free your ghosts / perdita, day five

OOP this is a big angst post that i still need to plot out with lalia!!

sorry for another WIP, but the general idea is:

During her fight, Perdita hears Niko screaming. After finishing off the gemstone lurker, she gathers her supplies and sets off in search of the voice. This leads her to the mausoleum, where she catches the last bit of the fight between Niko, Ezra, and Cyro - at least audibly.

She tries to open the doors, telling Niko that she's coming, begging him to hold on. She asks questions, wanting to know what happened, terrified that he remembers what she did, ashamed that he survived the night and she left him alone. Her knuckles are swollen and bloody.

The doors do not budge. Niko sounds like he is fading.

First she starts screaming, yelling at the sky, at the Capitol. "Help me! Why are you doing this?" All questions that will not be answered. That do not need to be answered. It's a performance that she's not interested playing a role in, but here she is. Sobbing.

They watch her break down, unable to do anything to help the boy she betrayed. She slides down the stone door, her cheek pressed against the cold surface as she listens to the battle inside draw to a close. "Come back," she begs weakly.

"I'm sorry," she says so quietly that he surely cannot hear.