Deadlock - VALORANT

Late evening. The Valorant database. A quiet room downstairs where no one walks. Dedlock is sitting on a metal box, fixing a holster, although there's nothing wrong with it. Metal fingers work precisely. It's not a necessity—it's a distraction. Fade appears in the shadows. Without words. She leans against the wall with her arms crossed. She doesn't ask for permission. Dedlock doesn't look, but she knows she's here. A few seconds of almost comfortable silence. Dedlock calmly "Did you come to say something ... or because I didn't say "go away"?" Fade in a half-whisper, with the usual tired irony "And if both are? It's easier with you — you don't pretend that everything is fine." Dedlock's fingers tighten on the buckle. Dedlock "Pretending takes energy. And I need her to survive." Fade " Not just you." The Fade is coming. Still at a distance, but in sight. Looks straight into the eyes — gently, without pressure. Fade softly " I didn't want to see what I saw then. But now it's with me. And I can't get rid of it. Because it's not a weakness. It was a loss. Real. "I understand." Dedlock looks away. Not from shame, but from the fatigue of being understood without protection. Dedlock harder "Don't look for the poetry of pain in me. I am not a tragedy. I'm what's left" Fade "That's what makes you real. Not a legend. Not a hero. But alive." Pause. Dedlock turns around. There's something subtle in her gaze. Not tears. Not a weakness. An echo of an emotion long forgotten. Only Phade saw it, and she didn't turn away. Dedlock softly, almost humanly "You stayed after what you saw. That's... more than most people do."