~ SPOILERS for the 2nd act of Arcane ~

(this is the setting for "Pink")

(this story-line contains SMUT aka sexual content, reader discretion is advised)

Hiedra was the name she was given at birth. Understandably, her immortality prevented the sex worker from wearing it freely. With her clients, her imagination was the limit. With civilians, she remained anonymous or answered to a predetermined identity which changed only when she moved with her sisters.

The prison guard struck her in the ribs with a beating stick, before pushing her forward and ordering:

   "Move faster, b!tch."

She responded to slurs, too. She winced briefly, attempting to advance in a straight line even though the high amount of toxins in her blood made her dizzy still.

Despite willingly being a prostitute, a very rare occurrence among others in her field of expertise, the reward of eternal life, granted by the recurring Deals she closed thanks to her profession, wasn't always enough to keep her going through harder times. The powerful magic that ran deep inside her, connecting her to her home planet, was still weaker than in her sisters. Therefore, if she yearned to let exterior substances affect her system, she had the ability to remove some of the layers of enchantments that protected it. Hence why she was dazed. 

Stumbling into an unlit cell, she clung onto the nearest wall to stay upright and fight off the alcohol-induced nausea that she felt creeping up her chest. The loud clanging of the intricate door resonated painfully against her currently dysfunctional eardrums. Apparently, she had lowered her invulnerability levels a tad too much. Fortunately, the wealthy quadruplets in charge of her welfare wouldn't let her rot in jail for long and, at least, she was fully aware of that.

~

Thunder rumbled in the far distance as the pouring rain fell upon Stillwater Hold. In her obscure cell, Vi was prey to another one of her infamous sleepless nights. Staring at the ceiling from the undeniable comfort of the glacially cold and rough floor, her train of invasive thoughts was interrupted by noise echoing in the whole hallway. Her focus drifted to the guard who was bringing someone in, a new prisoner by the looks of it. Bored, she let her eyes follow the staggering well-shaped individual. Although, everything considered, "well-shaped" wasn't a strong enough word to describe the astonishingly sexy body the female was gifted with.

Violet propped herself up with her elbows and drove her back against the closest wall to slouch in a somehow stable sitting position. She leered at the newcomer, trying to make out if she knew her or not. This task proved itself to be impossible because the corridors and cells were drowned in darkness at night and anything solid became a navy shadow, an impression that was intensified in bad weather. She vaguely wondered what the captivating creature had been through, why she had been incarcerated, what she liked, how she felt, what she would want, how smooth her skin was... It looked soft regardless of the multiple tattoos upon it and managed to glow with the minimal quantity of light. She definitely seemed, even in obscurity, like someone that Vi wouldn't necessarily push away. To her own disappointment, in the past, the maximal proximity she ever got with any inmate was a glance in the shower room and never did she notice anyone looking back. Unsurprisingly, Stillwater Hold was the lonely kind of hell.

Soon enough, nearly everyone in the establishment - staff and declared criminals alike - knew of the mysterious sex worker's presence. The minute Vi observed Hiedra's alluring face in daylight, she recognized the prostitute who was strangely friendly with Powder. Unluckily for her, the nameless hooker was never alone. The courtesan never revealed her real name. Whilst some people used nicknames to refer to her, in the way a client of hers probably would, most called her by her inmate number. She was constantly harassed by inmates or, sometimes, the guards themselves. The idea that information about her little sister's state was within reach was driving the hot-headed prisoner mad. It had dawned on her a while ago, but all she could do was watch the devastatingly gorgeous female from afar. Why was there always someone around?! The most frustrating aspect of the situation was Violet's conviction that the newbie knew perfectly well who she was, too. They often locked eyes across the eating area or the yard.

Once, Vi had attempted to approach her during the period of time allocated for showering. However, the sight of her goddess-like body under a flow of water had completely disconcerted the usually confident young woman. Every curve of skin and muscle, every joint of bone and muscle tissue, every plane surface of intermittently tattooed skin that was firmly taut above her toned muscular composition... They all seemed inexplicably purposeful and flawless, as if modelled directly by the hands of a god. Attempting to slow down her thumping heart, Violet had eventually quit staring at the inmate's body. When she did, her eyes had been inexorably attracted to the prostitute's fiery gaze and couldn't escape their anchoring effect for what felt like hours. She was only released by a decision of the sex worker, who let her scorching stare glide down to Vi's naked toes, then back up, dragging her pupils intentionally slowly. Before she had the time to process what had happened, the hooker had turned the faucet on the wall between them. The barely clean lukewarm water had sprinkled inside her throat, her nose, her eyes... It then had ceased as quickly as it had first started. The newcomer's arousing sneer, which Violet had perceived despite the temporary damage to her eyes, had awakened in her the urge to punch that arrogant little slut through six layers of drywall. The silent exchange had ended briskly, as the mischievous creature strode away and out of the communal shower. Even her feet against the wet, moldy and chipped tiles were somehow still alluring.

~

A door creaked shut at the end of the hallway and a smile formed upon Hiedra's face. At last, she could leave the confines of her own cell, trading them for the perks of another. No one was guarding the wing and she had a whole night ahead of her, hours of freedom... She knew exactly who to spend them with.

Unlocking her cell's gate was child's play with the abilities at her fingertips, she immediately headed a few prison cells to her right and only needed to face her left to find what she wanted. Unwilling to lose precious time only to stare at her target, who was sleeping, she crossed the safety line and slipped her fingers inside five gaps between the elegant arrangement of metal rods that was every cell door. She tugged and pushed, making the gate clank at least four times, and watched the prisoner wake up.

Violet grunted, before aggressively blowing a strand of her dark pink hair out of her tired eyes. As soon as she realized the identity of her midnight visitor, she nearly jumped onto her feet, discarding her first reflex to ignore whoever had decided to trouble her slumber.

   "Inmate 516..." Hiedra said slowly.

Even her voice was attractive, neither too deep nor shrill, too joyful nor grim, too rough nor smooth, too menacing nor harmless-sounding...

   "Hey." was Vi's simple answer, although it expressed her wariness to a T.

Before she could even think about her next move, though, the prostitute yanked the cell's door wide open.

Containing her astonishment behind a cool front, Violet stood by and watched as the hooker entered, and locked, her cell. Hiedra twirled the ring of keys playfully with a finger, her lips stretched into her usual prideful grin. Fiddling with the keys, she began pacing in a circle around Vi, waiting for a reaction.

   "Inmate 2127," mockingly replied the young female.

   "We meet again..." The courtesan whipped around and laid her fire-colored eyes intently onto Violet's stormy grey ones. "Grumpy."

Like a powerful blow to the stomach, the use of that nickname was infuriating, but proof that the hooker facing her was truly the same she met all those years ago. Triggered, she rapidly asked:

   "What the hell are you doing here?"

The sex worker ignored the harshness of her interlocutor's tone.

   "My career choice isn't exactly legal. It's good to see you haven't changed much."

Violet scoffed, looking away.

   "Have you?"

   "If it ain't broke..."

Hiedra abruptly changed positions, leaning to fully gaze at Vi once again.

   "What?" she snapped, her pulse rising.

   "You have beautiful eyes, don't avoid mine like that."

The prostitute batted her eyelashes, smirking with a pleading expression. Disturbed for a second, Inmate 516 regained control quickly enough.

   "My sister. You remember her, right?" The contempt in her voice was obvious.

   "Oh, how could I forget Powder?"

Violet cringed at the reminder that a filthy Zaunite wh0re had been close to her little sister, flinching at the mention of her name coming out of someone else's mouth.

   "Do you know what happened to her?"

Seemingly embarrassed, Hiedra muttered:

   "Can't say I do..."

   "You don't? What about the deal you supposedly made with her?" Her wry comments were tinted with anger.

The hooker sighed and started circling her fellow prisoner once again.

   "I left the Underground shortly after Silco became its ruler. I've lived on the topside of Piltover ever since..."