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In Piltover, the City of Progress, anyone could reach success and glory, and Caitlyn Kiramman had dreams of changing the world. It was easy to begin; she was from a wealthy family (the original bunny settlers, in fact) with a hand in every business, including but not limited to, the police force. She’d weighed her options: take the job her parents offered her, or go to the academy with one chance to impress. Despite her lineage, bunny officers were still few and far between, mostly relegated to desk duty or meter maids so they were out of the way. She knew her best bet, unfortunately, and with a resigned sigh Caitlyn accepted her mother’s offer of a job, one that would no doubt have her prancing around in a glorified security uniform.
On her first day, bright eyed and bushy tailed, her fears were realized. “Parking duty,” Marcus said, dismissing her with a wave. “Perfect job for a Kiramman.” He let the connotation hang in the air. She stayed tight-lipped, pointedly ignoring his triumphant smirk. Caitlyn walked out with her shoulders by her jaw, cursing the chief’s complacency with her mother. She could realistically see the years slipping by her as she did nothing but print tickets and sit at speed traps. It was a harrowing future.
Another bunny sat at the front desk, balancing a pencil on his nose. Caitlyn cleared her throat, and the pencil hit the floor. “Oh, Kiramman. Here for your equipment?” She nodded once. He pulled out a dusty box with the garish vest. “Ah, I remember my meter maid days.” He leaned in close to her. “Between you and me, the desk job is far more entertaining than parking duty.”
“I know,” she said glumly, shoulder’s slumping. “I thought my mother forced them to put me here, but Marcus looked way too happy about giving me my assignment.” He tsked, shaking his head sadly.
“Well, at least you’ll be safe.” He tossed her the vest and the old ticket machine. “Good luck out there, Kiramman.”
She sighed. “Thank you- What was your name?”
He pointed to his nametag with the crudely stuck on label. “Jayce Talis. Let me know if you need anything else.” She waved and turned on her heel. “Oh, one more thing!” Jayce was out of his seat, rummaging through a box on the shelf behind him. “The keys to your ride.” He threw them to her. “Don’t go tearing up our streets.”
She laughed. “No need to worry. I’ll be extra safe.” The parking lot was virtually empty, except for a poorly-maintained golf cart. The pit in her stomach opened. “Dear god.” Hesitantly, she stepped in, praying the keys wouldn’t work (stupid, but a girl can dream). It sputtered to life, coughing out exhaust. She banged her head on the horn in protest. A cackle sounded from the building’s entrance, and she saw Jayce doubled over in hysterics. “Ha ha,” she yelled, hitting the gas and peeling out of the lot.
“Stupid, stupid men,” she grumbled. The cart puttered along the even roads towards the city center. Piltover was built around its academy, effectively making the heart of the city a self-contained economy. The only cars were at the fringes of the campus, where the only faults were lapsed parking passes and expired license plates. Parking duty was a slap in the face, not just because she was a bunny, but because it was a waste of time. Any ticket she gave would be waived for the academy students anyway.
She leaned down in her seat, tapping the wheel mindlessly as her eyes glazed over. She’d long since gotten over the grandiose structures and gleaming landscape of Piltover. She parked near the entrance to the academy, the engine choking as it died down. Everyone looked pristine and put together, no stray hairs or clothing out of place. It was, frankly, a boring scene. Except for a single woman, a fox with hyperactive hands. She paced around the entrance, seemingly gearing herself up to walk in. She clearly wasn’t from around here.
“Are you lost?” Caitlyn called out. She stepped onto the sidewalk, swiftly making her way towards the girl. She noticed immediately that she stood a few inches taller. It was a small victory.
The fox looked her over, gaze dragging like a razor over her skin. She shivered. “I do need some help. Do you know if the academy is open right now?”
Caitlyn gave her a perplexed look. “The academy grounds are always open to the public. But if you want to get into a building, you need permission from an official.” The girl’s eyes honed in on her badge.
“An official, like you?”
Caitlyn smiled, just a small tilt of her lips. “No. You’d need a professor or admin to escort you.”
The girl sighed dramatically. “Such a bummer.” She sidled up to Cait. “They asked me to come for possible admission, but no one actually came out to greet me. I should’ve known it was too good to be true.” She touched the gate with the tips of her fingers, a dejected look on her face. “When was the last time they let in a student from the Undercity?”
Cait felt a camaraderie, suddenly. Underestimated, overlooked. They shared that. “Well, I can at least get you into a building,” Caitlyn announced. The girl lit up. “There’s a few perks to having your mother as a councilor.” Cait winked at her. “Come on.”
The girl grabbed her hand as they walked together, a new bounce in her step. “Thank you,” she gushed. “My family will be so proud.”
Caitlyn smiled. “I know a little about wanting to make your family proud.” She grabbed the first student she saw. “Do you know where Professor Heimerdinger is? One of the prospective students got lost.”
“He’s in the biomedical lab, I think.”
“Could you let us in? Councilor Kiramman wanted her escorted.” Surprise dawned on the student’s face, a small recognition when their eyes flicked up to her ears.
“Ah, sure Caitlyn. It’s this way.”
She wasn’t sure how to feel about that. It nagged at her nerves. But this girl needed help, so she could deal with being Caitlyn Kiramman, councilor’s daughter. The student set a brisk pace. “We’re here,” they said, swiping their I.D. at the door. With a satisfactory nod, they walked off.
Caitlyn turned to the girl, who still had a grip on her. She bowed with a flourish, pressing a kiss to the top of Cait’s hand. “Thank you, Caitlyn. It was a pleasure to meet you.” If Cait flushed a little, it was totally out of embarrassment. “I’m Vi, by the way. Come find me sometime. I’ll be looking out for you, cupcake.”
The fur on her ears bristled, and her tail twitched excessively. She covered it with her hands. “Maybe I will, Vi. Good luck with the professor.” Vi winked, walking backwards until she turned the corner. Caitlyn melted, before noticing what she was doing and straightening up. She cleared her throat and walked off, back towards the rusted frame and deteriorating seating of the golf cart.
She got about a hundred feet away before Vi came waltzing back out, a piece of paper in her hand. “Vi, what happened?” she asked, mind already racing through every bad possibility. Maybe she couldn’t find the office and someone kicked her out because she didn’t have an I.D. Maybe she’d already botched her interview. Maybe she wanted to see Caitlyn again and forgot to give her a phone number.
“Oh, nothing bad, cupcake. I just needed Heimer’s seal. You know, he keeps it so readily available on everything. All I had to do was tell him that the councilor’s daughter needed access to a few buildings, and boom!” She laughed. “Like taking candy from a baby.”
Caitlyn was truly flabbergasted. “What? You did all that so you could… go into the buildings?”
Vi looked at her. “Well, yeah. How else am I gonna get the full Piltover experience if I don’t see the inside?”
“That’s illegal, Vi!” She sputtered out. “You can’t lie to a council member.”
“I didn’t lie.” Vi touched her index fingers to each other and moved them apart. “I was stretching the truth.”
Caitlyn fumed. “Except, I don’t need access to any buildings! That’s lying.”
“Come on, cupcake. A little white lie isn’t illegal. You can’t take me in for that, I haven’t done anything wrong.” Vi skipped ahead, then stopped. She tilted her head. “Mm, I knew you’d be a good target. Sly fox, dumb bunny.” She raced away, paper flapping in the wind.