Catja and her companions returned to the hideout. They didn't have to travel far, the passage to their place was near the haunted city where they met the Water Tribe people.

In one of the wooden houses there, there was a hidden tunnel. When entering, all you had to do was move the shelf and enter the passage. The tunnel stretched to the left for a few minutes and then seemed to slope downwards. It was long, dug into the ground and lit with old lamps. At the end there was a round wooden door, and beyond it was an underground town. Wooden houses stretched along modest streets. Lighting was provided by old lamps, strings of lights and candles. The people were dressed in old, worn clothes, but there was a smile on their faces, especially when they greeted Catja, one of their leaders.

The red-haired woman sent her brave companions away and then went to her house, located on the side. The house was hidden in another passage dug into it. You went down ten steps and at the end of the stairs you could see a circular room. There was a makeshift straw carpet at the entrance. Next to it, on the left side of the entrance, there was a barrel replacing a bedside shelf, on which there was a book and a lit wax candle. In the back there was an old, torn sofa, and right next to it was a bed. The shape of the sleeping area was dug into the wall, the bottom was covered with straw, a few mattresses, and blankets on top. Next to it, in a small, separately hollowed-out wall, there were three candles.

Catja sighed, put down her scarf that was covering her face, and then took off the vest with the extra blades.

"Why did you let them go?" She heard the voice of Valerie behind her. It was her roommate and the second leader of their group.

"I just came back and you know everything?"

"Why, Catja?" She repeated more sternly.

She walked up to her with her arms crossed on her chest and looked firmly at her red-haired partner. Valerie was taller than her. She was a bit thicker boned than her. She has lovely full lips and sparkling gray eyes. Her dark dreadlocks were tied into a thick braid, with a few strands of her hair sticking out. The two sides of her head remained shaved, visible when she wore a high ponytail or braid. Additionally, she had feather earrings, which she received as a gift from Catja. One feather was red and black, and the other was white with a hint of blue. For her, they were supposed to be a representation of Catja herself, who was always accompanied by two different colors.

"And why not?" She looked at her resignedly. "I wanted to see how they would handle it."

"You didn't have to let them go." Valerie insisted. "They don't deserve your kindness." She walked past her and sat down on the couch. "We're here because of them and others like them. Have you forgotten already?"

"How could I forget?!" She raised her voice nervously, and when she met her companion's gaze again, she lowered her head, avoiding her eyes. "I'm perfectly aware of this..."

Valerie sighed, slowly stood up and walked over to the sad redhead.

"I'm sorry." She said honestly after a while. "Just thinking about these people from above upsets me... I don't want to argue."

Catja nodded in understanding but still didn't look at her, so the dark-haired woman approached her and gently lifted her chin so that she could see her eyes.

"Are we good?" She asked, looking at her tenderly.

The girl sighed, then nodded.

"Yeah..." She whispered, looking into her eyes. "I don't want to argue either."

Valerie smiled warmly at her, then leaned over her and gently kissed her lips.

"I want to see the good side of all this. Who knows, maybe everything will change now?" Catja said with hope in her voice. "The Tribes are in danger, if they manage to unite, maybe then we'ill also be able to..."

"Your naivety is truly adorable, buttercup." She said in with a smile. "No, Catja. Even if the Tribes reconcile, if they ever do..." She corrected. "We, the outcasts, will never find a place there. If something were to change, it would've changed a long time ago, and we've been stuck in this place all these years. No, buttercup." She sighed. "If we don't fight for what we want... we won't gain anything." She brushed away a lock of her hair. "That's why the most important thing is that we stick together, hm?"

Even though she had a feeling that her girlfriend was right, Catja still had a strong belief that the day would eventually come when they would all be able to go back up to the Tribes and live as before. But time passed and their situation remained unchanged. Years ago, people like them were crossed out and expelled from their hometown. At first there were just a few people, and then there were many more of them. Catja and Valerie's ancestors created this place as a shelter for people like them. Even though no more people were rejected and they remained hidden, the thought of revenge and justice was on the mind of every member of this underground town.

"Don't worry so much, hm? We'll finally get back what is rightfully ours." Valerie assured her. "So smile for me, okay? I miss this."

Catja looked at her again and then put a faint smile on her face.

"Ah, well done, buttercup." The woman smiled, then took her partner's face in her hands and gently pulled her cheeks, making Catja smile more. "Much better." She was happy to see her in a better mood.

"I'm the older one here, I should keep your spirits up..."

"Bullshit, it works both ways. Besides, your presence is enough for me." She hugged her. "As long as I have you, I don't need anything else." Valerie said, cuddling up to her beloved.

~.~

Deron didn't care about the fact that he still didn't get along with his father. It never changed, but it didn't bother him. What pleased him most was that he returned to talking to his mother after so many years. Her condition was still not the best, so her son watched over her. He also talked to his beloved Zubeen by sending letters. He wanted to make sure this one was safe. Times were hard, and with recent events they may have seemed even worse.

Walking down a hidden street, he thought about the situation, but even so, he didn't lower his guard. He felt that someone was following him, and as it turned out, he was right. At first he thought it might be someone trying to kill him. After all, he wasn't so welcome here. But the person following him was completely different from the people of the Tribe.

Deron hid in a dark alley, waited a moment, and when the spy came out of hiding, he quickly grabbed him and immobilized him. Already at the moment of the fight he recognized who it was.

"You still need to work on your reflexes." He said and then released her from his embrace.

The young woman was dressed in black, with a hood on her head and a mask covering her face. She looked at her older companion with her red eyes, sighing and removing her hood.

"It's not fair, you're taller, that's why..." She shook her head and uncovered her face.

"Excuses. " He laughed quietly and then looked at her carefully.

Several years had passed since he last saw her. She had definitely grown a bit, but she was still no taller than him. The hair was long, dark with red streaks, reaching down to her waist.

"Are you following me, cousin?" He crossed his arms. "You couldn't wait to see me, huh?"

The teenager snorted quietly.

"Who's the one couldn't wait here...? You were the one hanging around in front of my... home." She added the last word with considerable hesitation.

Deron smiled faintly and then walked up to her, placing his hand on her head.

"Good to see you... Ishat." He said tenderly and she shyly looked away to hide her blush.

They sat together at the modest bar, taking a table outside. The place was out of the way and this place was visited more often by servants, but there were a few people from higher classes here who didn't tease others like their compatriots who called themselves pure blood.

Deron bought Ishat her favorite raspberry dessert and watched her eat it. Looking at her again, he remembered how young and innocent she was. A child whose childhood was taken away. Deron blamed himself very much for this and the only thing he regretted after leaving Rednce was not taking his cousin with him.

"You're staring." Ishat snapped him out of his thoughts.

"I'm just glancing." He replied, shifting in his chair. "Do you know you've grown? Who knows, maybe you'll eventually outgrow me, chibi?"

The teenager threatened him with a spoon.

"Do not call me that." She said with an offended face and then went back to eating dessert. After a while, however, she stopped, carefully put down the spoon and looked at her relative. "How is aunt Alvora?" She asked with concern. "I... I wanted to visit her, but... I was forbidden to."

Deron smiled again.

"She told me you sent her flowers and her favorite cookies."

Ishat nodded shyly.

"I asked Karyan for help..." She admitted. "He promised that we would go to visit her together, but the elders kept bothering us..." She snorted.

The man nodded in understanding. There was still a gentle smile on his face. He was happy to meet her. Even though he wouldn't admit it out loud, he missed her. When they were younger, they were inseparable. No matter what happened, they always stuck together. Deron was like an older brother to her, on whom she always relied. It was he who always protected her from the hand of her strict relatives and took care of her well-being.

Their separation was sudden, unexpected and quick. Then Deron didn't think much, he just left. He knew what would happen to Ishat and he did it anyway. He knew it was selfish of him, so before he left, he made sure there was at least one person in Rednce worthy of her trust. Someone as close to her heart as Deron. It was Karyan, his old friend and now Ishat's guardian.

"Do you still want to see her?" He asked, seeing her sad face, and his words immediately caught the girl's attention.

After a second, however, the excitement turned into depression.

"I'm not sure if I can... or rather if I should in this case." She said uncertainly.

"You're with me." He said, getting to his feet. "You can do whatever you want."

~.~

They stood in front of the family home, and then Ishat stopped in front of the door, taking a closer look at her surroundings. Like Deron, she hadn't visited this place for several years, but now everything seemed to be coming back to her.

Even though she was young, she felt incredibly nostalgic at the sight of this house. Her memories were mostly bad, but the time she spent with her cousin had never been.

When she heard about her aunt's illness, she felt a pang in her heart. At that moment, a thought and a note of hope immediately flashed through her mind that Deron might return to the city. Even though it was a slim chance, she still wanted to believe in it. She missed him very much. As it turned out, she wasn't disappointed, her favorite cousin was standing here right now. And she felt safe, just like in her childhood, whenever he stood shoulder to shoulder, next to her.

Their whole family was really harsh and strict, but of all its members, Ishat appreciated aunt Alvora, Deron's mother, the most. Until now, she remembered moments when no one was around and she held back as much as she couldn't to shed tears. Aunt Alvora sat next to her and stroked her head. She didn't do it in the presence of the others, but when they were alone she showed her support. Perhaps Ishat didn't understand everything yet, but she felt that her aunt had been through a lot and perhaps she had reasons to keep a mask from her other relatives.

"Ready?" Deron asked, looking at his shorter companion.

The girl hesitated for a moment. She played with her fingers, glancing uncertainly at the old front door.

"Karyan should be here with me..." She whispered weakly. "What if he gets angry...?"

Deron took her shaking hands.

"He won't." He assured her. "He'll be glad you visited your aunt. And besides... I'll take care of you when he's not around. And he'll do the same... when I'm gone." He added with a note of sadness, which didn't go unnoticed by Ishat.

The girl squeezed his hand a little tighter, which caught his attention. She gave him a grateful smile, which he returned, and together they entered the family home.