She ducked into the shadows the tall buildings provided as she neared the border. It wasn’t nearly as strict as the east siders made it out to be, it was just to stop smugglers getting their drugs and alcohol onto either side. The patrols picked up as the sun climbed higher into the sky, but Lucy knew all she had to do was carry herself with enough confidence and innocence, and they wouldn’t bat an eye. Straighten the spine, keep your eyes forward and your hands visible. Her worry only stemmed from being recognised as Lucy Redimere, now that the light made her caked face more visible to the naked eye. She took a deep breath, and walked gateway in the fences.

An Angel glanced her up and down and nodded groggily, rubbing his eyes. She nodded back. He took a swig of his canteen. Lucy crossed through the border back to the west side, her home.

From here, it was about a 30 minute walk to her house at the pace she ambled at. But first, she stopped on an empty street and looked in the glass of a closed shop to see how much makeup had smudged or came off during the nights happenings. Overall, not too bad, she mused. Smudges of dark around her eyes, and a bit of a healthy tone peaking out between the yellowish-grey on her cheeks. She was so incredibly lucky that down there, almost no one carried the newspapers of the journalists that liked to plaster her face across every front page after an incident. It made it so much easier for her to get away with such a poor disguise, even now no one has questioned it. She licked her thumb and tried to rub away the most prominent of makeup smudges under her eyes, or so she thought. Right now, she struggled to tell where the makeup stopped and the eye bags started. You need to do the right thing, she sighed as she reminded herself, don’t let your sins manifest.

Somewhere behind her, someone got stopped at the border. It filled her with relief, she was worried for a second that those Angels were too tired to adequately carry out their duties. But the struggle she could hear told her that her doubts were unfounded. Good. All things as they should be.

On her walk home, she found comfort in having actual air enter her lungs for a change. She liked seeing the clean streets, the pristine buildings, the dignified and good citizens dotted about on the street instead of the homeless and the prostitutes that haunted the night. Ray had shown her that the east side wasn’t entirely a lost cause, but still…it was nice to be home.

But the relief wasn’t enough to erase the guilt still wrenching in her gut.

She should’ve handed in the ticket weeks ago. But instead, she’d used it for her own personal gain. Both of these factors could get her fired, even prosecuted. Was it too late to hand it in as evidence? Would her motivation and reasoning be overruled? Would this very ticket get her thrown off the case that has been her life’s work thus far? There were too many variables that made her doubt, however much her rationality hated her for it. Her intentions were pure, even when she was having ‘fun’, she was still listening out for clues and intel. Or at least, that’s what she told herself. It wasn’t a lie , she tried to convince herself over and over, finding any information on the Raven has only ever been my priority.

But if Sera called her into the office, would they believe her if she couldn’t even believe herself?

This would ruin Ray’s life. That fact seemed to ring the clearest of all the statements rushing through her head. This would ruin a good persons life. A good, honest, hard-working, struggling persons life. Ruining people was something the Raven did, whereas Lucy should be striving to protect people like them. Again, she tried to convince herself over and over that by handing it in, she was protecting them. Protecting them from vice and overindulgent sinners. But was burning all that their family worked hard to build from the ground up with their bare hands the best way to protect them? Would they see it that way? Would they understand?

No. No, they wouldn’t. No matter her intentions, east siders had a habit of scrutinising and villainising every choice and decision she and the Angels made. Despite the affection she held for Ray in her heart, she was certain that even if she explained her decisions as thoroughly as possible, they wouldn’t understand. Having goodness in their heart didn’t get rid of the fact they were born and raised an east sider. It was an undeniable truth, a hurdle she’d have to force herself to jump.

But that didn’t stop her from wishing otherwise.

Her home was finally in view, and she allowed herself to put her dilemmas and doubt in the back of her mind, if only for a moment. Approaching the door brought relief. Turning the key brought happiness. Shutting the door behind her with a slam and sliding down with a deep sigh was therapeutic. Finally, a moment to rest and gather her thoughts properly. Her heels were truly beginning to dig into her feet, and she was now painfully aware of the makeup on her face. All she had to do now was will herself to undress, cleanse her face and run a bath for herself. It called to her now like a siren song, and she was more than happy to answer for once in her exhausted life. Getting up, she headed to the kitchen to brew herself the chamomile tea she craved. The first step in her plan for relaxation, and arguably the most crucial. Maybe, her mind wandered, she should be doing more for Ray. It was them, after all, that convinced her to even think about having a moment like this to herself in the first place. As the tea steeped, her shoulders relaxed. 

‘Welcome home, Lulu. Enjoy your night?’

Chapter Text

She wasn’t fully aware of what actually happened when she acted in that moment. But when she blinked and finally came too, the mug that was in her hand was now smashed against the opposite wall, she was reaching for a gun that wasn’t there, Gabby’s eyes were blown wide with his hands up in surrender and Ari stood to the side equally as shocked.

‘Bit drastic there, Luce—-‘

‘ Why are you in my house?!’ She cried suddenly, chest heaving.

‘Settle down, child.’ Ari coughed to clear her throat, her expression returning to her normal stoic state. ‘We are simply performing a welfare check.’

‘A welfare?—-‘ Lucy stammered in disbelief, ‘What do you mean “a welfare check”?? The door was locked, how did you even get in?!’

‘I know this is all a bit surprising..Uh, here, why don’t you just—-‘ Gabby began to awkwardly shuffle over to the shattered mug, scooping up the shards carefully into his hands, ‘Why don’t you sit down, I’ll pour that tea you were making and we can all just have a chat.’ He shot a look over at Ari, who nodded in understanding and approached to lightly place her hands on Lucy shoulders and guide her over to a chair. She visibly grimaced once she got close enough.

‘You reek of fumes, just where have you been?’ Ari’s eyes narrowed as she looked her up and down.

‘I—-‘

‘See, this is exactly why we came.’ She scoffed, ‘We deserve some answers from you, Lucy.’

‘But how—-‘

‘Just take a breather, Lulu.’ Gabby sighed as he binned the shards, ‘Look, we’re sorry for startling you like this, but it had to be done. We’re worried sick about you, and our talk is long over due.’

‘Talk? What talk??’ Lucy looked between the two of them confused, struggling to hear them speak over her own racing heart thundering in her ears.

‘Midas, remember? You said we’d talk tomorrow, but we never did.’ He had his back to her as he poured the tea.

She squinted at him, until the memory came back to her. ‘..Right. Ok. But I still want to know how—-‘

‘How many sugars do you take?’

‘You don’t put sugar in chamomile, imbecile.’ Ari glared.

‘Oh wait, I think there’s enough in here for a small cup. Do you want one, Ari?’ He looked back with a small, and Ari nodded curtly.

There was a brief silence as Gabby dug around her cupboards, for one of her mugs, to pour her tea in her house.

‘…Thanks—‘ Lucy muttered under her breath as Gabby set the yea down infront of her and Ari, before sitting down opposite her. ‘But I still want an answer!’ She glared. But when she saw both Gabby and Ari staring back at her, she suddenly felt much smaller in that moment.

‘As do we.’ Ari straightened, sipping her tea. ‘You didn’t show up to work this morning.’

Shit.

‘It’s my day off.’

‘ HA !’ Never had a laugh sounded so fake, as Gabby then immediately scoffed. ‘Do you think we’re stupid, Lulu? You’ve never taken a day off in your life, don’t think you can start using that excuse now. Actually, for a while you’ve just been coming in worse and worse.’

‘I have not—-‘ Lucy tried to speak up, but Gabby was quick to talk over her.

‘Just where did you run off too behind our backs to come home looking like..’ He vaguely gestured with a raised eyebrow, ‘ That ? You’re positively hideous right now.’

‘Smells like the east side.’ Ari sighed with disappointment before she could even get her thoughts together. ‘I could recognise that diseased miasma anywhere in a heartbeat.’

‘The east side ?!’ Gabby stared at her like she’d just pulled a gun on him, ‘Lord have mercy, what in heavens name are you doing down there?!’

‘I wasn’t!’ She tried to defend herself, but the shriek to her words only highlighted her lies in bright bold red, ‘Besides, what I do with my free time is non of your concern.’ She tried to keep her voice much more level this time.

‘Oh stop it Redimere, we both know you’re better than this.’

‘Better than what , Surgeon General?’ She dared to ask.

‘Childish lies. We are all mature adults here, I would hope to expect a mature, adult conversation from it. Or am I asking too much?’ Ari chastised.

‘My mature, adult answer is that what I do with my free time is non of your concern.’ She repeated as firmly as possible. Was this what it felt like to be at the opposite end in the interrogation room?

‘It is when it affects your job.’ Gabby hummed.

Lucy scoffed. ‘I still perform my duties perfectly well, and you’ll find that I’m still perfectly capable, thank you very much.’

‘Until you don’t come in.’

‘I told you, it’s my day off. Heaven forbid I have a day to myself for once in my life!’ She rolled her eyes, a pang of nostalgia suddenly hitting her. A vague memory of being sat just like this, arguing with her father while her mother stood silently to the side. The memory was vivid enough to make her determination waver.

Gabby looked her up and down, then sighed. ‘You’re a horrible liar. The Lucy I know never slacks. Never.’ He spat, ‘ My Lulu never takes days off, never has moments to herself, and certainly wouldn’t be caught dead walking straight into the heart of our biggest problem.’ By this point, he’d gotten up from his chair and stalked his way around the table. Ari was on her left, Gabby was now on her right, and Lucy was trapped, unable to breathe between the two giants. ‘Now please enlighten us,’ He leaned down, and she could feel his breath on the shell of her ear, ‘What in Gods name were you doing on the east side?’

‘I’m telling you—‘

‘What you’re telling us, you’re telling Sera too.’ Ari pitched in, tracing her finger around the rim of her mug. ‘She sent us here, after all. It’s your choice at the end of the day. Send us away now, and all Sera will know is that her precious star has been spending her nights in the east side. We are being merciful by providing you a chance to explain yourself, you’d be wise to acknowledge and accept it, child .’

‘I wasn’t..’ No, she’d been caught red handed. She couldn’t deny it any longer. ‘I was just…’ She tried, but fumbled. She should just admit to it all. The speakeasy, the alcohol, right here and now she could be over and done with it. No more smog-filled lungs. No more sinners parading around as saints the second more than a drop of alcohols in their system. No more tar-stained teeth, or droopy eyes watching her like a hawk, or grey hair handing her a alcohol-free substitute with a look of disdain and suspicion. It should be a weight off her shoulders.

‘You just what , Lucy?!’ Gabby pressed.

She could hear Ray’s laughter in her ears, then. And it made her sick to her stomach.

‘I just wanted to find a lead!’ She blurted out, her hands grasping at her own hair with stress. ‘I was getting impatient, yes I  know it was the wrong move, yes I know I should’ve consulted the proper channels, but I was so desperate to try and find anything to help the case, so I just..I just—-‘ She felt embarrassed when tears started to blur her vision. So small and childish in that moment, crying at the dining room table like she was six years old all over again. ‘I just wanted to help ..’ She admittedly pathetically, hiding her face in her hands.

‘Lulu..’ Gabby frowned, about to place his hand on her shoulder before Ari interjected.

‘ Where , Lucy? Where exactly did you go?’

Lucy hesitated. She couldn’t look at Ari. She couldn’t look at either of them, even as their gazes burned holes into her skull. She could only keep her head low in that moment as she remembered the warmth of Ray’s breath against her skin, how it sent a shiver down her spine.

‘They need me here.’

It could all be over.

‘They won’t get to us.’

This horrid chapter of her life could be over right here and now.

‘They built this place to give people a chance.’

She couldn’t lie to her superiors.

‘ People like me a chance. ’

She could loose her life’s work in this singular moment.

‘ They won’t find this place. I’ll make sure of it .’

It was the right thing to do.

Ray smiled at her, then.

‘I don’t know.’

‘Oh don’t act foolish now, little girl. Where were you?!’ Ari dared to raise her voice, and Lucy flinched.

Ray likes Romantic music, against all odds. ‘I don’t know, god damn it!’ She knew she was damning herself as she slammed her fists on the table.

Ari looked shocked, actually leaning away from her like she was the filthiest thing in existence. ‘You insolent—-‘

‘Ari, you’re stressing her out. Of course she’s not going to remember like this—‘ Gabby frowned. ‘Do you at least know where about roughly? Close to the border? Far?’

Ray has long hair because strangers took them in as a child. ‘I just walked. I picked a direction and walked, and went to the dirtiest place I could find to try and get anything! I don’t remember the name, my head hurt too much!-’ Lucy felt she was going to burst into tears any moment now.

‘Do you think you’ll remember if you take some medicine?’ Gabby prompted, glancing at Ari.

Ray has people they care about. ‘I don’t know, Gabby..my head was swimming, I just ran out and didn’t look back.’

Gabby hummed solemnly in thought. ‘Did you at least find any information?’

Ray taught her how to breathe for the first time in her life. ‘No. No one down there cared.’

‘Swear it.’ Ari suddenly demanded, ‘Swear upon it in God’s name.’ Her eyes narrowed.

Ray opened her eyes. ‘In the name of the Heavenly Father and his kingdom, I swear it.’

Silence, as Ray’s laughter died in her ears. She could hear Ari’s breathing go from erratic to measured in just a few moments as she composed herself. She heard Gabby swallow. She heard her own heartbeat pick up and drown everything else out as they passed their judgement over her.

‘Ari, I think it’s best you go back and relay to Sera.’ Gabby finally spoke, pinching the bridge of his nose.

‘Excuse me?’

‘We have other things we need to talk about. I’ll work overtime to make up for it, just..can we have some privacy?’

Ari stared at them. Then, she sighed. ‘Fine. As you wish. Do try and make it quick, lord knows you begin slacking anytime after 6pm.’ She scoffed.

‘Thanks, Ari. Appreciate it.’ He gave a small wave as Ari saw herself out of her house, but not before shooting another suspicious glare in Lucy’s direction. It made her curl into herself more, now it was just her and Gabby sat alone at the table. She glanced at him briefly, and saw he was watching her expectantly. It only made her brow furrow as she stared even harder into the wood, if that were possible. Somewhere in her house, a clock ticked away each agonising second that they spent sat there.

Finally, Gabby shook his head and leaned back, running his hand over his face. ‘I just did you a massive favour you know. You’re indebted to me now.’

‘Breaking into my home doesn’t constitute a favour.’ She grumbled.

‘Lucy, you left us no choice! We were acting in your best interest, what else were we supposed to—‘ He began shouting, but then suddenly stopped. ‘Ari thinks that what you’ve done should loose you the case. Your job, everything. I’m sure Sera would agree, too.’

‘I made a mistake, you don’t need to keep rubbing salt into the wound—-‘

‘ If ,’ Gabby interrupted, ‘I don’t follow up soon and clarify the whole situation. You’ll still be reprimanded, sure, but I can save you from complete disgraced.’

Lucy remained silent, only staring at him in shock as her mind raced a million miles a minute. Surely not..?

‘I just want to know what’s gotten into you. Even before we noticed your little.. ‘illnesses’ and shortcomings, you’ve been treating me like I’m nothing but a waste of your time. Why is that? That’s all I ask of you.’

‘So if I don’t feed your ego, I loose my job, is that it?’ She bit back.

‘That’s not the!—‘ He went to slam his hands down on the table in front of her, but caught himself at the last second. Instead, he laid rested his elbows on the wood, hands clasped as if he were in prayer. ‘That’s not what I’m getting at here, Lulu.’ He sighed a deep exhale. ‘What I’m getting at here..is that I feel like I’m loosing you.’ He seemed to admit after a long moment of deliberation.

‘Loosing me?’ She managed to scoff in disbelief, ‘If you took a second to look down from your high horse, you’d see that I’m merely trying to do my job. There’s a terrorist on the loose, an active threat to our city and people. And what do you do all day?’ Gabby went to open his mouth, but she didn’t give him the chance. ‘You sit on your arse, bossing around the people you see as lesser and distracting them from their jobs all because you want a coffee! It embarrasses me, because I’m the one always apologising for you! Did you even know that?!’

‘Oh please, is this about Cass?’ He rolled his eyes.

‘Is this about- no, it’s about all the times you’ve pranced about like you own the place, demanding this and that like you’re some sort of king!’ She cried, offended by his nonchalance.

His hands flexed more into fists, and she watched the veins beneath his skin bulge with tension. Then, he clicked his tongue. ‘I see..look, Lucy. Your hearts in the right place. Your hearts always in the right place. It’s one thing I lo..’ He hesitated, then coughed to clear his throat, ‘ Admire ..about you.’ He stared at her dead on, but she couldn’t meet his eye. ‘But you care too much about others. I’m only trying to toughen them up, develop a thick skin against the pains of this job. And I’m trying to keep them from distracting you.’ He sighed.

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ She dared to glance at him.

‘See, this is what I mean by you care too much.’ He gave the ghost of a smile as he moved to place his hand over her own. His hands weren’t cold. His fingers weren’t slim and slender, and his nails weren’t sharp. A familiar voice in the back of her mind whispered that this should feel right. His thumb rubbed small circles onto her skin. ‘I should’ve said something earlier, but I’m glad to know this was all just a horrible misunderstanding. It’s not just Cass, it’s all of them really..they don’t talk to you because they want to, or because they think you’re nice. They only talk to you because they want to get in your good books, because they want you to put in a good word for them. They want your job, Lucy. I’m just trying to keep them off your case so you can focus..I should’ve made it clear—‘

She paused, her flurry of thoughts being silenced and replaced instead by the echoes of his words. ‘You’re lying.’ Her lips felt awfully dry as she swallowed, her challenge sounding more like a plea. ‘Tell me you’re lying.’

‘In the name of the Heavenly Father and his kingdom, I swear it.’ He echoed solemnly.

She didn’t realise her tears were falling until Gabby had enveloped her in a gentle hug, trying to shush her. ‘It’s okay now..’ He tried to soothe, ‘I forgive you..’

‘I’m sorry Gabby..’ She breathed out shakily, relaxing into his embrace. ‘I’m so sorry…’

‘Hey, let’s just agree that this little hiccup between us never happened, how about that? All is well, and when you come back tomorrow, it’s business as usual. No more arguments, no more lone trips to the east side, no more going it alone. We’ll be a team again. How does that sound, Lulu?’

Ray called her ‘dove’.

‘Ok..’ She nodded, sitting up to rub her eyes. ‘Ok, sure. That sounds..great.’

‘There we go.’ He hummed, this time smiling more confidently. ‘Listen, I need to get back to the station and clear the air. Enjoy your day off. I’ll see you tomorrow?’

‘Yeah..see you then.’ Lucy managed to smile back.

When Gabby closed the door behind him, Lucy looked down into the mug before her. The tea untouched, her reflection was pure ugliness . Eyes red and puffy with tears, remnants of makeup that made her look diseased, she was horrified by what was staring back at her. Lucy was a fool, she concluded in that moment. All of this was a mistake. A huge mistake that she’d be able to leave behind her once she used this day off to get a story straight. If she could organise the raid, a weekday afternoon would probably be best. From what she had gathered, Ray would most likely be at work then, and they wouldn’t be caught in the mess. Then everyone could walk away satisfied. It was perfect.

Her house was silent, other than the clock counting down the seconds from another room. She tried to nurse the warmth Gabby had given her hand, now that her tea was stone cold. Her hands felt as cold as Ray’s right now. If she focused enough, she could still feel his hand on top of hers. Still feel Ari’s icy glare on her spine. Still smell the nicotine and smog. Still hear Ray’s laughter.

Still feel their body pressed against hers as they danced.

Lucy ran to her bathroom, her stomach retching so much that her senses were overwhelmed by the bile forcefully purging itself from her system.

Chapter Text

‘Superintendent! I believe I’ve found a potential location relating to the Raven. With your permission, I’d like to lead a squad to investigate.’

‘Detective Redimere, this is an official piece of evidence that needs to be submitted through the correct channels. Why, in Gods name, was it in your pocket?’

‘Well, you see, I was suspicious of it being a red herring and didn’t want to charge in head first—-‘

‘So you withheld vital evidence in an ongoing investigation, and as the Surgeon General informed me, abused it for your own personal gain? Lucy Redimere, you’re fired.’

No, not good enough. Nothing was good enough. There was no excuse, no explanation that she could conjure that wouldn’t end in her employment being terminated. But she couldn’t just keep hold of that ticket forever, the place needed to move brought to justice regardless of whether or not it had a connection to the Raven. Her investigation was fruitless on that front, yes, but who knows what a thorough seize and search would yield? The potential for hidden secrets, connections that could point them in the right direction were endless. Even though Mik regretfully was a good man, it didn’t make him any less of a criminal for the illegal distribution of alcohol and needing to be brought to justice. It was the right thing to do.

But how? Lucy groaned as she stapled the thousandth file’s papers together. She could be out on the field, investigating whatever leads that ticket could bring them if she wasn’t an idiot and actually followed the rules like she had been doing for her entire life prior. But no. Something had possessed her that day to go against all her morals and values, and now here she was paying the price for her stupidity. Detective Inspector Lucy Redimere, the star of the Angels. Sat in a glorified filing cabinet. Stapling sheets of paper together.

Sera really knew how to make people suffer.

But never mind that now. Lucy made a mistake, and she will pay the price with her head held high. She already saw the way the other Angels looked at her when she walked in, and she didn’t want to give them any potential fuel for more gossip. They had a job to do, for Gods sake. She could only hope Gabby would keep to his promise and carry out damage control to keep her honour intact. For the greater good, she stapled away. In all fairness, the task wasn’t too bad. It didn’t require much effort, it was easy and repetitive, and it allowed her to ponder case details in comfortable silence.

What was the ticket? She had ruled out a trap, that much was certain. The people were too nice, too genuine to be working for them. A meeting place? It could explain why there was no talk of them, perhaps by the time Lucy arrived the meeting had already taken place and all parties involved had left. What were the odds it was nothing at all? Just a piece of rubbish dropped by a civilian that just happened to roll in the wind and end up where it shouldn’t have been, and all this effort was for absolutely nothing. They were going to tear apart a family for nothing, and she didn’t know why she suddenly had such a problem with it. Lucy had raided many speakeasies, watched wives scream as their husbands were taken into custody, held children as they cried while all their toys were seized and thoroughly searched for any other illegal products. All those sad and hopeless faces, and she never had a problem with it. The law was righteous and inevitable, they should’ve known the consequences dabbling in an illegal business. But now, as she sat trying to create a sequence of events, her heart sank.

She’d hand in the ticket. She would lead the raid as they surrounded the bar. Arrests would be made, assets seized, and Mik would be in cuffs and taken into custody. Would Uri even know what was happening around him, or would he be too far drowned in his vice? Would Lia argue and try to fight back? She was nice, but she seemed very strong willed? Would she let it all happen peacefully, or would her protests land her in custody too?

What would Ray do?

She knew Ray wouldn’t just stand idly by and watch their world crash in flames around them, hence why she’ll fight to have the raid be in the early evening, before they came back from work. But would it all be over before they came back? Coming back from work to broken windows and vacant booths? An empty bar?

She couldn’t imagine what Ray looked like crying. Despite knowing otherwise, despite seeing otherwise with her own eyes, Ray was too strong to cry. They smiled, they laughed, they grinned, maybe at most they frowned, but Ray didn’t cry. It hurt to try and imagine what Ray looked like crying. It was a horrid, squeezing feeling in her heart like her own ribcage was closing in on itself, puncturing her lungs and suffocating her until blood gargled in her throat with every inhale and she just didn’t know why—-

‘Hey, did you want—- oh my goodness, are you ok?!’ Cass had dropped all the files they were carrying and rushed to kneel beside her, nervously hovering their hands above her back like they were unsure.

‘Yeah, no no, I’m—-‘ She swallowed, breathing heavily, ‘I’m fine? I’m fine..yeah. I’m fine.’ She coughed to clear her throat and straightened her posture. Cass’ hand brushed against her back with the movement, and they were quick to withdraw. She sighed shakily at the contact.

‘Are you..sure…?’ They hesitated to ask. ‘You look a bit, um..pale, to say the least. You should maybe talk to—-‘

‘No! No no, I told you I’m fine. What did you drop?’

‘Oh, that? It’s just..’ They sighed, ‘More things for you to staple. Gabby sends his love.’

They both rolled their eyes simultaneously, their lips both pulled into the same tight frown. Then Cass chuckled quietly as they moved to pick up the dropped files.

‘Yeah, I thought it was a bit mean to all things considered. I mean, at least you actually were trying to do something about it. I don’t get why they’re punishing you for it, really-‘ They laughed nervously, standing upright. ‘It must’ve been really scary though, we all think it was pretty admirable that you were so willing to go it alone—-‘

‘Just how many people know about this now?..’ She interrupted their rant, pinching the bridge of her nose.

‘Everyone.’ They responded flatly. ‘Sorry..’ They added after a brief pause.

‘Gabby?’

‘…Yeaaah…’

She wasn’t surprised.

Cass moved to place the papers neatly in her stack that never seemed to decrease, humming gently as they did so. They locked eyes for a moment, and Gabbys words rang in her mind as clear as cathedral bells. Cass smiled at her.

‘They want your job, Lucy.’

Were all those coffees, all those papers neatly stacked and stored, all those quiet laughs and sympathetic smiles all a lie? A deception to make her lower her guard? Looking at them now, Gabby seemed like the world’s worst liar. Cass’ eyes were filled with such genuine hope that not many Angels seemed to have anymore. She watched her colleagues around her succumb to the stress of it all and become shells of the little cherubs they were when they first walked through the station doors. Yet despite Gabby’s supposed attempts to beat the idealist out of them, they always managed to smile through it. Despite not strictly being on the case, they were always genuinely interested in whatever case Lucy was trying to crack, and always kept the general public off her back. The thought of Cass being as cunning as Gabby described made Lucy want to laugh at the stupidity of it.

But then her thoughts stopped as she watched Cass sit down next to her and grab a spare stapler.

Her time on the East side had taught her that things weren’t as they seemed. Ray taught her that her preconceived notions were sometimes baseless. The criminal underworld housed good and honest people.

Maybe this utopia could still nurture malicious intent.

‘What are you doing?’ She squinted at them.

‘Helping!’ They beamed, but when Lucy’s expression didn’t match their own, they looked down at the stack in their lap. ‘Works slow, I’ve not go much else to do, and I thought your back will start hurting the longer your sat like that,’ They mumbled, ‘And..I wanna actually be helpful to you guys, not just the person who makes—-‘

‘Cass?’

‘-Yeah?’

‘Could you go make me a coffee?’ She smiled as sweetly as she could muster.

‘…Sure!’ They smiled after a brief moments hesitation. Their expression was uncomfortable to look at, like someone was manipulating their face to force the expression. ‘Black, r-right?’ Their voice cracked slightly.

‘Yep! You’re the best~’ She hummed.

‘No problem!…No problem at all..’

The stapler hit the ground and the papers gently floated down from their lap as they quickly got up and all but ran out of the room. Lucy sighed with relief, but then huffed in frustration as she tried to gather the papers back into a neat stack. Couldn’t even bother to put them down neatly , she thought bitterly.

But at last, silence again. She tried to go back to pondering case details. The ticket, the locations, the speakeasy. Ray. What would Ray make of this? What silly wisdom would they impart on her? Would they see what Gabby is seeing? Would they dismiss it and see Cass for what they appear to be?

She’d never know, she reminded herself. Once she figured out how to hand in that ticket, realistically they’d never cross paths again. It’s for the best , she had to keep reminding herself. She and Ray would both be safer that way. She would keep her job and honour, and Ray wouldn’t have to cross paths with the Angels again.

It’s for the best.

Chapter Text

On February 5th, after an entire week of sitting hunched over and cross legged stapling enough sheets of paper together to make her wonder how on earth they had any trees left, Sera finally gave permission for Lucy to return to her duties. It was a whole new walk of shame, exiting that glorified filing cabinet and out into the lions den of Angels starved of gossip. It wasn’t a walk of shame she intended to repeat ever again. Many concealed giggles and grins behind their hands and their files, while others sent sympathetic glances her way. She saw Cass among them from the corner of her eye, watching her with an expression she couldn’t quite decipher. She lifted her head to try and see their face better and they locked eyes for a brief moment, but Cass almost immediately looked away, opting to stare at the floor instead. The respite of her desk was in sight, but the comfort it should’ve brought her was ruined by the hushed whispers from her colleagues.

Sera stood behind her, staring at all of them in disbelief. ‘Yes, yes, you’ve all spotted a wild Redimere outside her natural habitat, note it down in your nature books and get back to work! ’ She shouted. ‘For the love of all that’s holy, we still have a terrorist still on the loose! I don’t pay you to gawk!’ She called behind her as she made her way back to her office, slamming the door behind her with the force of a thousand suns. Everyone in the room flinched.

Then all things resumed. Business as usual.

Lucy laid eyes on her desk and chair, waiting for her exactly as she left it except for a few papers missing. The Lucy-shaped dents on the cushion and arm rests were still there, like open arms that she was more than happy to walk into. When she settled into her chair, she breathed a sigh of relief. Perfect. Everything was now perfect. She would plot out a way to hand in that ticket, continue working on the Raven’s case, and all would be well. She finally allowed herself to relax, pick up a file and—-

‘Lulu, we need you on the field.’

‘I’ve just sat down..’ She muttered, ‘What’s the situation?

‘That one law firm, Dolus? They’ve called us for an investigation, vandals have ransacked the building exterior.’

‘Unless something was taken, they should know there’s not much we can do. Gabby, you know I have more important things to do than try and track down a few stray kids wanting to cause trouble just because someone’s ego got hurt—‘ She sighed, as she went to reach for the file again.

‘More important things, hm?‘ He slammed a small piece of paper onto the desk in front of her, before standing up tall again. ‘Are they more important than this?’

A black feather. Centre stage of the photo, forcefully ripping her attention away from the words scrawled on the building behind it. It was small and grainy, to the untrained eye many would not have been able to discern the object picture before them. But Lucy knew . Lucy knew all too well.

She abruptly stood, pushing past Gabby, ‘Why didn’t you start with that?!’ She scolded as she grabbed her coat, ‘Let’s go already, we’re loosing time!’ She ran back over to grab him by his arm, all but dragging himself outside and to the car.

‘What are you going to do with yourself after we catch this guy?..’ Gabby muttered to himself with a sigh, letting himself get dragged.

‘I try to live in the here and now, now go! Drive! Move! Do something, come on!’ She cried.

‘…Mad woman.’ He rolled his eyes, opening the passenger door for her before hopping into the drivers side.

‘Oh thank the Lord you’re here! Now, let’s discuss additional security shall we? A twenty four hour patrol seems to be precedent, wouldn’t you agREE—-?!’ Mr. Dolus was very quickly shoved out of the way, forcing Gabby to stay behind and apologise on her behalf. Perfect , she thought to herself. She managed to swat away the two most pesky bugs in one fell swoop, and now had given herself ample opportunity to examine the scene before her. She took it with a concerning amount of glee, hurrying over to the scene of the graffiti. She could practically hear that black feather singing to her, a siren song she loathed to admit she had begun missing.

‘ Lucy Redimere ~’ It laughed, ‘ Look at me, Lucy Redimere. You missed me again~’

Lucy would’ve taken that feather, crushed it into a paste beneath her heel and sold it off to the nearest quack doctor if it weren’t considered official evidence. That would show the Raven how much she cared about them then, to show that their taunts won’t stop her from doing her job. She examined the seen, crouching down and turning the feather over in her hand again and again. Warm. Soft and light and dainty. Everything the Raven was not. She wondered if the warmth meant that their culprit had only recently left the scene. It disgusted her, the possibility of her hand grazing over the ghost of theirs, her finger tips forced to brush over where theirs were placed in the past as they plucked this feather. If not that, the warmth indicated the bird they used was still alive, or had shed this feather recently enough. Was the Raven rotten enough to actively harm the birds they collected these feathers from, or did they at least have enough of a heart to spare animals of their fury? It was a question she was dying to ask if they ever caught and managed to interrogate them, even though it wouldn’t yield any relevant results. Curiosity killed the cat, as the saying goes.

She managed to pry her eyes from the feather once she heard Gabby’s footsteps getting louder. She took in the actual scene she was supposed to be investigating.

WE ARE THE VOICELESS

WE WILL TAKE WHAT WE ARE OWED

The message was clear, but its actual appearance was not. The first part was not written by the Raven, that much was certain. The handwriting wasn’t correct in the slightest, and the colour was all wrong. These people wrote in black spray paint, and it was too small and cautious. The second part, however, screamed the Raven in every regard. The blood red, the big and bold block capitals, and, of course, the feather. That damned feather.

‘What on Earth was that about?!’ Gabby’s band clasped her shoulder roughly, forcing her out of her train of thought. ‘What were you thinking?!’

‘It’s my job to investigate, and that’s exactly what I plan on doing. Wasting time chatting about compensation won’t catch the Raven.’

‘But that doesn’t mean you can just—-‘

‘-What did you say the story was here again? Multiple people, did you say?’

‘At least you’re back to your old self..’ He muttered with a sigh, ‘We need to take him in for a formal testimony, but apparently before closing up he spotted a couple of kids graffitiing the building that ran away before our Angels could get there. And at some point in the night, little birdie decided to stick their beak into the scenario.’

‘How many? How old?’

‘Five or six of them, non of them could’ve been older than..what was it he said, twelve? Thirteen? Definitely not old enough to be out on these streets at that time.’

Lucy’s eyes widened. The events would align, the Ravens writing was undoubtably fresher than the dried paint above it. But this meant that they must’ve been there at some point in the evening to have witnessed it. What business would they have in this district? Scoping a new target? Just passing by? The questions flooded her mind, but there was one certainty within the chaos. The Raven’s weakness was being spelt out more clearly with each action they took.

‘I want a full description of all the children that were here.’

‘I don’t know how plausible that is, it was dark and they ran off immediately—-‘

‘If he’s a lawyer then by all means he should have a functioning brain, I’m sure he can use it to recall at least one physical attribute. The Raven may have known these people personally, and if that’s the case then I’m not risking letting anything slip  through the cracks.’

‘And if they don’t?’

‘Then we’ll just have to double our patrol effort. Focus anywhere where groups from the east side form. These attacks aren’t random, after all.’

It was risky saying that out loud. For all the sleepless nights, she still couldn’t figure out why for the most part the casualties conflicted with the message. But stepping back and looking at it all, the randomness casted a shadow on the wall that created a cohesive picture. The dress factory used to be houses. The mill was built from a raised speakeasy. The bank had an entire neighbourhood in the east drowning in debt. All vandalisms had been areas that angels were deployed to to quell riots. And that was only thinking about the ones she could recall off the top of her head. The casualties didn’t line up still, but maybe the death of their people was just a means to an end by now. An unfortunate reality they’ve come to accept.

‘So you’ve spent all those sleepless nights lamenting there was no rhyme or reason, but suddenly after being out of commission for so long, you’ve got it?

‘I wasn’t out of commission, I told you I still was and still am perfectly capable.’

‘Then, pray tell star, what’s the pattern?’

‘They’re all reactions! No matter how petty or small, every incident we have on record is a reaction of some sort. Even if the history is old, older than both of us, they make sure nothing goes forgotten,’ she grinned, ‘So I want a full history of every case this law firm has taken on, and I want to see if any of them involve families of some sort. Chances are those children have been done wrong in their eyes, and in turn the Raven has a new target.’ She turned her back to the wall, satisfied. Now time to let the other Angels handle the fall out—-

‘..So what I’m hearing is we’re going to have to talk compensation with Mr. Dolus anyway.’

Lucy froze.

‘ Especially after you ‘physically assaulted’ him.’ Gabby raised an eyebrow.

Lucy tensed, slowly turning back to stare at him like she was the Raven, and she’d just been caught red handed.

‘His words, not mine.’ He shrugged.

Today was going to be a long day.

By 7pm, Lucy actually wanted to go home. The familiar ache in her bones had set in as she slaved over the oh so delicious paperwork that the case ended up spawning. The drive back was spent in excruciating silence as she replayed Mr. Dolus’ rant in her mind over and over like a broken record. But much to her surprise, she wasn’t locked back in that cupboard with only a humble staple to her name by Sera. Instead, she was actually happy with the progress made today and with her suggestions. But that meant more paperwork, more overtime, and more aches and pains. While she was in a good mood, it might be a good time to ask about an ergonomic upgrade.

Or to hand in that ticket.

Lucy’s stomach dropped at the thought, but now was her best chance. She pushed her paperwork aside and hurried to get up, making her way to Sera’s office. However, her pace faltered the closer she got. Was this really going to end well for her? Was there anyway she could hand in the ticket without it negatively effecting her? Would there actually be a way to get to Ray before the raid? She was trapped so deeply inside her own mind, she ended up bumping shoulders with Cass going in the opposite direction, and they subsequently dropped some of their papers.

‘Oh, Cass! Sorry, let me help you with that—-‘

‘No, no..it’s fine.’ They sighed, waving her off as they crouched to retrieve the papers.

‘If you say so. But if you’re not too busy, would you mind grabbing me a co—-‘

‘Can’t.’ They interrupted bluntly. Then they added, ‘Sorry..I’ve got an autopsy report I need to deliver.’

‘An autopsy? From when?’

‘Earlier today.’ They shrugged. ‘You were out at the time, it was just a simple stabbing on the border. No Raven, so nothing that’d interest you.’

‘Can’t I just be a little curious?’ She tried to joke, ‘Just because they’re my assignment doesn’t mean I can’t have a nosey at other investigations.’

Cass’ frown only deepened. ‘It’s quite a boring case for you, really. Some speakeasy owner was in major debt that he refused to pay, so to scare him they took his daughter and stabbed her to death. We’ve arrested the owner and shut down the bar, but we’ve still got to find the perpetrator. Took her when she was out on a job.’

In that moment, Lucy was very keenly aware of her every sense. Every tick of the clock rang in her ears like a bomb as Cass turned to walk away. She could feel every bead of sweat that was starting to form in the palm of her hand. She could taste a strange metallic sensation as she chewed on the inside of her cheek. She could feel bile in the back of her throat. She see Cass shudder when she suddenly clasped their shoulder.

‘What did the victim look like?’ She managed to keep her voice steady.

‘Uh..’ They seemed taken aback as they glanced back down at the report. ‘Black hair, brown eyes. Kinda tall and slender, but disfigured. They had a—-‘ They paused as they looked her up and down. ‘Are you..ok? You look really unwell—‘

‘Me?’ She blinked. ‘Oh yeah, no, I’m fine! I’m keeping you aren’t I? I’ll let you get off. Keep up the good work, I’ll see you around!’

Cass did smile slightly, until she turned around. ‘Yeah..see you around..’ They quietly muttered to themself as they watched her turn heel and run.

Lucy left work early that day. She told Sera she had been sick, and needed to go home. And at home she sat, staring into the mirror at vanity now stained a soft pink. She was haphazardly dressed in the cheapest clothes she owned, her hair a disheveled mess from the grip her hands had on her own scalp and her face slightly sunken in from dehydration. She’d sat here for too long, silently crying as she tried to force herself to get up and do something. Anything. Ray could be dead and here she sat debating if she should investigate or not.

Ray could be dead.

But it wouldn’t be them. Surely. It couldn’t be them. She was kicking up a fuss all for nothing. This was Ray, for heavens sake. The same Ray who made a man twice their build cower in fear with a single glare. The same Ray that paraded around like they owned the entire east side. The same Ray that was close to a speakeasy owner and performer, who were clearly poor and struggling.

But Ray could be dead.

And she was trying to make excuses so she wouldn’t break that oath that she wouldn’t go back to that place unless it was to try and save them from their sins before the raid.

Despite so desperately wanting to do otherwise, Lucy was frozen still.

‘ No more arguments, no more lone trips to the east side, no more going it alone. We’ll be a team again.’ Gabby’s voice reminded her. She couldn’t go back. Ray was probably fine. Even then, did she know them well enough to warrant such a drastic reaction? Everything was probably fine. Everything had to be fine. Ray was fine.

‘ Til next time, Dove.’

Lucy tried to recite a prayer between each gasp of breath she took as she ran to No Man’s Land Speakeasy.

Chapter Text

Lucy pushed past the bouncers and threw the doors open with enough force she was surprised the didn’t fly off their hinges. Before Mik, Lia and Uri could even look up from their drinks and register what was happening, she had rushed to the bar, completely ignoring the shouts of the bouncers behind her.

‘You?! What are you?—‘

‘Where’s Ray?!’ She demanded, she almost couldn’t hear Mik over the sound of her own pounding heart. ‘Where are they, I have to see them!’ She cried.

‘Hey, hey duck, what’s the matter? What’s got you so spooked?’ Lia tried to soothe while resting her hand on her shoulder, but flinched when she felt how tense she was.

‘Are they ok?!—-‘

‘Why wouldn’t they be?’ Uri looked up, confused. ‘They ain’t home yet, did something happen?’

Mik shook his head, looking strangely disappointed. ‘They’ll be back soon. Why not sit down and have a drink? Calm the nerves.’ He was already pouring raspberry punch, sliding the glass over to her.

‘When are they usually back??’

‘Mm..’ He glanced over at the clock, his eye twitching slightly. ‘Half an hour? Give or take, they’re never too consistent with when they come back.’

‘No!’ She cried, slamming her hand on the counter and almost knocking over the glass. ‘No, I can’t wait, not now, where would they—?!’

‘ Sit .’ His tone suddenly sent a shudder down her spine, completely foreign, and she was quick to avert her gaze. There was a beat of silence where Lia sighed and Uri stifled. Mik coughed, ‘Ray is fine. Drink.’

She tentatively sat down, taking the glass and briefly relishing in its coolness against her sweating palms. She couldn’t quite bring herself to look up after that. What exactly was that? It certainly didn’t feel like Mik. But then again, what did she know?

Nothing. After all, didn’t know these people. She didn’t know these people at all.

So Lucy pressed the glass firmly to her lips and drank. The liquid was thick.

Like blood.

She forced herself to swallow.

It seemed after that, Lucy was invisible. No, actually, not invisible. Not invisible at all. Mik and Uri continued to converse in hushed murmurs whilst glancing back at her every now and again. Lia had lit a cigarette and was idly blowing smoke rings into the air. She would occasionally contribute, much louder and sometimes trying to involve Lucy, but her attempts went ignored.

Ignored, that was it. Lucy was being ignored. Lucy was being ignored while drinking the blood of her friend that she was too scared to save.

The last drop forced itself down her throat, and the door opened.

‘Dove…?’

‘ Ray !’ She all but shrieked, her chair knocked over and abandoned with how quick she moved to run over to them, wrapping her arms around their waist tightly. Ray stumbled severely, almost loosing their balance. They grunted in pain, but Lucy wouldn’t let go.

‘What the fu— are you ok?? Is everything alright?? I mean, what are you even doing here—-?’

‘You’re alive…’ She muttered into their shoulder with a sniff.

‘…Yeah? Being dead ain’t exactly ideal for me-‘

And Lucy laughed. She actually laughed, and a weight was lifted off her shoulders. She wrapped her arms around them a little tighter, and they hissed.

‘Dove, you’re hurting me—-‘ They managed between small gasps.

‘Sorry..sorry, I just—‘ She cut herself off with a shaky breath. She could feel the beginnings of where Ray’s hunchback ended and their skin became normal again, but she couldn’t bring herself to let go just yet.

‘Ray.’ Mik spoke up just as Ray’s hands began to wrap around her own figure. They froze, and their arms dropped to their sides, trying to gently pry her off.

‘What has you so upset?? What happened? You don’t look yourself-‘ They squinted, then leaned a little closer. ‘You really don’t look yourself.’

‘I— Lucy stepped back, wiping at her eyes. ‘I overheard some Angels talking about an incident. Someone murdered, and they just sounded so similar to you that—-‘

‘Annabelle.’ Ray said grimly, their eyes filled with something akin to hatred in fleeting glances, when they could afford to pry their thoughts from their pain. ‘I know who you’re on about, you mean Annabelle, don’t you? Yeah, I can see how you’d mistake us on words alone—‘ They managed to limp their way to the bar, coughing a bit on the way. Lucy could only watch. ‘The Angels are too late. They won’t find who did it. Mik, get me a drink-‘

‘What’s that supposed to mean?..’

‘He—-‘ They flopped against the bar as they tried to explain, but didn’t bother to continue the sentence when Mik placed an ice cube on the back of their neck. ‘Thanks..’ They mumbled into the wood, breathing a heavy sigh. They held their hand up, and Mik gave the ice cube to them.

‘Did everything go ok today?’ Uri asked with a frown.

‘Hm?-‘ They lazily lifted their head, popping the cube into their mouth and chewing on it. The crunch sounded painful, but they didn’t flinch. ‘Oh. Yeah, perfectly fine. I’m just..tired. Really fucking tired.’ Their head flopped back down.

‘You should rest, Ray. Come on.’ Mik hummed, walking around from the back of the counter to stand by Rays side, grabbing their arm and throwing it over his shoulder to hoist them up.

‘Just give me like..10 minutes. We can talk then, yeah, dove?’

‘I—-‘

‘No.’ Mik stared. ‘You’ve overdone it today. You need to go to bed.’

‘It’s not that bad, I promise—-‘ They tried to wave him off, but yelped when Mik made a sharp turn towards the back rooms.

‘ Do not make me treat you like a child. You’re not arguing with me on this.’ He suddenly turned back to Lucy. ‘You. You should go home. Uri, come with me.’

Ray protested, but what was said exactly was lost to her. Lucy was left there. Just standing there in the middle of the room like an idiot as she watched Ray’s shadow on the wall disappear. She made Ray’s pain worse, she came to realise. Mik was right. She should just go home.

‘Oh come on duck, you’re not leaving now after you came all that way, surely?’ Lia spoke up after Lucy turned her back to leave, patting the seat next to her. ‘Mik’s finally letting Venerith perform tonight, so I’ve got all the time in the world to kill!’

‘I don’t think I should—-‘

‘Nonsense, nonsense!’ She laughed. ‘Come sit. I want to know more about you anyway, Rays just so secretive~’

It was a horrendous idea. She knew all too well that it was a horrendous idea, but still, Lucy sat anyway. She slid her finger around the rim of her empty glass like that would do anything to soothe her anxious mind, and Lia just smiled.

‘They’ll be fine, if that’s what you’re worried about.’

‘Are you sure? But they looked so—‘

‘Oh, Ray just loves to complain for the sake of complaining!’ She waved her off with a laugh. ‘They bounce back, they always do. Wouldn’t survive if they didn’t.’

‘So have they been..disfigured their—-‘

‘Not disfigured. I hate that word.’ She clicked her tongue. ‘Disfigured. Such an ugly sound, wouldn’t you agree?’

‘I’ve uh..never thought about it too much.’

‘ Dis-fig-ure-d. ’ She over-annunciated each syllable, ‘Ugly, right?’

‘Huh..I suppose so, now that I think about it.’

‘Too ugly of a word for our Ray, don’t you think? Ray isn’t ugly.’

‘No, of course not!’ She frowned.

Lia hummed, amused. ‘I thought as much. But yes, they’ve been in pain for as long as I’ve known them. They really pay the price for wanting to be so full of life.’

‘So I’ve seen…’ She sighed. ‘What actually is it? Do they have a diagnosis?’

‘…No doctor wants them.’ She shook her head slowly. ‘No doctor wants them at all.'

Lucy got such a sense of deja vu that she was glad she was sat down. She pinched the bridge of her nose. ‘I don’t get why though—‘

‘Ohhhh,’ She weakly mused, ‘You really are as posh as they say you are.’

‘Oh come on! Seriously? That’s what they say when they talk about me?-‘ She paused, then blinked. ‘Hang on, how much do they talk about me—-?

‘Mhm, they looooove talking about you!’ She giggled. ‘Every other day you get mentioned, they ask about you constantly. If we’ve seen you, if any of us might’ve seen you out and about if we go anywhere near the border. The like.’

‘I’m…glad.’ She smiled weakly. But then she frowned in thought. Ray’s earlier words ring in her mind, and her curiosity was eating her. ‘Annabelle, was it they said? The girl who died.’

‘Her? Yeah, a great shame, her loss. Nice girl.’

‘Were she and Ray close?’

‘Oh sweet pea, Ray is close with everyone down here. Can’t go anywhere with them without stopping every two minutes to say hi to someone. They’re quite infamous, I keep saying to them they should do a show instead of me for once and that’d bring half the bloody east side in.’

‘Can they sing?’ Lucy almost laughed at the thought.

‘Oh yes! Such a beautiful voice, lovely little set of pipes they’ve got on them. Shame it’s wasted on such an undignified music taste.’ She grimaced, taking in a breath of nicotine. ‘Speaking of music, a Bach enjoyer wanting to meet my saxophonist? You, little bird, are my new favourite person~’

‘They mentioned that too..?’

‘Of course. They wanted to know which one Bach was, so they ran straight to me. I don’t think they see the appeal.’ She laughed.

‘Ah..that’s a shame.’

‘Not exciting enough for them, I think is what they said.’ She sat back and pondered. ‘And I’m not being funny, but I’m surprised you are.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ She suddenly sat up a little straighter.

‘Exciting to them. You’re a little straggler from the west that wants to play rebellious but is too scared to close that book of rules you keep your nose buried in like it’s the holy commandments themselves. I’ve tried to read you, but I can’t. They can’t either. I think that’s exactly why they find you exciting.’

‘That was..’ She frowned. ‘I’m sorry that I can’t lay down my way of life in a heart beat to accommodate you people.’ She said firmly. ‘If my presence is a problem, I’ll leave.’

‘Oh don’t get all wrapped in your head about it.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘You’re reading into it too much. Just like you’re curious about us, we’re curious about you. These 'delinquents’ from your side in the past, they come down, Ray has a toy about with them, they get scared and back off by the second visit never to be seen again. But you? You’re different. And it’s a welcomed difference, don’t get me wrong! I’m just glad that Ray finally has…’

‘Has what?’

Lia smiled. ‘Never mind. Don’t worry about it.’

There was a beat of silence where Lia sat back to breathe out smoke. Lucy tapped the empty glass, looking down at the floor. What was that supposed to mean? No, it didn’t matter. This place would be gone by the end of the week, she swore it. She just needed a chance to give Ray a subtle warning, and then figure out how she was supposed to reveal her little secret to the Angels.

‘It’s a shame that Mik’s in one of his moods. I could tell Ray really wanted to spend time with you. I hope I’m not boring you too much, lovey~’ She laughed weakly.

‘Uh, no. Not at all! If anything, it’s nice getting to know you a little better. Ray’s told me enough about you that I’m glad I’m getting to talk to you.’

‘Well I’m positively charmed! And likewise. We’re all a mystery to one another, and I despise it. I hate secrets, but it just seems like that’s how we have to live.’ She rested her head in her hand, chewing on the cigarette slightly. ‘I do wish you’d come see us more often, though.’

‘I wish I could..I just-‘

‘Your job? Your health? I get it…but you don’t have to sugarcoat your words with me. Ray isn’t here, so let’s just be open and honest with ourselves.’ Her eyes narrowed. ‘You hate it here, don’t you?’

‘I don’t—-‘

‘Yessss, yes you do.’ She grinned. ‘I’ve seen how you look at us, because you really are that privileged. I’ve always wondered if and when you’ll report this place to the Angels. If you hadn’t met Ray, you would have by now, wouldn’t you?’

Lucy remained quiet.

‘I hate it here too, if it makes you feel any better. When I imagined my future, I imagined a grand stage in front of a sea of dazzling dresses and suits, people sat in the fancy boxes having purchased looking glasses just to get a glimpse of me!’ She smiled, waving her hand in front of her like she was gesturing to a crowd. Then, her face suddenly fell, and she took another drag of her cigarette. ‘Not stuck in a rickety old bar that’s not even supposed to be here legally, addicted to nicotine. And I certainly imagine myself becoming a mother.’ She shook her head. ‘Which is why I think you both need to open up to each other a little more. So that they can make an effort to see you for once. Somewhere you can both actually breathe.’

Lucy sighed. ‘I don’t think that’s possible.’

‘I knew you’d say that.’ Lia looked down at her hands. ‘I knew you’d say that…’

‘I just..I really don’t understand why someone like them is so interested in someone like me. It doesn’t make sense!’ She held her head in her hands. ‘Whenever we spend time together, it feels like we shouldn’t be getting along at all, yet here I am! I don’t understand—-‘

Lia smiled sadly. Just looking at her, she could see that she had something to say, but she sat in silence. She knew something. She knew something and wasn’t telling her. Lia sat there thinking to herself for what felt like forever, and Lucy felt herself descend more and more into anxiety the longer the silence dragged. What did Lia know that she didn’t? She shouldn’t have sat down. She should’ve just left. She shouldn’t have come to the bar in the first place. She should’ve never become friends with Ray, she should’ve handed that ticket, she was always just so stupid—-

‘I think.’ Lia hesitated. ‘You can’t keep dancing around each other like this. And I think you need to go home. You look positively exhausted, dear.’

She couldn’t argue there. Her legs aches furiously now after all that running, and her eyes felt heavy. ‘I don’t know how.’ She weakly admitted.

‘I don’t think they know, either. Sometimes..we just have to be open and honest with each other. It’s very rare you see that down here..but the best of us? The ones that are truly happy? It’s because they don’t keep secrets. Honest people live honest lives in honest company. And I think you two can get there, one day.’

‘You think so..?’

‘I know so.’ Lia smiled, and Lucy didn’t know why she felt so hopeful in that moment. ‘Goodnight, duck. Rest well.’

Lucy finally stood. ‘You too..you too. Give Ray my best regards.’ She muttered with a smile as she walked out the door.

She had a lot to think about.

—

‘Dove!..Dove?…’

‘She’s gone home, hun. I’m sorry…’

‘…Oh.’ Their face fell. They missed their chance, they realised. It shouldn’t have mattered as much as it did to them, and yet it was still upsetting. Their hands clenched into fists, sighing shakily as they heard the others catching up to scold them, no doubt.

It hurt. It hurt all over. ‘Damn it..’ They muttered. ‘God fucking damn it..’

It was embarrassing, her having to see them like that. Having to face her when she was obviously in so much distressed, but being too absorbed in their own problems to give her what she needed in that moment. They felt shame, they felt anger, they felt tired and they felt pain. It was at that point they couldn’t differentiate. The pain in their heart blended in with all the rest. There was only one certainty they could focus on, in that moment.

It all hurt so fucking much.

Chapter Text

Honest people live honest lives in honest company.

That should be her right now. By all means, she should be satisfied. After all, she was an honest person. She lived an honest life. She was surrounded by honest company.

Or so she thought.

‘Midas’ lot really aren’t happy. Cass tells me there’s petitions and protests, it isn’t pretty out there-‘ Gabby sighed, leaning back in his chair.

‘Protests? This side?’ She looked mildly surprised. ‘Have we not sent Angels to quell them like we do the east?’

‘Err- no.’

‘…Why not?’

Gabby laughed awkwardly. ‘That’s not how we do things, Lulu. You know this.’

‘So they’re peaceable assemblies, then?’

‘If you start quoting the constitution on me now I’m going to fill your coffee cup with tea.’

‘…Duly noted. You just had me worried, is all.’

The silence that followed after wasn’t exactly comfortable, but it would do. It allowed her thoughts to swim through her mind, flowing like a stream. Potential connections and answers lay buried in the sand, waiting for her to reach her hand into the cool depths and pluck them out. She just knew it.

The reaction revelation had opened a plethora of doors in terms of possibilities. Lucy had already ordered an increase of patrols on areas she deemed hotspots, a decision Sera was reluctant to agree to. The Angels were now being stretched thinner and thinner in the desperation ( her desperation, Sera had said in that moment) to close this case once and for all, and the general public were starting to take notice. People no longer smiled at her when they saw her masked face in uniform, or wished her well when she was out on the field, or went out of their way to thank her for her service. They were getting angry now that the Angels couldn’t be there for everyone in a heart beat to answer to the most petty of crimes. But it was manageable so long as Cass was their liaison officer. The good people of the West knew how to express their qualms with orderly and peaceful conduct. They did not. That’s what set them apart from the East side.

It always confused Lucy, now that she thought about it. The West was a shining example of honesty and goodness, it made her wonder why the East didn’t just follow in their footsteps. It’s why she couldn’t help but believe some of their issues were their own doing. Ray had opened her eyes to some deeper issues, sure, but for as long as they rioted and vandalised and fought back against them, Lucy still couldn’t completely sympathise. Ray was just a good person in a bad crowd, she had come to reason after attending countless other incidents of petty theft and vandalisms near the border. They had every right to feel angry at the system, but they were an outlier. The system had its flaws where Ray fell through its tiny cracks, but it was the best thing this city had to offer. The system worked, and Lucy was determined to protect it. For as long as the Raven was a threat, Lucy would continue to push the Angels to their limits and pray for the publics understanding and forgiveness.

It won’t be long now until things went back to normal. It should be simple to find and detain some vandals, then stick around until the Raven decides to show their ugly face. An arrest would be made, the case would be closed and life would go back to normal. It was so simple.

Too simple.

The Raven was far too cunning for that, and she knew that well. They weren’t an idiot, the last 3 years, 9 months and 25 days had been spent successfully evading any and all law enforcement, after all. If anything, they seemed like the type to be happy the Angels had caught on. But would their efforts at least become a form of preventative measure or deterrent? Or would it just spur them on to some sort of twisted, second phase of a plan?

Well, they wouldn’t know until they tried.

‘I hear Ari’s assistant is feeling ill again—-‘

‘No.’ She immediately interjected, making Gabby laugh.

‘Just what did that woman do to you for that to be the thing that finally got your attention?’ He chuckled, walking over and scooting some of the papers aside so that he could perch himself on her desk, looking at the board.

‘Wait, were you saying something before?-‘

‘For the past 2-ish minutes, yeah.’ He hummed, propping one arm up against his knee and resting his hand in his palm. ‘Come on. What’s going through that noggin of yours?’ He jokingly tapped his knuckle against her skull, and she was quick to wave his hand away with a slight laugh.

‘Just..everything really.’ Her face gradually fell with a sigh. ‘We’ve got a plan sure, but it all feels too..easy. Too simple.’

‘What do you mean? You’ve cracked the code, and now it’s only a matter of time. We knew you’d do it.’ He smiled.

‘But I haven’t done it. Until the Ravens actually behind bars, I can’t say I’ve done anything. I don’t have the right.’ She moved closer to the board, tracing her finger delicately over one of the red strings. It tied the message at the bank to the feather they left at the scene. She found a level of irony in the words, now that the dust had settled. Their explosions and their extravagant ways of attracting attention didn’t exactly scream “voiceless” to her. But whatever her trivial thoughts and feelings were didn’t matter. What mattered were the losses people faced as a result, and the fact that the Angels were now locked in a public feud with the financial district. ‘I’m having doubts.’

‘Huh? Why?’

‘Was this the right thing to do?’ She gestured to all the locations pinned on the board that were now overrun with Angels, lying in wait. ‘I mean, what if this—‘

‘-It’s the best idea anyones had so far. What’s the problem?’

Lucy cleared her throat with annoyance, ‘The problem is -‘ She pinched the bridge of her nose, ‘That it all appears too simple. I’ve had more time to think it all through. The more I consider it, the more this all looks like bait. I think I’ve made a mistake-‘

‘And I think you’re overthinking things,’ Gabby sighed. ‘I mean, just look at you. You’re tired Lulu, no wonder you’re second guessing yourself.’

Lucy’s frown only deepened when she felt Gabby’s hand on her back, his thumb gently rubbing circles into her uniform. ‘What if this is what they want?’

‘Who?’

‘The Raven.’

‘You’re becoming paranoid—‘

‘But just look at it!’ She groaned as she gestured back to the board. ‘They react to the world around them, it’d be too easy to fake a crime and just wait for them to show up. They’re cleverer than that!’

‘You don’t know that. Besides, there’s no way they’ve already figured out that we’ve cracked their code.’

‘But the code was too easy, we were just blinded by the smaller details to see it. What if this is exactly what they wanted, and we’ve just made things worse?!’

‘I think it’s feasible.’ A third voice piped up, making Lucy startle slightly and Gabby’s brows furrow. Cass stood by a stack of files, placing them neatly in the correct cabinet. But then they looked back up at the both of them, and frowned slightly. ‘Ah..sorry. Did you guys want coffee? I’ll go make you coffee—‘

‘Did they find the murderer?’ Lucy found herself asking. Gabby looked at her from the corner of his eye, confused.

‘The..murderer?’

‘The speakeasy’s daughter, about a week ago? Or I think that’s what it was—‘ She hummed in thought, trying to recall that evening. The blood rush to her head made the details foggy, but ever since knowing Ray knew the victim, she’d been curious.

‘Oh! Him! Ha, yeah-‘ Cass grinned sheepishly, ‘That’s where the new picture came from.’ They pointed towards the board.

‘What?! Why did no one tell me?!’ She suddenly shrieked, studying the new picture she missed. It was a feather in a dark background, with small specks of blood on it. It was so similar to the other images that her mind must’ve dismissed it.

‘Gabby said not to disturb you.’

Lucy turned her head to Gabby, anger starting to boil her blood. Gabby simply coughed and looked away.

‘Ok, ok, look-‘ He held his hands up defensively, ‘We found the guy at 2am, you’d already gone home sick, and didn’t want to disturb you! So we handled it on our own. Guy was found murdered, pretty beaten up with a feather on his body. Ari ruled the death as blunt force trauma, we made a note of it but ultimately’ He shrugged. ‘We found that no further clues could’ve been gathered from the scene, so we called it a day.’ He finished his explanation with a nervously chuckle, carefully watching her reaction.

‘Gabby.’

‘Y-yeah, Lulu?’

Lord above, she hated that name. ‘Could you make me a coffee? Cass, would you like one?’

‘No!’ They cried. ‘Uhm, no thank you! I’m good—‘

‘…Fine.’

With that, Gabby stalked off. Cass quickly hurried to Lucy’s side before Gabby could fully pass them, hiding from his glare by taking a great interest in the board. For a moment, the clock’s idle ticking was the only indicator that the room wasn’t frozen in time. Then, Lucy glanced at Cass.

‘You mean it?’

‘Huh?’ They looked at her with wide, slightly fearful eyes. ‘Mean what?’

‘All my fretting and worrying..you think my theory is actually feasible?’

‘Well..yeah. The Angels are being pushed to the brink, it’s easy for their reactions to be a diversion to make it harder for the force. It’s quite logical to think they’ve stretched them as thin as they’ll go, and then they’re gonna take a knife to the weakest point.’

Lucy blinked.

‘Well, uh, I mean, that is to say…yeah. I think it’s feasible.’ They smiled awkwardly.

‘Cass.’

Cass looked away. ‘Sorry…’

‘No no, don’t apologise. You know, sometimes I think—-‘

‘They want your job, Lucy.’

Gabby’s words echoed in her head, ringing as clearly as if he were whispering into her ear right then and there. It made her shudder uncomfortably, almost made her reach out to push him away. But Gabby wasn’t in the room. He couldn’t stop her from commending Cass, from building up their confidence and giving them the praise they deserved for all their hard work. Cass was smart.

But why else would a liaison officer be so involved in this case?

‘Hm? Were you saying something?’ Cass’ eyes were bright. Young. Innocent. Slightly red. Why were they slightly red?

‘Oh, it’s..nothing. Was just muttering to myself out loud-‘

‘Ah, fair enough.’ They hummed absentmindedly.

‘Did you come here just to drop off those reports? Or was there something else?’

‘Oh! Yeah, I wanted to let you know I resolved the issue with Mr. Dolus.’

‘Oh thank the heavens—‘ Lucy heaved a sigh of relief. ‘I really thought I’d have a Dolus shaped fly buzzing around my head for the rest of my life.’ She thought for a moment, before adding, ‘Thanks, Cass.’

‘Uh..You’re welcome! You’re welcome.’ They smiled. ‘Anything to—-‘

Lucy didn’t hear the end of Cass’ sentence. Lucy didn’t hear the sudden startle of her surrounding colleagues, or Gabby’s frantic footsteps running to grab a coat. All she could hear was the alarm blaring in her ears, screaming at her to move. She could faintly make out Sera’s yelling, something about arson. Business office. The Raven.

She glanced back at the board, and it laughed at her like the idiot she was. How could she have forgotten? It had been 22 days since the graffiti at Dolus’. Exactly a month since Midas. It was about time for another show of theirs. Lucy refused to waste another second, all but shoving Cass out of the way to run out the door with the crowd of Angels following behind.

Honest people live honest lives in honest company.

Lucy was an honest person. This was her honest life. And she was about to visit her honest company.

Chapter Text

The flames lapping at the bricks of the semi-intact building told her immediately that this wasn’t an explosion. This one was slow, deliberate, perhaps personal. Maybe they knew someone that worked in those buildings? She wouldn’t be too sure until the firemen could extinguish the fire and clear the scene for them. She stood at the very edge of where the Angels were permitted, trying to squeeze as much information out of the scene before her with sight alone as possible. With how late it was at night, the only civilians around were bystanders stood frozen, watching the scene unravel before them as Angels tried to push them back and create space. The building should’ve been shut for a while now, no one should’ve been inside.

So why could she hear crying?

‘Ari.’ She called, trying to get the older woman’s attention. She could pick her out of the crowd easily, with the headpiece that wrapped around her bun to show off her status. Lucy pushed past the crowd to try and get closer to her, her movements becoming more and more frantic with each second. ‘Ari!’ She cried, she was running now. The heat from the flames were starting to get to her, making her break out in sweats as she rushed to get to her. ‘Ari, there’s someone inside! There’s someone still inside!’ She was yelling over all the chaos. ‘ Ari !’

But Ari did not notice her. Ari was staring into the flames, almost like she was in a trance. She waved away Angels and firemen as they passed her, muttering halfhearted responses Lucy could not hear. But her eyes never left the building, reflecting a red glow in her pupils. The ghost of what looked like a smile never left her face.

No, that couldn’t have been right. She blamed the smoke billowing out of the cracks and crevices and holes, she blamed the heat that made her feel sticky and disgusting. Besides, why was she going to Ari? She should be going to the firemen, shouldn’t she?

The firemen. Right. She kept fighting through the crowd. Why were they all just standing there? Why did Gabby look so indifferent? Cass seemed to be the only person she recognised that looked as solemn and worried as she felt. But that didn’t matter right now. ‘Excuse me!’ She called, trying to get the attention of anyone who’d listen. ‘Hey!’ Why was no one looking her way? ‘Someone’s in there! Someone’s still inside!’ The firemen were too absorbed in trying to extinguish the flames. No one batted an eye at her panic.

The crying continued. A sharp shriek and a painful wail, echoing between the crackles of burning wood and the building’s foundations collapsing. They would die in there if no one acted. Why was she the only person that could hear it? Why were Ari and Gabby and Cass just standing there? There was someone alive in there, and they were going to die. They were dying.

Lucy took a sharp intake of fresh air while she still could.

And she ran.

Only then did she hear Gabby yell after her, did she hear Cass shriek in panic and Ari call her name. But their cries fell on deaf ears, just as this one’s cries had done.

She moved as quickly as her feet would carry her, trying not to let any of the precious air escape her lungs just yet. The heat was excruciating, even just at the buildings entrance she felt like her blood was boiling beneath her skin. She paused for the briefest of seconds, hearing the cry ring within the burning walls. She tried to pinpoint the sound, and move towards it. Her movements were frantic, trying to find any clue before her eyes watered up too much. Eventually, she had to take a breath.

‘Hey! I’m here to help, where are you?!’ She shouted.

Part of the crying quietened. Part of it didn’t. There were two.

‘Where are you?!’ She repeated. The smoke tasted foul in her lungs.

‘No, come back! Come back!’ A young voice screamed, before quickly being overcome by a coughing fit.

‘Keep talking, I’ll find you!’ She urged, trying to suppress her own coughs to better hear the others. The building was beginning to come crashing down around her, wooden beams falling left and right. She had to slow her pace to dodge the cracks forming in the floor, but her determination remained strong. No one was going to die tonight, she refused to let it happen. ‘Hello?!’

‘ Please… ’ the voice sobbed between coughs.

‘I’m almost there, just hold on!’

When she turned a corner, whatever relief she felt at finally finding the silhouette was immediately overshadowed by the sight in front of her, or what she could make of it when she wanted the smoke away. A young boy, no older than 10, trapped beneath a burning beam that kept part of his torso pinned down. Soot littered his clothes and burns littered his skin, so severe that it made Lucy sick to her stomach. The beam seemed to be at an unnatural angle, like he had tried to move it and free himself. Like someone else was here before her. With his free arm, he was trying to reach up, up to the heavens.

And the heavens answered with a black feather.

It gently floated down, catching fire and burning up before it could fully reach the ground.

The Raven.

The Raven could’ve been staring her in the face then, concealed by the thick, black smoke. They could’ve been stood behind her, waiting to strike now that she’d taken their bait. They could’ve been trying to make find a way of escape and evade capture. The Raven was still here. They were near. They did this.

Lucy knew she should search for them. Who knew when she would get a chance like this again? She didn’t have long though, if she could play her cards right and search efficiently, the chances are she could overpower them in a struggle due to how much less smoke she must’ve inhaled by comparison. She could end this once and for all. Finally earn her title and praise.

But then she looked at the boy with his tears evaporating off his face as they left his eyes. Her resolve wavered. The Raven was somewhere. But the boy was right here, and he still had a chance. His arm was still stretched upwards, towards the sky.

Lucy dropped to her knees, trying to heave the pillar off his frail body. Someone had definitely moved it before her, almost succeeded too, because it rolled off the boy after a single heavy shove. She hissed in pain at how it burnt her hands, but ultimately her focus was on the boy who took a massive gasp of air and subsequently started coughing up blood. His eyes remained fixated above him, even as Lucy tried to gently pick him up without hurting him anymore.

‘I’m going to get you out, ok? Don’t worry, you’re safe now—-‘

‘Pretty wings..’ He muttered, his outstretched arm finally falling to wrap around her neck. ‘Pretty wings…’

She didn’t respond, only pressed the boys head into her shoulder and tried to keep her own mouth partially covered. When she looked around, the building had shifted and morphed to be unrecognisable to the point where she didn’t know which direction she was facing, or which direction to go. She managed to glimpse something that looked vaguely like a path, like some sort of way out, so she bolted for it. She didn’t have much time.

She ran. She ran and she ran and she ran for what felt like forever. Her chest felt like it was being crushed. Her head pounded and her throat burned, every heave of her lungs made her acutely aware of just how drenched in sweat she was and of the burns that were started to spread across her exposed skin. She still clung on to the frail weight in her arms like a lifeline. She had to get out. She had to get out.

Where was she? Everywhere she looked, she was only greeted by red and black. Her vision blurred, her senses failed her. We’re not trapped, she repeated to herself like a prayer, We’re not trapped. I can still save us.

But as every twist and turn became blocked off by the building collapsing around them, Lucy’s legs started to give in. She couldn’t lift her feet, she couldn’t lift her head, she couldn’t breathe. This couldn’t be the end. She refused for it to be the end.

‘GABBY !’ She cried as she felt her knees buckle. Somewhere near her, she thought she could hear impact. Someone breaking something. Had the firemen come to find her? She prayed that was the case. ‘Cass! Gabby!’ She called, trying to follow the sound, ‘I’m here! Help me!’

The sound of impact grew more frantic. She heard wood hitting the floor, a gust of wind and a hiss-like sound. She couldn’t lift her head to try and look, and her own violent coughing overshadow any other noise she could make out. No one was coming, the grim thought entered her mind. This was the end. ‘Help me!’ She tried to scream, but it came out much weaker this time. ‘Help me…’

Even when her legs failed her and her vision blacked out, she still refused to loosen her grip on the child. This was her repenting for all her sins. This was how she hoped to die. On the field, saving a life. She was on the floor now, trying to use her own body as a shield for the boy as the world came crashing down around her. When was the last time she spoke to her parents? What was the last thing she said to them?

Regrets didn’t matter now. All that Lucy Redimere cared about in these final moments was that she could say she died living an honest life.

—

A hand gripping onto the scruff of her collar for dear life. Feet forcefully dragging themselves through the flames. A hazy march to the end, to the cool air and night sky that beckoned them forward. Coughing. And then a shriek, something piercing and sudden enough it had all those nearby whipping their heads around to the wall that had been destroyed, forcefully knocked down to create an opening. The flames were beginning to gnaw at the opening, but if these people truly were competent, they’d both live. They had to live.

Gone before anyone could notice. Just as it always has been. Just how it always will be.

—

Gasping. She was gasping for air. Air . Actual air entered her lungs. It burned, but it burned so good. She couldn’t see properly, she realised when she knew for certain she had opened her eyes, only make out 3 blurry but distinct silhouettes standing above her. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, the pain that ached across her whole body distracted all her senses. All but one. She felt someone try to take away that weight in her arms, but she refused to let him go. She hugged the boy to her chest, and would’ve wept tears of joy had she not been so thoroughly dehydrated.

She did it. She actually made it. They both made it. They were alive and safe now, in the hands of the Angels she trusted the most. Lucy found the energy to smile to herself weakly.

‘Hey..we made it…’ She whispered to the boy, ‘We made it…’

Someone was saying her name. As clarity returned to her, she noticed Gabby looked panicked, frantically shouting. Cass was holding them back, to keep him from touching her. They looked like they were crying. Were they worried? That was sweet, the thought passed over her mind. Gabby sounded angry. Ari looked completely calm. Were they both saying her name? Ari turned her head, probably to talk to someone else. Ari pointed at her. Someone she didn’t recognise was trying to take the boy away. At first, she only tightened her grip. But then she remembered that it was Ari who ordered this. She could trust Ari.

‘Hospital..get him to the hospital…’ She winced in pain at the movement, ‘He needs treatment…’

Mutters and murmurs. The ringing in her ears finally began to subside. She focused all her effort to listening, to try and pick out a singular word in the flurry of sentences that left their mouths.

Silence from Cass, they looked away when she narrowed her eyes at them.

The clearest word she heard Gabby shout before the rest of it became too slurred to understand was ‘What.’ He was probably calling her stupid and question her judgement. That sounded just like him.

Ari stared at her with cold eyes and a tight lipped frown. Her posture was rigid. The clearest word she heard her declare was ‘Dead.’

Dead? Why? She got the both of them out there. They’d both be fine with treatment.

‘—-Lucy.’ Her hearing returned to her, and Ari seemed to recognise that at the same time. ‘—-ad, Lucy.’ She repeated. By now, she was being lifted up onto some sort of stretcher. She recognised that an oxygen mask was being placed over her mouth.

‘Ari—‘ She weakly called for her. Ari sighed with annoyance, and leant down begrudgingly to make herself heard more clearly.

‘He’s dead , Lucy. Don’t make me repeat myself again.’

Chapter Text

‘He’s dead, Lucy’, the Raven laughed, ‘You failed. Again. But what’s new there?’

Standing before her was a shadowy figure, disfigured in its silhouette and amalgamated with the shadows that licked at its figure. Like flames. Like fire.

She could see the outline of a twisted smile as it laughed, sharp and crooked teeth that looked like it belonged to an animal. No, not an animal. The Raven wasn’t human, nor was it an animal. It was a monster. It stretched out sharp talons towards her and blood dripped off the fingers. It was offering its hand to her. She watched the blood begin to pool around her feet. That boys blood. That poor, sweet boys blood. The shadows stretched out to her, reaching up and grasping at her legs to try and drown her in the blood. More faces began to appear in the murky red that now reached her knees. The faces of all the others she couldn’t save.

‘Their blood is on our hands. Isn’t it beautiful?’ It grinned. ‘Aw, come on..don’t look at me like that, Lulu. We’re both as guilty as each other~’

Lucy smacked its hand away, and it hissed an unnatural sound. Good. She hoped it hurt. It’s the least it deserved.

But then it threw its head back in a sudden fit of laughter. It cackled and cackled a horrendous sound, like nails on a chalkboard, before bringing its hand up and licking the blood off its fingers like a starved beast. It made Lucy shiver in disgust.

‘Denial isn’t a good look on you, pretty~’ It cooed. ‘Just how long until you accept what you are?’

‘I’m the Angels’ Detective Inspector.’ She spat back. ‘And this is where it ends, Raven.’

But when she lurched forward through the blood to try and tackle it, its sickly frame danced out of view. It vanished into the shadows, becoming one with the darkness. All she could hear was that awful laughter. All she could feel were black feathers gently tickling her skin.

‘You’re no Detective inspector.’ It mocked. ‘You can’t even call yourself an Angel.’

A hand slid across her shoulder. She swung. Nothing.

‘But I’ll tell you what you are, Lucy Redimere.’

Hot breath against her ear. She tried to smack it away. Nothing.

‘You’re a fraud.’

The blood began to rise. She tried to move to higher ground. Nothing.

‘You’re a liar.’

The bodies in the water began to grasp at her uniform, trying to pull themselves out and her down with them. She tried to push them all off. Nothing.

‘You’re a criminal.’

A shadow that looked like a bar. Familiarity called to her, until she saw that twisted shadow standing by the doors. She forced herself to run towards it, wading through the blood and the hands. Nothing.

‘You’re a sinner.’

A familiar body lay still in the water. Face up, they looked so peaceful. Like they were only sleeping. She desperately tried to reach for them, to pull them out of the depths. To save this one life. Nothing.

‘You’re a sinner, Lulu.’ She felt a weight pressed against her back, and the shrill cackle directly in her ear. The Raven’s hands pushed her shoulders down gently, tenderly. She couldn’t breathe. In a final attempt, she reached towards them. She managed to grasp its grotesque claws to try and pull it under with her. It held her hand, and she felt a toothy grin press its lips to her knuckles.

‘We’re both sinners. You and I are the same.’

Everything was red.

—

Screaming. That was the first thing she consciously recognised she was doing. And someone yelped in response. Her hand was dropped by whatever grasp held onto it, and Lucy brought it to her chest to clutch at her hospital gown as she panted. She could feel her heart racing like the organ was trying to bludgeon its way out of her body, the blood rush drumming in her ears like a war song.

‘—Awake! Can we get someone in here?!’ She heard someone calling. Gabby. That was Gabby. Why was he here? He should be investigating the scene. She should be investigating the scene, too.

Where was she again?

She frantically looked around. Blur gown. Bed. Singular chair. Bandages. A table with apparatus. Hospital. She was in a hospital.

‘Took you long enough.’ Gabby berated, but then turned his attention to her and sat back down in the chair. ‘Hey Lulu..how are you feeling? Gave me a fright there—‘

‘I…what?—‘ She looked at him, then at the other woman, no older than herself, that had awkwardly shuffled her way to her bedside. ‘What happened?’

Gabby looked at Ari’s assistant for a response, but she said nothing. She flashed a light into her eyes, took her arm and pressed her fingers to her wrist for a lingering moment, then inspected the bandages.

‘Well, we—-‘

‘You’re stable—-‘

They both spoke at the same time. Gabby glared, and Dani seemed to shrink in on herself. There was an awkward silence.

‘No, go on.’ Gabby prompted through gritted teeth. ‘Doctor knows best.’

‘Ah—-’ She adjusted her glasses with a slightly shaky hand. ‘My apologies..your vitals remain stable, and your wounds have healed up nicely. The Surgeon General will be pleased.’

‘That doesn’t answer my question.’ Lucy groaned, now keenly aware of the scratch in her throat, ‘Can I get some water?’

‘Oh! Of course, just uh- give me two seconds—‘

‘I’ll do it.’ Gabby sighed as he got up.

The glass she was handed was gulped down the second she got a firm grasp of it. She didn’t realise just how thirsty she was, and she didn’t anticipate how much it’d burn as the liquid trickled down her throat. Dani watched intensely, and subsequently made frantic scribbles on her clipboard.

‘So…?’ She tried to prompt, suddenly very aware of the few droplets of water that escaped her mouth and were now slowly trying to drip down her chin. She wiped it away as Dani glanced back down at her notes, and only prayed Gabby didn’t notice. He did, judging by how he quickly looked away and snickered quietly. Great.

‘…So…?’ Dani repeated, looking up from her notes confused. They stared at each other blankly for a second, and Lucy was just about to re-ask her question when Dani gasped suddenly, ‘Oh, right! So!’ She set her clipboard down and clasped her hands together, her expression pulling into a tight lipped frown. ‘How much of the event do you remember prior to loosing conscious?’

‘Uh..’ She sat back fully against the pillow, chewing the inside of her cheek as she thought. ‘I remember seeing you, Ari and Cass.’ She gestured to Gabby, ‘And I had the..the boy with me..’ She trailed off. That warm weight in her arms that kept her grounded, that weight that comforted her and reminded her of her purpose. The sweet boy who shouldn’t have be there. ‘Where is he?!’ She suddenly demanded, ‘Is he ok—?!’

‘The forensic team have managed to salvage any evidence that was left on his body, it’s currently being studied and deciphered. The Surgeon General personally oversaw both the investigation and your recovery.’ Dani suddenly beamed. Lucy found it hard to continue listening to her words as her stomach dropped and bile rose in her throat, but still she continued explaining. ‘You were rushed to the hospital immediately, the burns you suffered were, luckily, superficial all things considered, minus your hands and your calves. You mostly suffered respiratory damage from smoke inhalation injury, for which you were only taken off intubation yesterday. But 2 weeks of a pure oxygen diet should’ve hopefully treated and prevented any lasting problems, it’s very lucky the Surgeon General was there and could see to your care immediately— Are you alright? You’ve gone pale-‘ She frowned after finally turning her attention fully back to Lucy.

‘I think she gets the idea.’ Gabby sighed. ‘It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it Lulu?’

‘Yeah..’ She stared at her hands in her lap, only half registering what he was saying. ‘Just..overwhelmed.’ She swallowed dryly, daring to lift her head and stare at Dani’s wide eyes, indifferent to all the news she just delivered. ‘How long will I be out of action?’

‘The Surgeon General has barred you from any on-field work for the next 3 weeks minimum, but she says you can return to the office as soon as next week.’ The assistant hummed, clutching her clipboard to her chest, ‘If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to report your consciousness to the Surgeon General. I’m sure the news will please her. She may even come and pay you a visit personally!’

Lucy still had more questions, but they died in her throat as she watched Dani awkwardly shuffle out of the room, like she always awkwardly does. She was left to look back down at her bandaged hands like they were the most interesting thing in the world. Wondering about the damage kept the unnerved feeling she felt at bay. It didn’t distract her from the nausea, however. Her stomach twisted the longer she studied the wrappings covering her forearm’s and the longer she turned Dani’s words over in her mind.

The boy really was dead. The Raven was right. She had failed.

‘What the hell were you thinking?’ Gabby suddenly spoke with calm accusation, and Lucy had to suppress a gag. He didn’t look at her, but instead just past her at the wall. ‘You could’ve died.’

‘I’m aware.’

‘So then why’d you do it?’

‘Gabby, it’s our job—-‘

‘No, it’s not.’ His brows furrowed and his hand clenched into a fist. He was obviously trying not to raise his voice. ‘That’s what the firemen were there for. How did you even know someone was in there?’

‘I could hear him crying-‘

‘So then why didn’t you tell the firemen?!’

‘I did!’ She found herself yelling and immediately suffering because of it. Her lungs squeezed and forced coughs out of her body against her will. ‘I tried to tell you, all of you—‘ She rasped, clutching on her chest with one arm and pushing the empty glass towards Gabby with the other. Gabby only raised an eyebrow at it and then looked at her expectantly. ‘Please—-‘ She managed weakly between coughs.

Only then did Gabby roll his eyes and take the glass, going to fetch the water for her. In silence, he handed it back to her and she gulped it down immediately. ‘Treated and prevented my ass…’ She found herself muttering.

‘Lucy.’

‘Sorry.’ She looked away with a frown.

‘Just..’ Gabby began again after a beat of uncomfortable silence, ‘Don’t do anything like that ever again. Ever.’

She didn’t reply. Gabby shifted uncomfortably. They both picked spots to stare at on the wall for a moment that felt like a minute.

‘So…’ Gabby started again, coughing to clear his throat as he sat up slightly straighter.

‘So?’

‘You woke up with quite a start, didn’t you? Scared me to death—‘ He tried to chuckle, but it died near immediately in his throat. ‘Is..everything ok?’

‘I’m fine. It was nothing.’ She lied through her teeth. She could still feel its toothy grin against her neck. Gabby knew she was lying, too.

‘You can talk to me, you know?’ He reached to gently place his hand over her own. The pressure hurt. As much as she tried to hide her wince, he must’ve seen it since he pulled back immediately. ‘That’s..kinda what friends are for.’

‘Just call it a wellness check like you did before, why don’t you?’ She found herself snapping back. She didn’t know why, regret immediately filled her when she saw how Gabby’s face twisted.

‘ Lucy —-‘ He tried protest, but was swiftly interrupted.

‘Detective Inspector Redimere.’ Came a stern voice, followed by the sharp clicking of heels that Lucy could’ve picked apart in even the loudest of crowds. Ari came to stand over by her bedside, her hands resting behind her back, whilst Dani stood by the door in silent observation. ‘I’m glad to see you in a better state. How is your throat and chest feeling?’

‘Awful. I feel like there’s a feral cat trying to tear me up from the inside.’

‘Very descriptive. Dr. Abel, please make a note.’ She hummed, examining her face with a slight frown. Actually, was it a slight frown? Or just her normal expression? She couldn’t tell. ‘As you’ve been made aware, you shall be clear for discharge as of Monday but you will not -‘ A pause, where she stared at Lucy with an accusatory eye, ‘-be returning to the field for another 3 weeks. These are the consequences for wanting to play hero like the foolish child you prove yourself to be sometimes—-‘

‘The boy.’

Silence.

‘…Excuse me?’ Ari stared with a raised eyebrow. Dani shifted from her place near the door, staring at her dumbfounded. Even Gabby looked away.

‘The boy.’ She simply repeated. She stared at the spot in front of her, trying to avoid Ari’s offended glare. ‘What happened to him?’

‘…Ah.’ She clicked her tongue, her expression twisting as if she tasted something sour. ‘He succumbed to his injuries before you had carried him out of the building, I’m afraid. Internal bleeding, combined with the burns and the smoke inhalation.’

‘Did you find out who he is? Does his family know??’

‘John Doe, so far. We can gather he was most likely from the East. Signs of neglect. We’ve put out a public appeal for anyone to step forward and identify him, but so far no one has.’

‘..And his body?’ She didn’t know why she asked. She didn’t want to know.

‘Now that evidence has been extracted, the standard procedure would be to have him cremated and stored for 3 years before scattering.’ It upset Lucy, but it did give her some sort of comfort. Even if there’s a wait, he’d be put back into the world in some way shape or form. Regrets that began to swirl in her mind didn’t have time to truly set in, as Ari continued to speak. ‘Though, Dr. Abel suggested his remains be donated to science. I’m not opposed to the idea.’

‘What..?’ She did her best to hide the disbelief in her voice. Surely she had misheard?

‘How the body reacts to extreme conditions is still being understood,’ Dani piped up, fixing her glasses with a smile. ‘Especially in the realm of paediatrics. I believe there’s some valuable lessons that could be learnt if his body was donated.’

‘I’m inclined to agree.’ Ari simply hummed with no particular expression, and Dani smile widened just the smallest bit. ‘We’re waiting to hear back from the morticians to hear how well they could preserve the body in its current state.’

Lucy felt sick. Ari began to speak to Gabby, but she didn’t hear what was said. She was too focused on her breathing. She could only focus on the sound of her own inhale and exhale, the feeling as the air clawed it’s way down into her lungs, and the bile that ever bubbled in the back of her throat. She really did fail. His blood was on her hands.

‘-And you’ll be shown in depth how to change your own wrappings before you are discharged.’ She became faintly aware that Ari was addressing her again. ‘If you’ll excuse us, we must all be off. Dr. Abel, confer with the pathologists and report back to me.’

‘Of course, Surgeon General.’ Dani bowed slightly as she shuffled out of the room.

‘We have much to discuss with Sera after the incident. She’ll appreciate you being back in the office to look over the details. Try to get some rest, child.’

Lucy was alone. Alone, pale faced, breathing heavily and sweating like she was in that burning building all over again. But there was no small breathing weight cuddled in her arms to keep her mind grounded this time. That small weight was lying on a table under white light with no name. No memory. Did anyone miss him? Would anyone miss him? Did anyone even know who he was? What was his name? What was his favourite colour? What did he want to be when he grew up? How much did his last moments hurt?

Lucy cried that night. She screamed at the shadows of the room. The shadow only watched and laughed back at her.

Chapter Text

Where ever the light blesses with its radiance, a shadow must be cast. This is a rule of the world that no God can overwrite. The wonders of the day are followed by the dangers of the night. Trying to illuminate somewhere to become visible creates artificial hiding places. Even the purest person has a shadow attached to them.

Now, the shadow had been cast. When night falls, half of the world sleeps, and half of the world awakens. A world where Heaven’s eyes can afford to drift into a peaceful, perfect slumber and the laws loosen just slightly. What crawls to the surface is a beautiful underworld, a putrid green dream ill with miasma and crime, abandoned by the light and left to fester and rot.

As they ran across the rooftops of hell, they moved to run across the buildings edges and watched the streets beneath them churn with hazy life. They tested the very limits of what they were capable of, running full sprint across a tightrope that would lead to any normal persons demise. But they knew they wouldn’t fall, even when they craned their neck to peer over the ledge. They knew where they were going. They’d done this what felt like a million times before. This route was as familiar to them as the very veins in their hands. So they looked down for some amusement on their travels, watching over the cast out sinners who were so focused keeping their heads low that no one would bother to look up. There was no point looking up in the first place. There was nothing for them up there.

At this height, they looked like ants, each with individual roles and rules to follow that wouldn’t make any difference in the grand scheme of things. They watched women enticing men back to their beds to survive. They watched scared teens try and threaten someone with a knife. They watched windows get smashed. They watched drunkards begin to brawl. They watched as the whole world became a bystander, and almost laughed at the irony. They could step in at any moment. Right the situation. Be a hero. But they kept moving forward, and simply watched from above. Out of sight and out of mind.

It made them sick to their stomach. And they loved it.

—

The Raven. The greatest figure of evil to have graced this great city in over a decade. Not many people remember the last threat that actually mattered. The riots that plagued the street like an infection had faded into obscurity, becoming a fairytale that parents would warn their children of to try and encourage good behaviour. They achieved nothing, and might as well have not happened. The rest of the world moved on.

But Anatoly didn’t. He survived. He remembered.

The Raven no longer scared him, he came to realise some time ago. He had grown positively indifferent towards them. He heard the stories of course, of all their evil doings both great and small. But as he sat tinkering away into the early hours of the morning, he would keep himself entertained by trying to imagine what they’d do next. A small game of bigger or smaller. They’d also wonder when they’d get caught, because he knew there was no if. Heaven’s eyes sleep, but they do not become blind. It would only be a matter of time. He could only hope it wasn’t soon. They were his best customer, after all.

‘Figured out an asking price for that arm yet?’ Came a voice from behind him, causing him to flinch. He sucked in the air through his teeth as his grip on the screwdriver faltered, but then he huffed out a short laugh.

‘You’re back earlier than I expected.’ He hummed, putting a screw into place and tightening it. He made a point of taking a second to stretch, particularly his right shoulder where a metal prosthetic was attached to his body. They said nothing behind him, and he knew they weren’t going to until he turned to face them. He made a show of doing it as slowly as possible, of feigning struggle. They made no movement or sound, but he could feel the air thicken. ‘It wasn’t something wrong with the goods,’ He pondered out loud, ‘And you never come just for the sake of saying hi.’ Once he was satisfied that the project wouldn’t fall apart the second he let go, he placed it gently on the work table in front of him and spun his chair around. ‘So what is it?’

If you saw the Raven with your own eyes, it’s because they wanted to be seen. And they sure as hell didn’t like being ignored. Their mouth was pulled into a frown and their shoulders were tense as they stood arms folded and leaning against the door frame, but that was about as much as he could read. Dressed head to toe in black, the Raven was otherwise a complete shadow. The only parts of themself they allowed to be visible were their fangs and claws. ‘I need more.’

‘Can’t help you there,’ He simply shrugged, ‘You bought out my stock completely, remember? I’m not an infinite resource.’

‘Then get me more.’ They hissed.

‘Yeah, yeah, I’ll see what I can do.’ He rolled his eyes, about to turn back to his work. But then he paused mid swivel. ‘Just what exactly are you planning?’

No response. Their head tilted away, looking off to the side.

‘How much do you need? I’ll start on it once I’ve got this all wrapped up.’ That seemed to clear the air a bit. He watched their silhouette relax slightly.

‘As much as you can afford to make.’

‘Ooh, a big one then?’ He mused.

‘Yep.’ They started to grin, standing up a little straighter. ‘It’s gonna be beautiful, just you wait. They’ll never see it coming, they’ll never think I’d go that far!’ They gestured with the hands splayed wide and arms straight out. A grand explosion. ‘I’m gonna hit them where it hurts, and I’ll be there to watch them weep.’

‘…The police station?’

‘Better.’

He raised an eyebrow. ‘Damn. Well, I’ll be sure to pack enough of a punch that’ll I’ll be able to hear it from here.’

‘And this is exactly why I keep you alive~’ They laughed, tilting their head slightly unnaturally as they stared at him.

‘Mhm. Sure.’ Was all he said to that. He turned back to his work. He heard the Raven shift behind him. And he thought that was that. He continued to tinker away in silence.

Until he heard the smallest of sighs. They didn’t leave as he had originally thought. When he cast a brief glance back at them, they were staring at the floor, arms folded and slightly slumped against the doorframe once more. A rare display of an emotion that wasn’t eccentric confidence. Something was on their mind. The sight made him roll his eyes and groan internally. He found himself waving his hand in the direction of a spare stool.

‘It’s starting to rain.’ He simply stated, knowing better than to try and ask. ‘Rest for a bit.’

The Raven stared at him blankly for a moment, before hesitantly going to the stool. It was strange to watch them move with light on them. Even they seemed uncomfortable with it. He expected them to look back at him with an air of uncertainty, he usually wasn’t this hospital. But what he didn’t expect was for them to pick up the stool and bring it over to where he was sitting. They perched themself by his side and watched with what felt like genuine interest.

‘…What’s this?’ They asked after a beat of silence.

He didn’t respond. They huffed, doing a motion he could only assume was a dramatic eye roll before resting their head against their hand, slumping against the table. ‘Whatever..’ They muttered, and he huffed with amusement.

‘See if you can figure it out. If you’re gonna sit there and stare, can I at least get you to hold things for me?’

‘No.’ They huffed, looking away. He threw a wrench in their direction, and on reflex they caught it with their free hand. They stared at him, offended. He laughed.

‘Thanks. You’re a great helper.’ He teased.

For about an hour, the cities most wanted criminal and an average underground engineer sat side by side. They talked, telling brief and vague stories to one another. They laughed, but always with one eye kept open. But for the most part, they just sat in silence under the dim lamplight. He’d hold his hand out for a tool, it’d be placed in his hand and he’d keep working. They learned very quickly what tool he needed when. Most of the time their head was tilted to watch the project, sometimes they’d turn to watch him instead, and other times they’d glance around the room. It must’ve been around 4 am when he got up to get some more materials from a different workbench. Even though it took less than a minute for him to turn back round, they had vanished. Like they were never there to begin with.

He sighed, the ghost of a smile lingering on his face. He really hoped they’d be able to run wild and free for just a little longer. The kid had a courage he missed. And he really didn’t want to loose his best customer just yet.