"I'm sorry we don't have much more space," Sammy said as she walked Violet into a small room. "There are lots of other rooms, but they freeze at night or aren't safe."

"It's fine, Sammy," the huntress muttered. "It's just until things settle down." She sighed and rubbed her eyes which were showing multiple dots in her vision.

"I'd offer a blanket," Sammy spoke softly, "However, we have others that need them more—colder rooms. If you do get too cold, let me know."

Violet mumbled her thanks but already knew there wasn't another option. "Sam?" she questioned to the silent space. The other woman looked at her exhausted friend. "I'm sorry. For earlier."

Sammy smiled sadly. "It's fine Violet. It's easy to see how stressed you are. We were all like that. I shouldn't have pushed so hard. I just didn't want to see you hurt worse," she reassured. "Try to get some rest." 

After Sammy left, Violet took a seat in the right, far corner of the room. The only lights were dimly flickering and provided little escape from the bleak night. Propping herself up, she leaned against the cracked drywall, keeping close watch of the only entrance to the room.

Defensive stiff muscles plagued Violet's comfort, prompting her to sigh in an attempt to relieve her overly rigid body from its alert state. She rolled her neck before allowing a large yawn to escape. Despite covering her mouth, she fell into a loud coughing fit from the scratching attacks of the air in the room. She growled in frustration before turning to her phone.

"I couldn't find a way around. There were strong Nen fighters involved. I'm waiting it out until it's safe to move, then I'll head for the hotel." 

A thumb glided over the 'send' button on the text, watching through half-lidded, heavy eyes as the notification of success came back to the phone. All was deadly silent in the room after Violet responded to the magician. She hugged her bent knees into her chest and leaned her body to the right wall resting her head in the corner. Tears formed in the corner of her closed eyes as she succumbed to frustration and building stress. I'm alone... I don't want to be here. I don't know what to do. Maybe I should risk it?

BUZZ...

Violet became wide-eyed, repeatedly blinking as the vibrations from her lap jarred her from a deteriorating mental state. Quickly arching her head down to her phone, she felt it buzz a second time. Her brows knitted for the hundredth time since first meeting Sammy and Brad in the street. The tear from her left eye slid down her cheek. Wiping it with the back of her hand to stop the annoying feeling of the liquid tickling her skin, she sniffled and looked at the noisy device. 

"♠ ⭐-_-💧" Viewing the first text, Violet rolled her eyes. The smile still played at her quivering lips, even as she bit the tip of her tongue to try and hold it off. "Stay where you are. I'll text when it's safe to move." 

Violet promptly responded with a simple 'ok' text. She lifted her head to look up at the ceiling with closed eyes. Intaking a slow, deep breath, she held it for a few seconds, spores and all, then slowly released the air with much of her body tension. Shaking hands steadied as they clasped protectively around the phone, nestled safely in her lap.

Dropping her sight to the phone case, the huntress opened it to view the area where the cards were held. Tenderly she ran her hand over the card slot and sighed. Breaching the pocket behind the slots, she pulled out a picture. It was small, and the paper was singed on the top right corner. She ghosted her knuckles over the top of the image in all its dulled out and bent glory.

The pink iris of one eye matched with the red iris of another on the black, handsome man. Eyes shone back from the photograph with pride and love. His mainly green locks slid over his face and slightly down his shoulder. He looked towards the Violet in the photo with eyes drenched in adoration. The woman's gaze in the picture was soft and loving as it washed over the baby in her arms. Remembering how she couldn't take her eyes off her daughter at that point, the woman thought about how much of a miracle the baby had been. The pregnancy had been treacherous at best and the birth horrendous.

The baby had the most beautiful caramel skin tone, the perfect mixture of her mother's pale pink and her father's stunning deep tones. She loved that child so much, despite how short her time had been. She inherited fully pink hair from her father's one streak, which speckled over the child's head. Her eyes were mixed, like her father, with one green and one pink iris. The colour had only just changed from the standard blue every baby started with before the photo was taken.

Another deep sigh released from Violet's exhausted mouth as her gaze admired the image. She hadn't viewed their picture since the second month of arriving at Heaven's Arena. Her family was gone now. However, she carried them in her phone case, keeping them close. The huntress had such mixed feelings about it anymore. She still loved her daughter and family; however, she regularly wondered. It didn't hurt to look at this picture the way it had before. More fond memories than sharp pains were ignited. She still felt heaps of guilt, but the reasons for it were drastically different from the original survivor's guilt.

Abruptly looking up, Violet tucked the photo back to its hiding spot. She watched the door with her head against the wall, waiting for Hisoka to text and tell her when it would be safe to move again. Her eyelids began to flicker up and down. Letting both lids shut, it wasn't long before she found her mind wandering, imaging Hisoka's arms around her body flashed. There was no guilt about what Keff, her late husband, would think, just the relief of the magician's embrace.

Violet mentally laughed at herself, knowing he had never shown her such intimacy, nor would she expect it. The magician would kill her faster than any hunter in this place, but she couldn't deny the pull towards him. It was so different, and dare she risk thinking, stronger than how she had felt around Keff. It was unclear what emotion it was or why it happened, though she couldn't deny something was there.

Lost in musings, Violet never felt her body sway to the hypnotising call of sleep. It happened all the same, long before she could have ever stopped it. Propped against the wall, her phone still hidden in her hands that now draped over her lap, she fell into oblivion.

--------------------------------

Violet gasped, awoken suddenly with the feeling of a weight on her abdomen and the vicious movement of her body from its upright sleeping position. She resisted the pull and push of the unknown on blind instinct alone. When her palms met with a solid, cloth-covered chest, her sleep glazed eyes met a set of icy blue ones. The frosted irises held only cruelty, despite their amused shine.

The huntress screamed in a shrill high, pitch tone and thrashed harder, trying to gain the upper hand and force Jason off her body. He grunted as one of her punches clipped his jaw. All the humour fled from his features with the speed of a fleeing impala. She followed her last move with a savage knee to his right side, causing the man to shift sideways with the momentum, and he released a furious growl.

Before Violet could right herself from under Jason, her arms were pulled above her head and her legs secured outward. She cursed and shrieked in wild, unbridled rage. Despite the aid of two others, he needed to continue to subdue the female fighter under him. The two men growled and grunted against her continued thrashing and escape attempts.

Ultimately, Violet's legs failed first as her injured thigh couldn't hold up the battle long term. Once her legs were confined to the ground, Jason made quick work of forcing the struggling woman's back flat. Her arms were rendered useless once they were pulled outward and high enough that she couldn't break the hold.

The huntress continued to thrash and screech horrific slews of cusses and death threats. Jason and the two men with him attempted to keep her under control. Gritting his teeth, he brought his knuckles down on the side of the woman's head mercilessly. Violet cried as her brain rattled against the inside of her skull. Her senseless state allowed the three men the time they needed to secure her beyond any ability she had to resist.

It was a few tense moments before the blonde fighter's vision cleared and senses were able to return enough for her to register Jason was still sitting on top of her and speaking to his friends. The high-pitch ringing in her ears expertly hid the words the three men said, but she registered he was holding something in his hands. As her vision continued to clear, she groaned, prompting the devil of a man to look down at her, his face illuminated by the glow of a cell phone screen. The shrill whistle that escaped his taunting mouth brought her shaky eyes to his face.

"Fancy phone for someone struggling to survive," he jeered at the defenceless woman under him as he played with her phone. Violet snarled a wordless response to his taunt.

I have Nen. He doesn't! He cannot hurt me now! she thought as she arched her brows downward and continued to snarl at the snarky brunette-haired abuser. He doesn't have a hunter bureaucracy to hide behind!

Ren aura flared around the woman's body as she released a deep bellow. She let the energy fly out destructively in all directions, forcing the hold of the men to give way and sending the two flying as she threw Jason off her form. The blue-eyed hunter landed in a crouched position, between her and the door, still clutching the phone in his right hand. He growled at the woman and fixated on her with seething rage.

Violet didn't delay in rushing straight for the attack to land a Ko filled punch to Jason's blocking arm, intent on shattering his bones, returning the favour of a broken body delivered upon herself so many months ago. As intended, her attack landed true, but the result was anything but what the huntress could have anticipated. She was sent flying backwards. With great effort, she was able to pivot and land just in time. When she looked up, he was standing with a smug expression and a strong Ken barrier surrounding all of his limbs.

"And what type of a Nen user might you be, Violet?" Jason mocked. "I'm an enhancer."

She gasped and looked beside Jason in horror as both his friends walked over to stand a step behind him on either side, holding similarly intimidating Ken barriers.