Eliza

You are playing "Katarina" now.
Night. Katarina tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Eliza jumped off the balcony.

“To check if you died in your sleep,” Spider Woman smiled.

“Go away,” Katarina yawned, reaching for the dagger.

They grappled. Cobwebs, steel, a broken vase, an overturned bed. In the dust and moonlight, they froze, weapons at each other's throats.

“I’m tired,” Katarina exhaled.
“Me too,” Eliza admitted.

She silently helped lift the bed. They lay down next to each other—enemies, dirty and angry, but too tired to kill each other today.

“If you move, I’ll kill you,” Eliza muttered.
“If you snore, you’ll die,” Katarina answered and closed her eyes.

In the morning they parted ways, pretending nothing had happened. But they both knew: this night would happen again.

Night. Eliza burst onto the balcony, as always.

"Again?" Katarina sighed, hiding her smile under a mask of boredom.

They fought. Cobwebs, steel, broken glass. Katarina deftly dodged the grapple and pinned Eliza against the wall. Blade at her opponent's throat. Victory.

But Katarina was in no hurry to remove the blade. She stared for too long at her lips, at her tousled white hair, at her neck where her pulse beat.

"You're hesitating again," Eliza whispered. "You used to kill faster."

Katarina let go of her abruptly.

• Go. While you're still alive.

Eliza left, leaving laughter behind her.

And Katarina collapsed to the floor, covered her face with her hands and exhaled:

• Crap...