Moment // Leliana

Lily was finally able to pay Vican back somehow. She started working at his bar, often taking people's drink orders and bartending next to Vican when they needed it. She was alright at it, though it took a lot of practice. She definitely wasn't as good as Vican, and she knew that she never would be. He was a pro. Though she wondered if Vican was placed in a stripping setting to dance, she wondered if he could. The thought made her laugh a little, though he definitely had the body to be a male stripper. 

The night was busy for the brunette. The job was a lot harder than she expected. With dancing, she just had to stay in one place or one area. It was easy that way. But, with this job, she had to move around and make sure people were happy. It didn't hurt that she dressed a little scandalous to make more tips. She only kept a little of the tips to herself and put the rest in Vican's drawer, trying to pay him back for everything he had done for her. Lily was more than grateful to have Vican in her life, especially since they were a thing now. Being in a relationship was hard for her. She usually flirted with everybody and had one-night stands with people. But since she quit escorting, she had been one-hundred percent loyal to Vican. She had no reason not to be, and besides, she really liked him. Even if he was dirt poor and lived in a shack, she would still like him. He was handsome, determined, and fun to be with. 

When Vican locked the door, she sighed. It was one of the busiest nights she had worked. She didn't care though, because she made cash and still had a lot of energy. Lily was a night person without a doubt. Most days, she wouldn't wake up until noon and she loved it. For her, she had always worked into the peak hours of the morning at the strip club, so she would naturally sleep in until the afternoon. It was a comfortable lifestyle that she could continue while living with Vican and Princess Tator Tot. 

"Well if you die, who am I going to tease?" She said with a wink, turning to the counter to clean up some of the alcohol and mixers that spilled. She hated to clean, but she cleaned so she could make Vican happy and so she could keep cleaning. She felt bad in a way, thinking that she still owed him, but she did. When she stopped owing him and she could buy her own things and pay her own rent, she would still be as happy with Vican and stop thinking about how much she owed him. Her life was a mess before, but now, she really couldn't ask for a better one. 

She felt Vican come behind her, hugging her from behind. She didn't expect him, but it was a warm gesture. She heard him speak, chuckling at his words. She turned around and raised an eyebrow. The woman loved spending time with Vican, especially when they were so close together. "I'm not sure," she said, adjusting his collar with her hands and smirking. Lily did anything to get her hands on Vican, especially during work. Whether it was a light brush or buttoning up his shirt, the physical aspect of their relationship was certainly teasing for the both of them. "We can leave now and have to clean in the morning, or we can clean now and be able to stay up later." She winked at him, her hands making her way down to the middle of his chest. She heard a faint noise in the background, but she figured it was just the water heater making noise as usual. "Your choice."

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WORD COUNT: 648
TAG: Vican Vesuvius

During her shifts, there were sometimes where Lily hated it. Some of the customers recognized her from the strip club, calling her Columbia and thinking they could take advantage of her, either by slapping her ass or touching her unnecessarily. Lily hated causing any sort of scene, especially at Vican's bar. She just smiled and was polite. They usually gave crappy tips because she didn't make a scene or pay much attention to them. She hoped that people just kept their mouths shut about Columbia working at the bar, because it was still possible that the gang was out there looking for her. They knew her real and her stripper name, which was dangerous because they could easily recognize the name or hear that she was working again. That was the last thing she wanted for herself and Vican. 

Lily loved being close with Vican. She never thought she would quit stripping and escorting for monogamy. Back before she was with Vican, she always thought monogamy was a stupid thing to commit to. It meant one less customer for her, which also meant less money. She was also very independent and didn't need to rely on anyone but herself. Her relationship with Vican was something she never expected. He supported her, for now, but that didn't matter to her. If she wanted a sugar daddy, she would've taken to one of her customers or one of the big businessmen in the meeting that night a couple weeks ago. She tried to make Vican feel more than just another customer, because he was never a potential customer to her. 

She ran her hands through his hair, smiling. "Sounds perfect, baby. I'll just check inventory in the back just to make sure we haven't completely run out of everything, and if we have, we can pick it up in the morning." She parted from him, turning around and walking around the bar. A chill went down Lily's back. She rolled her shoulders, but she felt like something was off. Maybe it was the fact that they were closing without doing anything, but Lily had such a weird feeling. She didn't have it often. It was good that they two of them were leaving only in a few minutes, because she couldn't stand to stay any longer. 

Her heels clicked as she walked into the back room. It was almost completely dark. She sighed and walked to turn on a lightswitch. Before she could, she felt someone come up behind her. At first, she thought it was Vican and she smiled for a brief moment. But she quickly realized that it wasn't him when a knife was brought to her neck. "F*ck," she whispered. The blade was cold against her skin. She hadn't realized that people got in. She bit her lip, hoping Vican wasn't in trouble. 

The light was turned on. Two men were in front of her now, one being the man that she tried to kill. Three men against her? It was impossible. She was tiny, possibly to the point where they could snap her if they tried. Move or do anything tricky and I'll kill you myself. The man said. You were hard to track down. Hiding with your boyfriend? Cute. It's funny how you tried to kill me when you know you couldn't win. Just like your brother. He smiled. She wanted to do something. She wanted to kill him. God, how had she been so stupid? She needed to warn him, no matter what the cost. "VICA--" She yelled, but the man behind her covered her mouth. What had she done? The man behind her put the knife closer to her neck, the blade breaking the skin on her neck ever so slightly.

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WORD COUNT: 627
TAG: Vican Vesuvius

Lily had never been so scared for her life. Even when she almost died that night, it would've just been her. But now, Vican was dragged into this. Why didn't she see this coming? She didn't know where Vican was or if there were other people, but she didn't want them to hurt him. She would do anything for them to leave him alone. He had been so good to her. This was how she repaid him, by luring dangerous men to probably kill Vican. She hated herself. She should've never have tried to f*ck with them that night. She was the worst person right now, and she had no idea what to do. She was a stripper with no combat experience except her fighting words. God, how could have she been so stupid? She was in a position of nothing right now, with the slightest stream of blood running down her neck.

When she caught a glimpse of Vican walking into the room, she held her breath. He should've just run away. If they took her and didn't hurt him, she would be okay with that. If she died in a few minutes in an alleyway where Vican was alive and safe, she would prefer that over him dying to help her. That was the last thing she wanted to do. Tears streamed down her face as she watched him standing there. Lily's eyes looked down at Vican, seeing that he had a gun in his hand and a couple more weapons on his waist. She looked back up at him. Don't risk your life, she wanted to say, but she couldn't say anything with the man's hand over her mouth. 

"Leave. You won't get hurt and your bar will be perfectly fine. We won't bother you anymore. But try something, and we'll slit her throat right here, burn down your bar, and make your life hell. We know where you sleep, where you work, and where you walk every day. Trust me, this b*tch isn't worth it." The man with the scar said. He nodded towards her as the other guy took his hand off of her mouth. There was no need to suppress her voice anymore when they were all in the room together. "Please Vican, leave. I'll be fine, alright?" She said, shaking. She knew she wouldn't be fine, but she said it anyways. She was practically begging to him. The last man had a gun trained on Vican. They were in an awful situation. She was a fighter, and she would try to get away from them when she had the chance. Now though? She didn't want Vican to get hurt. But there was nothing else she could do. Unless...

Lily knew that she had to be stupid to do something about this situation. She had to try, even though she was terrified. Maybe she would die with this, but she knew that they wouldn't stop even if Vican did leave now. They probably still would've killed him since he was a loose end. Lily then locked eyes with him, trying to speak with him through just a look. She wanted to tell him to be ready. God, she hated this. She hated that they were both in this position, but there was nothing else to be done. With her heel, she kicked the back of her leg up in between the man's legs. Within that free half second, she grabbed his arm and moved it away from her neck, falling to the side and getting cut on her cheek from the knife. This would be Vican's one chance. She backed away deeper into the storage area, staying on the floor and not having the energy to get back up.

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WORD COUNT: 631
TAG: Vican Vesuvius

Lily couldn't keep her eyes off the scene. She watched Vican in guilt, wishing that she never brought him into the situation. This was her fault. She could have prevented it. She could have saved him. She could have helped him. Laying there. Short of breath. Watching the seconds go by like minutes. She was an awful person. She hated her life. She hated her brother for doing this to her. She hated her parents for dying. She hated her family for leaving her alone. Vican. Cullen. Mom. Dad. Man with scar. Blood running down her neck. Blood running down her cheek. Words everywhere. Short of breath. 

Gun shot. Gun shot. Gun shot. Gun shot. 

Several rang through her ears. It was like she was with there with her brother when he died. She never watched him die, but she watched him get buried. Lily could only imagine that this was the exact situation, where Cullen was outnumbered by the blonde man with a scar and the others while they watched him bleed on the ground. She wondered how many people Cullen shot and killed to get him killed himself. And now, she wondered is Vican had ever done the same or if this was his first time killing someone. He did it for her. She made him kill all because she tried to get revenge. It was her fault. 

One of the men was coming towards her. The blonde man with the scar. He wanted to kill her. But she watched Vican get to him before he could get to her, kicking him over and over again. He deserved it, yes, but she didn't know how to react. She just laid there in shock, facing the scene herself. She could've gotten up to help. Lily might have been able to take the man with her heel, but she was too in shock to do anything. She felt like, if she moved her body in the slightest now, she might pass out. She heard another gunshot. One into his head. 

It was over. Everything was over. It was okay now. But something else rang through her ears and she saw Vican fall to the floor. Before she could say anything, she saw him still crawling towards her. She couldn't see any blood on his body except some of it splattered on his clothes. He must have just got shot in the leg. Still, she was scared to death. She finally broke her still position and moved towards him. 

"Sh*t, Vican..." she said, holding him in her arms. It was the first time he'd seen her cry. It was the first time she had cried in a very long time. She wished she could stop. "We need to call an ambulance and explain everything. I might go to jail, but I don't care as long as you get the treatment you need." Everything was racing around in her head. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't think straight, but maybe this was her thinking straight. "I'm so so sorry. This is all my fault. You almost died and I basically f*cked you over again. I can't do anything f*cking right."

---

WORD COUNT:537
TAG: Vican Vesuvius

Lily wanted to run away from everything. Normally, she faced whatever was thrown at her. It was easy. But this? She had hurt Vican beyond imaginable. He was so shaken up in her arms. Her guilt was so high to the point that she wished she never met Vican. He had a great life before her. He had a bar, his apartment to himself, and he wasn't dealing with Lily's stupidity. Since the moment they first met, she was a great big mess. She had been such a handful, and she wondered why Vican even cared for her. She was a hot mess, but maybe that was just it. Maybe she was just attractive and nothing else. Right now, that didn't matter. What mattered was getting Vican to the nearest hospital. 

She listened to him speak, practically begging for her not to tell the police the truth. Lily nodded, holding him there while her thoughts were going a million miles a minute. She was there with him now, just as she should be. He was so shaken up. She could feel his heart beating against her chest. If it wasn't for him, she would have died a month ago. He gave her a place to stay, healed her, and cared for her more than anyone cared for her in her life. He had such a weight of protecting her to the point where Lily felt awful about herself. She had never experienced anything like this before. Right now, she just had to hold Vican and call the Peacekeepers.

"Okay Vican," she whispered to him, still holding on to him for a few more seconds and supporting his weight. She then let go, standing up and seeing the dead bodies in front of her. Three. There was blood everywhere, most likely staining the floor and everything around it. She was frozen for a minute. It was over, yes, but there were dead bodies in her way. The phone was behind the bar. She thought she might pass out, but she used the shelves next to her to support her weight. One step at a time, she told herself, and did just that.

When she stepped out to the main room, she could see the trail of blood her heels were leaving. She had to keep going. She looked farther to see a few more dead bodies. Had Vican killed them too? A shiver went down her spine as she turned away from them. She walked behind the bar, grabbing the phone and picking it up. She dialed the number. 

"There's been a break in at the bar off of 12th and Merchant. I'm...I'm not sure how many people broke in, but the owner was shot and defended himself. Please, come as soon as you can." Lily said, hanging up the phone quickly. She took off her heels. All she wanted to do was help him, and she knew that the best way to help him was to leave him. She was a piece of sh*t. None of this would have happened if it wasn't for Lily coming into his life. She grabbed a paper towel off of the rack and cleaned up the blood on her neck and the blood on her cheek. It would only be a couple minutes now until they came. She walked silently on the blood and gasoline soaked floor. She walked to the door that lead out to the back alley. There was no going back. There was no other way to help Vican. Without looking back, she opened the door and ran out, her bare feet being stung by the small rocks as she kept running. She was so sorry for what she did to him, but she was even more sorry that she met him in the first place. He would probably hate her after the whole ordeal, but that was a risk she was willing to take.

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WORD COUNT: 655
TAG: Vican Vesuvius
NOTES: Lily leaves the thread, I guess lol