The cab ride back to Weiss' place was almost unbearably silent. Val and Weiss sat on opposite sides of the car, the empty seat between them feeling more like a wall. Weiss barely glanced at Val the entire time, instead staring out the window, lost in thought. Every time Val tried to start up a conversation, Weiss would simply shut it down and refuse to engage further, which left Val to stew in her own silence as well.
Is she mad at me? I kinda imposed on her by asking to come stay at her place.
But Weiss didn't seem angry or annoyed. She just seemed melancholy in an uncertain, inexpressible sense.
Maybe it's Patti? They seemed really close. It must be hitting her pretty hard if they broke up.
Val fiddled with the hem of her skirt.
What could have driven them apart? I barely knew Patti, but they seemed like such good friends at the munch.
She looked over at Weiss.
Yeah... real close. Maybe close enough that Patti knew about this Blanc stuff.
A lightbulb went off in Val's head.
Maybe she did know. I mean, Blanc managed to get into all those homes and businesses and stuff; she couldn't have done it without help. But... does that mean Patti knew about me?
She thought back to when she met Patti.
She never gave any hints that she knew who I was. She just thought of me as someone Weiss dropped by accident. But Weiss didn't really hint that she knew me either when I met her at her class. Did she?
She ran and re-ran her memories over and over; when she met Weiss at the Pink Mansion, she was sure that Weiss knew who Val was. But, now that she looked back, all her evidence seemed less certain. Weiss flirted with her, but was that because she knew Val was Violet Angel? Or did she just think Val was cute? And when Val accidentally called her "Madame," she seemed surprised. Confused, even.
But even as her own mind cast doubts on her certainty, Val still felt absolutely sure that Weiss knew her secret identity. There was something that kept nagging her, some piece of evidence that seemed just out of reach. Somehow, Weiss had revealed beyond a shadow of a doubt that she knew all about Val's secret, but Val couldn't place when or where that had happened. She just felt it, deep in her bones.
Her mind turned to last night. The blank spot in her memory.
A voice in the back of her head kept telling her not to worry about it, that nothing bad could have happened, that everything was fine. The more she struggled to remember, the louder that voice became, until it drowned out everything else. It began to feel artificial, not a self-assurance but instead a barrier holding her back from discovering something she wasn't meant to discover.
Val felt a hand touch her own. She looked down and saw Weiss' hand holding hers, their fingers lightly intertwined.
Val's blood ran cold.
There's no way... it couldn't have been her... I just... blacked out. Happens to everyone.
But the more she thought about it, the more sense it made. Weiss had already done things to Val without her knowing it; the nude selfie in her camera roll was proof of that. And she knew hypnosis could erase or suppress memories, since none of Blanc's victims could remember anything she did to them.
But she wouldn't do that to me, would she? She...
Weiss' hand squeezed Val's.
...does she love me? We've only known each other for a couple weeks. Can you really say whether you love someone from that length of time?
The cab rolled to a stop. "Alright, girls," the driver said, "end of the line."
Val and Weiss got out of the car and stood on the sidewalk. Weiss reached in through the passenger-side window and handed the driver some cash. He looked at it and whistled. "Dunno if I have enough change for this, ma'am."
"Just keep it," Weiss said. "My treat."
"Whatever you say." The driver pulled up the window and drove off.
Val looked at Weiss quizzically. "What did you hand him?"
Weiss shrugged. "Might've been a hundred."
"And you're just fine with handing out Benjamins?"
"Trust me, Val, money's not an issue." Weiss walked over to Val and put her arm around her shoulder.
Val froze. "I, uh..."
"What is it?"
"...It's nothing."
Weiss pulled her arm away. "No, really. Tell me."
"It's kinda stupid, honestly."
"But I want to hear it."
Val sighed. "So what... are we? Like, as a couple?"
Weiss pondered for a moment. "Well, we just went on a date, didn't we? So I believe that would make us girlfriends."
"And... what's Patti to you?"
"She's..." Weiss' breath hitched. "...someone I hope I can patch things up with someday."
"Do you love her?"
"Val, what's gotten into you? I thought you had a good time, I thought you enjoyed what we did back at the theater."
"I did, but... I don't know something about 'us' just feels wrong to me. Like you only hang around me for the kinky stuff."
"What are you talking about?" Weiss looked almost offended. "What would make you think like that?"
"Because barely know each other, and..." Val looked down at the floor. "When we went to the movie, it was like you were just tolerating me. Like you didn't really want to be there, but you were doing it just so I'd stick around. I feel like I'm dragging you into a relationship you don't really want."
"That's not it at all." Weiss reached out and embraced Val. "I do want this, Val. I want to be with you right now."
"Right now?" Val pulled away, staring at Weiss with pain in her eyes. "Would you be saying that if Patti hadn't..."
She trailed off, but Weiss knew exactly what Val was going to say. "I don't know," she sighed. "But I do know that I want you to spend the night, and I want to try and make things work. Because you're cute, and fun to play with, and I like you."
Are those the only reasons?
Val sighed.
I want to just confront her about all of this Blanc stuff. But what if she doesn't know I'm Violet Angel? I can't risk outing myself unless I'm absolutely positive, and a gut feeling isn't enough.
"Okay."
Weiss raised an eyebrow. "...'Okay?'"
"I'll stay here tonight. It was my idea anyway, right? Then we'll see how we both feel in the morning."
"Alright." Weiss smiled. "Thank you, Valerie."
* * *
The interior of the bar was exactly as Val remembered it. Same blue walls, same dilapidated booths, same musty old smell. It was barren and run-down now, but Val could imagine how it used to be. The whole room crowded with regulars, all watching a football game. Some fresh-faced guy with a guitar on stage, trying in vain to get people to notice him. It was probably a cozy little hole-in-the-wall at some point.
Now, though, it felt cold. Val had no idea how long Weiss had been living here, but she clearly hadn't done much to make it feel like a home yet. Aside from the fact that the lights were on and the small collection of liquor bottles on the back shelf, the place still looked abandoned. Most of it hadn't even been dusted yet.
"As much as I like this little ruin," Weiss said, as if reading Val's mind, "I think the upstairs is much nicer."
"Upstairs?" Val asked. "You mean..."
"Well, you didn't think we'd sleep on the floor, did you?"
Val smiled mischievously. "Gosh, only our first date and you're already bringing me to the bedroom?"
"Second date. I'm counting that time I made your brains leak out of your cunt."
"Th-That's not a date!" Val blushed.