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lordofmelancholy · 2 days ago

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Arcane Silent Frontiers: Timebomb and Parenthood PTIIII: Sevika's Reaction

Part 3 Here

Oh begrudging “Auntie Sevika. . .” It should come of no surprise to anyone, that despite her rather irritable and genuinely no nonsense type of nature, that the degree of care Sevika has for those she considers allies or even friends is greatly remarkable and, to be quite frank, highly admirable and that such goes even doubly for her relations in SF.

SF Sevika is no different than her normal Arcane counterpart. Her loyalty still stands strong though only in SF does it stand strongly for characters that in the show we could only speculate due to the limited/no interactions she shares with them.

As it stands in SF, Sevika basically takes on the act of the begrudging “Aunt” so to speak. Oftentimes for Arcane, people often HC about her relationship with the kids (Vi and Jinx/Powder) growing up when she was in the company of Vander. One such headcanon often involves her as being the one who taught Vi to originally fight before Sevika had ultimately defaulted to Silco when she was with Vander.

This is shown by the line where she said “you never learned patience” to Vi during their fight scene and perhaps could also shed some light and also explain the "traitor" line Vi throws at Sevika as well.

However in SF the relationship Sev has with both Vander and everyone else is far more amicable, and far less tense and strained. Essentially in SF, Sevika stands as an old war buddy of Vander's that had long been estranged from the family for a while.

While it is unclear the reasons for their prior estrangement, Sevika nonetheless holds (though only a fraction) of loyalty left towards Vander. As a result of this loyalty, following the man’s disappearance, Sevika eventually steps up as a sort of mentor towards both Vi and Jinx, and when Vi herself goes missing, towards both Ekko and Jinx.

Over the years as a result, Sevika takes on a role between a mentor and a follower and is often at the tail end of many of their shenanigans, especially towards Jinx’s who she had long taken upon herself to look out for following Vanders disappearance as seemingly a final act of deference towards him. Similar to Scar in a way, Sevika stands as second-in-command, but also as a result much like Scar, end’s up putting up with a LOT of their shit. While many years their senior, there's not a day where Jinx doesn’t drive her up the wall's.

The introduction of Isha into their lil “Found Family” came as a shock to Sevika. What came as even more of a shock however, is the apparent closeness the two would gain to have. This kid, more than once, proved that she was a lot more than what Sevika initially wrote her off as. She's resourceful, she’s quiet, she listens, (sometimes), but more so to the point, Isha gives back to Sevika what Sevika never knew actually bothered her to loose.

Which was how much of both Jinx and Vi and the other's growing up she had missed. And how much of the concept of family she had missed in the pursuit of a better Zaun.

Sev had always been soul torn; a woman fiercely loyal to her roots yet also frightened of them. A woman who's said roots built her to be as steadfast and stubborn and unwavering as the caverns and rocky foundations that made up the Zaunite mountains. A woman that even despite how rotten those roots were, had always tried tirelessly to better her home. Money sent to foundations run by Zaunite officials for kids stuck in the mines, for those affected by the mines through generational works of its deep, unforgiving depths.

She’s also tried the lesser legal means as well from time to time, smuggling, drug trafficking, and even the occasional beating of Piltie and Noxian boot-lickers that come and try to exploit the old, sacred places; those that build the backbones of Zaun and it’s history.

Everything she ever did she did for Zaun.

Even if truthfully, she never tried to stay. As shocking as it was to admit, helping Zaun prior to the event's of SF often meant Sevika had to stay away. And though it may often brought pain and shame to ever have to admit that, she often believed staying away was the best thing.

But the place never let go. People often made a joke about the town being cursed. It was a long standing gag partially due to the phenomena of those once born in it being seemingly unable to leave. Zaun after all had always had a bad habit of always latching onto the poor souls born here. And often it was, that one way or another it always found it fitting to drag those who tried to leave back to its bedrock roots to act as their grave. Few ever wished to stay there, though many did due to an apparent loyalty. But even those with good intentions toward the town; those who often tried to better it, to once again make it feel like a home, often also felt as though that nothing they ever did changed anything, and tragically Sevika had become one of them. When Vander went back ultimately, Sevika did not follow. In fact she often rarely ever went back to that place, that hell, this home of hers.

She returns to see each kid that is born and taken into Vander's little pack; visiting long enough to give valuable advice of 'get out while ya can, brat,' and promptly leg it out of there hoping that her words were enough. As a result however of this routine, Vi, Jinx and all the other kids close to Vander often knew Sevika as the “Aunt” who often disappeared randomly for months at a time and then come back at like 4am one random night out of the blue, and all were used to that routine.

But it was also around that time as well when Vander and her began to have their falling out. Sev often grew frustrated with his passive approach to a lot of issues stemming around Zaun. Sevika's allegiance to Zaun itself, not individuals, often set her apart from Vander. And she could never understand how such a staunch supporter for Zaun could seemingly “turn his back on it”.

Despite this however, Sevika and Vander remained “friendly" so to speak, though they often lost contact with each other for a while from time to time. Until one day, when Zaun finally calls her back in the form of a phone call. "No man/woman left behind” as they often always said in the army, and it’s that phone call from Vander that has her coming back to make sure the rest of them are safe. That sends her home

And Zaun is thus where she becomes stuck; trapped within the mountainous region that was her birthplace like so many others had become. . .and it’s also here, where she begins to understand. When she begins to form a bond with Isha, Sevika begins to understand Vander just a little bit more, not by much but by something. But the true acknowledgement doesn’t come until after the baby shows up.

Sevika remembers that night.

Her on her way to her quarters after a particularly grueling day. Ready to get some peace and quiet and relaxation; some much needed R&R in her room.

Except when she walks in. She instead finds that her quarters are occupied. She find’s Isha, doodling about on some old piece of yellowing paper. But that’s normal, because Isha had always had a tendency much like Jinx to sneak in. Though the reasons for such break-ins were highly different. It's instead the fact that it’s really late that confuses her, Isha never comes this late, never stays this late.

“What are you do-”

She looks around, and she notices her bed. Accidental chalk markings and shavings all over her nicely maintained sheets and cot. Something that she would normally grit her teeth over, knowing how often in the past she had lost sheets to Jinx’s similar antic’s.

But her teeth are far from together.

No no, in fact instead her jaw is dropped right there, because it’s not the chalk that catches her line of sight. Instead it is an honest to God's, gurgling, small baby. And for a moment she gapes, blinks. Darts looks between a seemingly disinterested Isha back towards the baby, watching as the babe looks up wide-eyed but seemingly also disinterested when Isha finally makes a move before Sev can say anything, showing her a lil' crude sketched out depiction of-

"Oh, goddammit," The sight of the drawing makes her come out of her stupor. For right in the middle of that drawing, is a pale figure with long blue hair holding hands with a dark figure with short white hair. Each holding separate hands to two smaller figures that looked very much a lot like her bed's current occupants.

Isha doesn’t do or say much. In fact she seems a lot less shocked about this whole thing then Sevika does. Sevika on the other hand. Well she’s going through the five stages of grief all at once. She remembers blankly confronting both Ekko and Jinx when the pair magically return a few minutes later,

('When you say you're going on scav runs, I expect actual supplies, not for you BOTH to pull a Vander and adopt a horde of ankle biters.)

But as the night wanes on, and Ekko and Jinx finally sit the fuck down and explain the situation, Sevika reluctantly comes to terms with it relatively quickly. Knowing that deep down there will be nothing for her to say or do to change either of their minds. They both have the same look in their eye that Vander once did when they take the baby back from her, and she knows once they have that look that it’s a lost cause. They ain’t giving that baby up, and she doesn’t expect them too.

And as the night turns cold enough to need the heat on suddenly and when all five of them are sitting about, enjoying the warmth and silence save for the little sleepy grunts and coo’s that emanate from Ekko’s arm, Sev stares quietly. And when all of them besides Sevika fall asleep, including Isha who take’s up the spot next to her leaning up against her side, Sev stares some more and take’s a look around.

And as she watches.

as she stares.

She remembers.

She remembers instances like this when she would visit Vander and Vander would be so preoccupied with a toddler on his lap or something similar that he would yield to a disagreement in a way seemingly unheard of.

And as the night continues to churn, Sevika does something she’s never truly ever done willingly before. She moves Isha over to let her lay against the arm of the couch, and she stands up. She gets up and she stands in front of Ekko. Jinx is dead to the world, snoring softly and drooling against Ekko’s arm.

But Ekko on the other hand is just slightly dozed. He hears as well as feels the vibrations of Sev’s feet as they pad up to the front of him and when he cracks an eye open he notices she’s standing in front looking down at him. He’s happy they have all learned to talk without having to open their mouths up. One look in Sevika’s eye is enough to tell him anything he needs to know though she often swears up and down that she’s unreadable. He shifts up, just enough to push himself off the back of the couch without waking Jinx up, and he holds his crooked arm’s up.

“Knew you’d come around” he says softly, and all Sev does is grunt in response with that typical twitch of her nose she does whenever she doesn’t like something said. But the twitch is half-assed when she bends down and scoops up the tiny bundle from Ekko’s arms. There’s a nervousness in her touch. Steady hesitancy. Nearly uncharacteristic. The last time she ever held an infant, her arm was still built of bone and made of flesh and that had been years ago.

Now it’s cold and it's rough and impersonal, but Ekko still hand’s the baby over to her with no care seemingly towards that. And when Sevika finally settles the baby comfortably enough on her arm and sits back, she stares down. Can see the tender, fragile skin and know it for the rose-leaf softness that invites a finger's touch. The round-cheeked flesh wobbly as custard, the boneless splay and ball of the tiny hands. But the baby sleeps and soon so does Ekko, only much more deeply this time.

And when the room is silent once more, save for the ticking of heat and the sleepy grunts and coo’s, Sev stares. Stares between them all. Isha, only partially awoken by the shifting of the couch, smiles-pouts at her from the other side. And the burst of a sudden strange warmth Sev feels seeing that when she notices is one she’s not totally familiar with. But as she takes in the view; of her own small gang of stray’s, she begins to realize what it is.

Finally. . .she understands him. . .

Took her long enough.

_ _ _ oh the joys of learning what home really is.

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