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In hindsight, perhaps breaking into a magistrate’s office in broad daylight wasn’t Vi brightest idea.
The Noxian soldiers chasing them are hot on their heels, all of them big and ugly and incredibly willing – no, eager – to send a sword through their gut. Vi risks a glance back and makes eye contact with one particularly brutish man, the glare on his square face deepening as he catches her looking.
Vi quickly looks forward again and forces herself to run faster.
“Powder,” she calls out. “I am going to kill your girlfriend!”
“It’s not her fault she got the times wrong!” Powder gasps out to her left. “She said her source was trustworthy!”
Vi leans to the left just as a knife whizzes past her head, barely nicking her ear. “Well obviously she was wrong!”
The operation should have been simple. Lux’s source had told them what times the magistrate’s office would be empty and clear of any guards, and they’d timed their arrival accordingly. When they found no guards posted outside, Vi had figured they were in luck. Ten seconds later when she’d opened the door to find a shocked magistrate sitting behind his desk, she’d been distinctly reminded why she never relied on luck too much.
“Don’t pretend you’ve never trusted a bad source before,” Powder snaps back at her. Vi turns her head to glare at her.
“Yeah, but at least none of my bad sources ever made us-”
“Can you two please focus less on bickering,” Caitlyn cuts in from Vi’s right, “and instead focus on getting us out of this mess!”
To punctuate her words, Caitlyn pulls out the knife strapped to her thigh and uses it to cut the restraints holding a bundle of barrels together as she runs by. The barrels topple easily, rolling and bouncing into the soldiers behind them. Vi glances back and sees a good few of them stumble and trip over the sudden obstacles, but not all of them. Her mind races to think of a plan.
“Here’s what we do,” she says. You two head back to the ship, make sure the crew is ready to set sail.” She hoists the small chest in her hands, getting a better grip on it. “I’ll loop around, buy us some time.”
Protests immediately burst from either side of her.
“That’s the dumbest shit I ever heard!”
“Absolutely not! We’re not leaving you!”
“This isn’t up for debate!” Vi snaps. They’re coming up on a fork in the road. Now was their chance. “Get the ship moving, and I’ll meet you there. I’ll be fine!”
A glance to her left and right shows that while they’re still not pleased with the plan, but Powder and Caitlyn’s protests cease. Vi gestures for them to go left at the fork and they do, leaving her alone to run down the street to the right. Just as she’d suspected, the soldiers follow her; concerned more on the chest in her hands than on following two stray pirates.
Now that Vi’s alone, she starts weaving through narrower paths, slipping through crowded streets, trying her best to lose the soldiers on her tail. At one point she ducks inside an open doorway, only to find herself face to face with a very startled nun. After bowing and awkwardly trying to cross herself with her occupied hands, Vi backs out of the chapel and starts heading toward the docks.
By the time she sees water, there are only three soldiers following her. Vi cranes her neck to look past the ships currently docked and eventually makes out the red sails of the Gauntlet... red sails currently flapping in the wind as the ship slowly but surely makes it way toward the end of the docks.
And now is when Vi realizes how flawed her hasty plan was. Because now she has to figure out how to get herself onto her ship – her moving ship that is no longer connected to the harbor.
“Shit,” Vi says to herself. She frantically looks around for something to jump from and finds nothing. “Shit.”
More soldiers burst out of the alleyway to her right, which doesn’t help Vi’s situation in the slightest. One man gets within arm’s reach of her and she blindly swings back with the chest, connecting with a sickening crunch. The man swears and falls away, giving Vi more room to think. She looks and looks and looks and- there!
She sets her sights on some rigging set up at the end of the docks, pulleys and levers used for unloading cargo. As Vi approaches, she sends a prayer up to the heavens, hoping that she didn’t lose that right by accidentally stumbling into that church earlier, and frees a hand to pull out her sword.
“Janna, help me,” she mutters, gripping the rigging with the hand the chest is in, then brings her sword down to cut the rope.
It almost works too well.
Vi’s yelp gets caught in her throat as she’s launched into the air, flying up in the direction of the Gauntlet. She hears a cry of “open fire” and suddenly bullets are zipping past her head, catching the end of jacket as her trajectory starts going down, sending her plummeting right to the deck. Vi has just enough instinct to tuck and roll as she hits, easing the impact of her landing enough for her legs not to shatter beneath her. Still, she chooses to lay on the deck for a minute, catching her breath as her crew gathers around her.
Caitlyn is the first to reach her side. “Vi?” she says, kneeling beside her. “Are you alright?”
“Just peachy, poppet.” Vi pushes herself to sit up with a grunt, and Caitlyn puts a hand on her back to help her. She sits there for a moment, getting her bearings back, before reaching up to pat her head. “Where’s my hat?”
“Right here, Cap’n!” Mylo pipes up, holding out the hat that had miraculously not landed in the water during her impromptu flight. “And I must say, that was some impressive flying you did. Almost could’ve sworn you were a bird there for a minute.”
Vi stands with another grunt, snatching her hat from Mylo’s hand and brushing it off before plopping it on her head. “Flying that shouldn’t have been necessary. Now, where is Lux? I need something to yell at.”
A squeak from behind her reveals the girl’s whereabouts, and Vi catches a glimpse of blonde hair just as it ducks behind Powder, who holds up her hands placatingly. “Now, now, sis. Let’s not go turning on our own kind, yeah? We got what we came here for, even if we ran into some… complications.”
“Complications,” Vi grumbles, eyes narrowing. “Where did you say your source was from again, Lux?”
Lux peeks out from behind Powder’s shoulder, regret in her blue eyes. “Bilgewater. Outside Mungie’s.”
Vi closes her eyes. “You met him outside of a bar?” she asks, exasperated. “How drunk was this guy?”
It takes Lux a moment to respond. “I’d rather not say, sir.”
Vi sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. “You know what, it’s my fault for not asking in the first place. Just, you-” she points at Powder- “keep her out of my sight for a bit. Until I forget how annoyed I am.”
Powder gives her a mock salute and shuffles off with her girlfriend in tow, while Vi spins to face the rest of the group. Her eyes land on Caitlyn, who has poorly hidden amusement on her face. Vi feels her shoulders relax ever so slightly.
“You still have the key?” she asks. Caitlyn nods, slipping a hand into her pocket and producing the key she’d swiped off the magistrate’s desk as they’d made their escape. She passes it to Vi, and Vi moves to kneel in front of the chest.
The crew leans in behind her in anticipation as the key slides into the keyhole, all of them holding their breaths to see what kind of treasure Vi risked her life for.
The lock clicks. Vi lifts the top of the chest, takes a peek inside and-
Gods damnit.
Vi pulls one of the items out of the chest, the material both stiff and silky in her hands.
“The fuck is that?” a voice – sounds like Deckard’s – calls out.
Caitlyn is the one to answer him. “A corset,” she grumbles, staring at it in distaste.
Vi digs through the rest of the chest, hoping to find something hidden within, but only finds about a half dozen other corsets similar to the first one.
Mylo peeks over her shoulder. “Are they… valuable corsets?”
With a sigh, Vi stands. “Ekko!” she calls, and her second mate appears at her side.
“Yeah, cap?”
“Set course for Bilgewater,” Vi tells him, shoving a corset into Mylo’s chest, who holds it like it might explode. Ekko nods and rushes off to the helm while the rest of the crew stares at Vi expectantly. “Man your stations,” she tells them dismissively, and there’s a frenzy of movement as they all hurry off as well.
Vi stalks up the stairs to the upper deck, disappointment sitting heavy in her gut. She feels a presence following closely behind her and doesn’t even have to wonder who it is.
“You seem troubled,” Caitlyn says, leaning back against the railing next to Vi as she comes to a stop.
Vi tries for a casual shrug. “It’s been a while since we’ve struck a big loot,” she says, avoiding eye contact. “Was hoping today would change that, is all.”
Caitlyn studies her with a quizzical brow. “Yes, but it’s not as though we’re hurting for funds at the moment,” she says. “Yet you seem extra concerned with gathering valuables lately.”
“I’m a pirate,” Vi tells her with a showy smirk. “We like shiny things, you know? That’s kind of our whole thing.”
“Along with pillaging, drinking, and seducing naive young women, you mean?” Caitlyn quips teasingly.
The smile on Vi’s face relaxes into something more genuine, and she lets her gaze travel languidly up and down the length of Caitlyn’s body, taking in long legs, a narrow waist, the hint of cleavage peeking out from her loose shirt.
“Why, of course,” Vi murmurs, moving to box Caitlyn in with a hand on the railing on either side of her hips. Caitlyn has a smirk on her own face as her hands come to rest on Vi’s shoulders, fingers playing with the hairs at the back of her neck.
It’s in moments like these that Vi can fully appreciate the changes that have come over Caitlyn in the months since she’s joined their crew. Some are physically obvious, like the tanned glow of her skin from hours in the sun or the toned muscles of her arms from hauling ropes and training with a sword, but most are much more subtle: the swagger of her walk, the relaxed slouch of her shoulders, the gleam in her eye while staring out at the sea.
The woman that stands before Vi today is a far cry from the woman who glared at her from her cell in the brig. This woman is sharp and cunning and confident. A true pirate.
And unfortunately, this woman also knows when Vi isn’t being completely truthful.
Caitlyn’s expression melts into something more serious, more sincere. One of the hands on the back of her neck shifts to gently tug at the earring dangling from her left ear, making sure Vi is paying attention to her. “You don’t have to tell me now, but I can tell something is bothering you,” Caitlyn tells her softly. “Just… whenever you’re ready to talk, I’m ready to listen.”
Vi smiles gratefully, moving her hands to squeeze lightly at Caitlyn’s hips in gratitude. “Thank you,” she says sincerely.
They stand there with each other for a few moments, enjoying the peace amongst the bustling of the crew around them, until eventually Vi clears her throat.
“So, I know it wasn’t what I was expecting,” Vi says, fingers tracing circles into Caitlyn’s side. “But it would be a shame if we just let those corsets go to waste…” She trails off, eyes dipping meaningfully to the cleavage she’d been admiring earlier.
Caitlyn snorts. “You pirates,” she says, bemused. “So incorrigible.”
Vi wiggles her eyebrows at her. “So you’ll put one on?”
Caitlyn leans in to give her a deep, toe-curling kiss. When she pulls away, Vi’s eyes are slow to open. “Never in a million years will I wear another one of those bloody devices,” Caitlyn whispers, then slips out of Vi’s arms with a wink, leaving Vi pouting.
“Never?” Vi calls after Caitlyn’s retreating back. Caitlyn laughs and shakes her head as she heads down the stairs. Vi hurries after her, not ready to let the matter drop quite yet. “But what about on my birthday!”
The Gauntlet continues sailing on its way, putting more and more distance between it and the Noxian coast. Back on the docks, a man watches the ship grow smaller and smaller, lips pursed and gaze calculating.
“You’re certain?”
The fortress walls lining the Piltovan coast are tall, sturdy, and extensive. Imposing, some might say; intimidating upon first sight if you weren’t particularly a friend of the state. And while Marcus wouldn’t claim those descriptors as inaccurate, the word that always came to mind when he saw the looming structure was grand.
As a boy, he’d grown up in the shadow of Piltover’s might, its power. Now he has the privilege of enjoying the view from the top of the great fortress’s walls, wind in his face as he stares out across the sea, seagulls squawking and circling mindlessly overhead. Which is precisely where he’s told the news.
Marcus doesn’t turn to address the officer – Carter, a new recruit – beside him, waiting for his confirmation.
Out of the corner of his eye, Marcus sees Carter nod his head. “Yes, sir. One of our spies confirmed that Kiramman was seen in Noxus a week ago, travelling with the Dread Pirate V’s crew. Our scouts last reported them heading for Bilgewater.”
Marcus nods his head slowly, mulling the information over. Despite Marcus’s expansive networks of contacts, it had been months since they’d gotten a real lead on the Kiramman girl’s whereabouts. They couldn’t hope to intercept her at Bilgewater, of course – the island was full of pockets and pirate dens that she could no doubt hole up in for weeks, but it was something, at least.
The smallest of smiles tugs at the corners of Marcus’s mouth.
“Finally,” he says.
“Tell me about Vander.”
Powder’s knife sticks into the target on the wall with a crisp thwack. “Not much to know,” the younger girl says, shrugging. “He was a pirate for a long time, retired rich, and now he owns his own tavern.” She glances sidelong at Caitlyn with a curious look. “Why do you ask? Vi not tell you about our old man?”
Caitlyn shakes her head and studies the knife in her hands, twisting the blade absently over her fingertips. “No, she did. But I feel like she’s leaving things out.”
It wasn’t often that Caitlyn and Powder spent time together like this, just the two of them. Almost always they were joined by Vi, or Lux, or even Mylo and Claggor depending on what their duties above deck entailed. But somehow everyone else was busy this afternoon, leaving Caitlyn and Powder to throw knives at the target sloppily painted on the wall of the crew’s sleeping quarters.
“What do you mean?” Powder gets up and moves to collect her knives, pulling each one out of the wall with quick yanks.
“Just…” Caitlyn thinks of how to articulate it. “She’s told me that he’s kind, and tells good jokes, and will do just about anything to protect those he loves, but somehow that doesn’t feel like a complete picture. I mean, he was the most feared pirate on the sea for decades. Surely there must be more I should know. Things that won’t get me-”
“Cut up and pinned to the side of the courthouse?” Powder supplies with a twisted grin.
Caitlyn’s eyes widen. “Well, that’s not exactly what I had in mind, but- gods, is that something he’d actually do?”
Powder laughs. “Nah, that’s not really Vander’s style.” She settles back down in her spot next to Caitlyn on the floor. “At least, not his style anymore. From the sounds of it, he was pretty ruthless when he was up and coming – that’s how he earned his dreaded V reputation, see: when someone owed him money, or got on his bad side, he’d raid their ship and kill the entire crew, then string their captain to the mast with a bloody V carved into their chest and leave the whole thing floating aimlessly until someone found it. You know, as a warning not to fuck with him.”
There’s a wicked gleam in Powder’s eye as she describes the gruesome scene, and Caitlyn is suddenly reminded why she’s always been a bit wary of spending time alone with Vi’s sister.
Caitlyn absorbs this new information, trying to reconcile the man that Powder has described with the depiction of Vander that Vi had created. “So what changed?” she asks.
“Simple.” Powder throws a knife, hitting perfectly in the center of the target. “He became a father.”
Caitlyn can’t help but smile. “You two softened him up.”
Powder nods with a wry grin of her own. “Turned him into a big ‘ol cuddly bear,” she confirms.
Caitlyn takes a turn to throw the knife she’s been fiddling with. It lands a couple inches from Powder’s knife, hilt quivering from the impact. “This is why I wanted to ask you about Vander,” she says after a minute. “Somehow I get the feeling Vi isn’t too keen on me knowing about that side of the man who raised her.”
“I don’t think Vi ever really grasped that side of him herself, to be honest,” Powder replies, flinging a knife that sticks right beside her other one. “She always looked up to Vander, always wanted to be just like him; hell, she was practically his shadow in the years leading up to his retirement. A lot of Vander’s old crew expected her to return to his roots when she took charge, I think. When that didn’t happen, they left, and we made our own crew.”
That comes as somewhat of a surprise to Caitlyn. After months aboard the Gauntlet, Caitlyn was no stranger to ship and town raids. She’d watched Vi cut down rival pirates and navy officers without blinking, burn and sink ships while raising a bottle victoriously. Anyone looking could clearly see: Vi was a pirate, through and through.
But perhaps not the coldhearted one she claimed to be.
Caitlyn had never considered that Vi could be more ruthless, more bloodthirsty. This being her first experience as part of a pirate crew, Caitlyn had just assumed this was how all pirates functioned. She never thought that there might be a line that Vi refused to cross.
But then Caitlyn thinks of all the stories of the Dread Pirate V that she’d heard growing up. How the Dread Pirate V never took prisoners, never gave second chances, and always, always attacked when there was an opportunity to do so. Throughout Caitlyn’s time with Captain Vi, however, she’s witnessed multiple accounts of what she would dare call mercy, which didn’t exactly line up with the legends.
“Interesting,” Caitlyn murmurs, almost to herself. Before she can ask Powder any more questions, the object of her musings appears around the corner.
Vi’s eyes flick between Caitlyn and Powder as if she’s not sure what to make of their being together. “We’re making port,” she eventually says. “Coming up on Bilgewater now.”
Caitlyn pushes herself to her feet, accepting the hand that Vi helpfully extends to her. As she follows the Captain above deck, she smiles, surveying Vi in a new light.
* * *
Vander, as it turns out, is exactly how Vi described him. He’s warm and naturally charming, and it’s obvious the crew admires him greatly.
What Vi failed to mention was just how large Vander was.
“So, you’re the new flavor of the week, eh?”
Vander’s hand completely engulfs Caitlyn’s as they shake hands in greeting, and Caitlyn actually has to crane her neck up for once to meet his eyes.
“Um…” Caitlyn trails off, not really knowing how to respond. Luckily, Vi saves her from having to do so.
“You trying to make me look bad or something?” Vi grumbles, though Caitlyn can tell she’s not all that upset. Vander sees past her façade, too, apparently, based on the grin that stretches across his face.
“Just letting the young lady know what she’s getting herself into, is all,” Vander says good-naturedly, shooting a wink at Caitlyn. At Vi’s responding eye roll, Caitlyn finds a smile sliding onto her own face.
“I assure you I know full well about Vi’s exploits,” Caitlyn replies smoothly, sending a teasing look in Vi’s direction. When Vi tilts her head in confusion, Caitlyn adds, “Mylo isn’t very good at keeping secrets.”
Vander bursts into a deep, booming laugh while Vi’s face scrunches up in frustration, cursing both the gods and her crew under her breath.
“I like you,” Vander decides, moving to stand between Caitlyn and Vi and placing a big hand on each of their shoulders. “Let me get you a drink, and maybe you can tell me more about my daughter’s exploits, hm?”
*
Two hours and one too many glasses of whiskey later, Caitlyn can say with a surety that she likes Vander. They’ve gained an easy rapport, taking turns teasing Vi and watching her turn various shades of red – not without receiving a good deal of friendly jabs from the Captain in return, of course.
The alcohol and the pleasant company send Caitlyn slouching deeper and deeper into her seat beside Vi as the night goes on. By the time they’ve made their way into a quiet corner of the bar, Caitlyn is feeling the slightest bit sleepy, content to just listen as Vi and Vander’s conversation naturally drifts toward business.
“You have to know something,” Vi is saying, leaning forward in her seat, elbows on the table in front of her. A smile tugs at the corner of her lips. “An old relic like you doesn’t stay around this long without hearing at least a rumor or two.”
Vander strokes his beard thoughtfully. “See, the problem is, my crew chased down most of the leads we got years ago,” he says.
“Most,” Vi points out, “but not all.”
Vander fixes Vi with a look more serious than Caitlyn’s seen all night. “The ones we left alone were left alone for a reason, kiddo,” he says darkly. “They weren’t worth the trouble.”
Vi lifts a shoulder- the way she does when she’s about to challenge something. “You don’t think I’m up for it?”
Vander grunts. “I know you’re up for it,” he says with a vague smile. “That’s what I’m worried about.”
A small, jittery man with round glasses and a receding hairline steps up to the table, fresh tankards in hand, and Vander straightens in his seat, clearing his throat as he smiles politely at the man.
“Thanks, Huck,” he says, accepting one drink and sliding the other to Vi, who hasn’t moved from her hunched position, eyes trained intensely on Vander.
“N-no problem,” Huck says in a quiet, nervous voice. He collects the table’s empty cups with shaky hands and scutters off, leaving them alone once more.
Vi doesn’t touch her drink. “Vander,” she says softly, “please.”
The two stare at each other for a long moment, having a silent conversation that Caitlyn couldn’t decipher if her life depended on it. Still, even in Caitlyn’s inebriated state, she sees the way Vander’s eyes drift in her direction, catches the nearly imperceptible nod of Vi’s head. There’s tension in both of their shoulders, and Vander clenches his jaw right before he releases his tension with a sigh.
“There is one treasure I know of,” he starts begrudgingly. “Heard about it a few years before I retired, never got around to tracking it down.” He stands and moves to the bar, returns with a paper and pen, and begins drawing something as he speaks. “To be honest, I’m not even sure if it’s anything worthwhile. Probably just a dead end.”
“I have to try,” Vi insists. Vander only glances up at her with raised eyebrows before refocusing on his paper, finishing his sketch with a few precise swipes. When he flips it around to show them, both Caitlyn and Vi lean in to get a better look.
To Caitlyn, it looks like nonsense. A few shapes look like they could be an island or perhaps a mountain of some sort, but with Caitlyn’s brain so fuzzy she’d have less luck making sense of maps she’d helped create herself. Vi, however, only looks at it a second before recognition flashes in her eyes.
“I know where that is,” she says with a sure nod. Vander looks almost disappointed by that, but before he can reply, a loud crash sounds from the other side of the bar, where most of the crew has been hanging about. Vi glances over with a sigh. “I better go check on that,” she says with a sigh, pushing herself to her feet.
Caitlyn stands as well, immediately regretting the motion when her head pounds violently. She sways on her feet for a moment until Vi steadies her with a hand on her arm. Vi gives her a small smile, eyes flicking between Caitlyn’s, before reaching up to brush at her cheek with a thumb. Then she’s gone, moving to check on her crew.
If Caitlyn’s brains didn’t feel like oatmeal right now, and if her stomach wasn’t actively at war with itself, Caitlyn might have been able to decipher what the look in Vi’s eyes meant. It was serious, and intent, and oddly… hopeful? About what, Caitlyn had absolutely no idea.
She watches Vi walk away for a moment before looking back down at the map on the table, trying again to make sense of it.
Two things were starting to become perfectly clear, though: Vi was desperate for money, and she had no intentions of telling Caitlyn why. Not yet, anyway.
Marcus stops at the door in front of him. He takes off his hat and spends a moment fixing his hair before scowling at himself and leaving it alone. With a deep breath, he raises a fist and knocks twice on the sturdy wood.
“Enter.”
Marcus pushes open the door and steps just inside the threshold of the office, back straight, hands behind his back. “You wanted to see me, Governor?”
Cassandra Kiramman hardly spares him a glance. “Ah, yes, Commodore. I wanted to ask if you had any updates on the whereabouts of my daughter.”
“We received a report just the other day,” Marcus replies, relieved to have an answer for once. “She was spotted in Noxus, and last known to be headed for Bilgewater.”
“Noxus?” Cassandra says incredulously. “What could she possibly have been doing there?”
Marcus swallows, remembering what the report said about accomplice in robbery. “Unclear, ma’am.”
Cassandra hums, displeased. “And Bilgewater, you said? How long have you known this?”
Marcus keeps his eyes trained above Cassandra’s head, doing his best to avoid the wide eyes of the elk hung behind the desk. A prize that the Governor herself had shot. “A few days,” he replies.
“A few days?” Cassandra’s gaze snaps up, finally focused fully on Marcus. He’d prefer her to keep looking at the paperwork. “And you’ve done nothing to extricate her?”
“It’s… a tricky situation, ma’am,” Marcus explains hesitantly. “Bilgewater is known for its criminal activity. Any attempt to occupy it would-”
“Do I look like I care?” Cassandra asks, effectively cutting Marcus off. His mouth snaps shut, and he clenches his jaw. “All I’m hearing is that you’ve known where my only daughter is for a week, and you’ve done nothing but read reports while she continues to be held hostage by pirates. Is that right, Commodore?”
Marcus winces. “I assure you that we’re doing everything we can to-”
“Obviously, you are not,” Cassandra snaps, rising from her desk. “If you were doing everything you could to return Caitlyn, I am confident she would be by my side this very moment. You would have come here with her rather than come here with news about her.”
She steps slowly around the desk, meeting Marcus’s eyes with a steely gaze. “Three months ago, you stepped foot in my office claiming that you knew how to find my daughter, and I put my faith in you. Faith that I am beginning to suspect was misplaced, considering the fact that you have yet to leave Piltover to complete the mission I personally entrusted you with.”
Marcus swallows thickly. “These things take time,” he attempts once more.
“And I’m afraid you are almost out of time,” Cassandra returns evenly. She steps up beside him and speaks in a low voice. “Did you forget it was I who promoted you to the position you so desperately craved? A position you all but begged me for. And furthermore, did you forget it is I who can take away your position again in the blink of an eye?”
Marcus’s eyes narrow, his teeth grinding. “I haven’t forgotten,” he bites out.
“Good,” Cassandra says, stepping away towards her desk and allowing Marcus to relax ever so slightly. “Again, I would hate to think I was wrong in trusting you with your rank, Commodore, but if I do not see a more concentrated effort in the retrieval of my daughter soon, I may have to reconsider the value you add to your post.”
Cassandra lowers herself smoothly back into her seat, picking up her quill and sliding a document in front of her as if she’d never moved. When Marcus doesn’t say anything, stuck in his position by the door, she glances up at him. “Have I made myself clear?” she asks.
Marcus glares at the elk on the wall. “Crystal, ma’am.”
“You are dismissed.”
With the slightest bow of his head, Marcus pivots on his heel and marches out the door, hand balled in a tight fist at his side.
Vi wakes up to a soft touch trailing along her back.
She keeps her eyes closed for a few more minutes, content to linger in the sleepy hours of early morning for a bit longer, enjoying the feeling of Caitlyn tracing her tattoos with a delicate finger.
“You roll around in your sleep more when we’re on land. Did you know that?”
Vi smiles. Of course Caitlyn could tell she’d woken up.
“Is that so?” Vi asks, still not opening her eyes. Caitlyn’s finger doesn’t stop in its journey, curling around the outlines of swirling waves and rigid bones that Vi remembers getting like it was yesterday.
“Mm,” Caitlyn hums in affirmation. “It’s like your body isn’t used to sleeping without the constant rocking. You were stealing the blankets all night.”
Vi chuckles breathily, turning her head and finally opening her eyes to look at Caitlyn. They’d elected to stay at The Last Drop for a few days, spending some time ashore despite the anxiousness creeping through Vi’s brain. Now, with the sunlight spilling through their room’s window shining on where Caitlyn’s propping her head up with a hand, dark blue hair falling across a pale shoulder, Vi can’t find herself regretting the decision all that much.
“Sorry about that,” Vi says. “I guess I still don’t have my land legs yet.” Caitlyn snickers and Vi smiles softly, head sinking deeper into her pillow. “Hi,” she whispers.
“Good morning,” Caitlyn murmurs, a sleepy smile on her own face. Her hand flattens between Vi’s shoulder blades before sweeping down her spine, warmth emanating from the touch. Vi’s eyes fall shut again, and she’s halfway back asleep when Caitlyn speaks up again. “Why bones?”
Vi blinks her eyes back open and finds Caitlyn studying her tattoos with curious eyes. “There was this story Vander used to tell me and Powder,” she starts, “about a pirate crew that was cursed. They were immortal; never aged, never had to worry about illness or hunger, but they couldn’t enjoy the good things in life: food, drinks, sex.” Vi grins wolfishly at that last one, and Caitlyn rolls her eyes fondly. “And they would turn into skeletons in the moonlight.”
Caitlyn hums. “I feel like that would be the most noteworthy part of the curse.” Her fingers walk down the inked spine drawn above Vi’s real spine.
“I always thought it would be kind of cool,” Vi says with a wry smile. “You know, looking normal during the day and then scaring the shit out of people at night.”
“And you’d give up sex for that?” Caitlyn asks, amused. “And rum?”
“16-year-old Vi didn’t really see a problem with it,” Vi replies with a laugh.
Caitlyn’s eyebrows raise in surprise. “You were 16 when you got these?”
Vi shrugs. “People will do just about anything for enough coin,” she says. “Vander wasn’t too pleased when he saw them, though.”
Caitlyn laughs. “I’m sure. If I’d done that at that age, I’m certain my father would have perished on the spot.” She pauses for a second, then adds, “He probably still would if I did so now.”
Vi gives Caitlyn a salacious grin. “Pretty sure there are a lot of things you’ve done that your daddy wouldn’t approve of, poppet.” She shifts until she can wrap an arm around Caitlyn’s waist, pulling her down against herself under the blankets. Caitlyn rolls her eyes, but the blush on her cheeks makes Vi press kisses all along her shoulder and neck from the sheer amount of affection she feels for this spoiled rich girl.
When they eventually settle back down again, new red marks littering Caitlyn’s collarbones, Caitlyn studies Vi carefully, and Vi can practically see her brain moving behind her intense blue eyes. The energy in the room shifts as it becomes obvious that Caitlyn is trying to build up the nerve to ask her something, but before either of them get the chance to say a word, there’s a knock on the door.
With a groan, Vi rolls away from Caitlyn’s warmth to yell at the door. “Who is it?”
“It’s Ekko.”
Vi sighs and sits up, rubbing her face with a hand. “What d’you want?” she calls. “We’re not set to leave for hours.”
“I know that, Captain,” Ekko replies. Even through the door, Vi can make out the tension in his voice. “But something’s… come up. I think you better see for yourself.”
Caitlyn sits up beside her, stretching the kinks from her back, and suddenly Vi wishes nothing more than to rewind herself back to two minutes ago when nothing existed outside this room. Nevertheless, she rubs her eyes for a few more seconds before calling out a grumbled, “Give me three minutes.”
“Aye, sir.”
Vi turns toward Caitlyn with a regretful smile. “Duty calls.”
Caitlyn smiles softly and reaches out to brush a thumb across Vi’s cheek. “I’ll come with you,” she says. “Besides, I’m starving. Think Vander would make me some breakfast?”
Vi snorts, climbing out of bed to pull on her pants. “I think he’d make pretty much anything you wanted at this point, seeing how well you two have gotten along.”
“Please,” Caitlyn says, slipping her shirt on over her head. “I’ve been drunk for most of this stay. I’m not sure he’s even gotten to know the real me.”
“Seems like the perfect opportunity to rectify that,” Vi replies with a grin.
They finish dressing and leave the room, finding Ekko still waiting outside their door. He gestures to follow him with a jerk of his head, leading them down the stairs to the main floor of the tavern.
It quickly becomes clear that something is off when Vi doesn’t immediately hear the chatter from the morning rush. Normally, Vander’s bar was always lively, full of hungover and still drunk patrons, all anxiously digging into a hearty breakfast. This morning, however, there was no laughter, no easy conversation. Instead, there is a sort of disconcerting murmur that met them as they crept down the stairs.
As soon as Vi gets a full look at the room, she understands why.
Three Piltover navy men, with their crisp blue uniforms and sneering gazes, stand at the bar. One of them stands in front of the others, hands leaned on the bar top as he talks with Vander, who has a carefully neutral look on his face.
It wasn’t completely unheard of for lawmen to come to Bilgewater. Officers from Piltover, Noxus, even Ionia would appear on occasion, tracking down criminals or corrupt officials that had fled their territories.
Still, the people of Bilgewater weren’t particularly pleased any time they showed up. It always made for a… tense situation.
“-afraid I can’t help you there, mate,” Vander is saying, and Vi tunes in her ears to listen better, hesitating near the top of the stairs.
Through the railing, she can see the lead Officer’s foot tap impatiently. “My sources say she was here last night,” he replies, voice irritated.
Suddenly, Caitlyn lets out a gasp, her hand clamping around Vi’s shoulder. Vi twists around to look at her questioningly.
“That’s Marcus,” Caitlyn whispers, eyes wide, and something clicks in Vi’s brain.
Caitlyn had told her all about Commodore Marcus, better known as the man who single handedly made Caitlyn’s life a living hell while in Piltover’s Royal Navy. The stories had infuriated Vi, made her want to yank his corpse from the depths of the sea and bring him back to life only so that she could kill him again herself.
Either he looked really good for a dead guy, or the son of a bitch had actually survived somehow.
Vi’s eyes widen to match Caitlyn’s, and they stare wordlessly at each other for one shocked moment before turning back to observe more of Vander and Marcus’s conversation.
“Lots of people were here last night,” Vander says casually, wiping down a glass. “It’s a popular bar; you can’t expect a person to remember each person that comes through.”
Marcus huffs, obviously frustrated, and thinks for a moment before his shoulders drop ever so slightly, a knowing look crossing his face. “But you do know the Hound of the Sea,” he says. “Don’t you?”
All other conversation in the room ceases, every single patron now focused fully on the two men at the bar. Even from the stairs, Vi can see the way Vander’s jaw clenches.
“And why would you think that?” Vander asks, voice not betraying a single thing.
Marcus sneers. “You can ask anyone on the godforsaken island,” he says. “Give them two, three coins, and they might just remember that the Hound always stays at The Last Drop when she’s in town.”
Vander shrugs, going for another dismissal. “Like I said: lots of people comin’ through here. Can’t guarantee that I-”
Marcus cuts him off by slamming his hands against the bar top. “You’re lying!” he shouts, eyes wild, furious. “You know where Caitlyn Kiramman is, and you’re keeping her hidden here!”
Caitlyn’s hand tightens around Vi’s shoulder. Vi puts one foot down on the next step below her, hand on the hilt of her sword, ready to jump in if things get messy.
Vander catches Vi’s eye and, ever so slightly, shakes his head before focusing back on Marcus. His eyes narrow and he stands up straighter, his massive size dwarfing Marcus in comparison. One of Marcus’s officers visibly gulps and takes a half step back.
“Now, I know you’re not calling me a liar in my own bar, in front of my own customers,” Vander says lowly, a dangerous rumble in his voice. Marcus seems to realize his mistake, glancing briefly around at the way many of the pirates around him have half risen from the chairs, eyes blazing and hands on weapons.
With a deep breath, Marcus attempts to recollect himself, taking off his hat and smoothing back his hair before putting the hat on again. “Of course not,” he says, much calmer than before. “However, if you’re so certain that we won’t find the Hound or Kiramman here, you wouldn’t mind if we looked around for them, would you?”
Vander smiles too kindly for it to be sincere. “‘Course not,” he says pleasantly. He catches Vi’s eye again and nods this time, and Vi takes her cue, grabbing Caitlyn by the arm and hauling her up the stairs.
“Ekko,” Vi says, feeling her second mate hot on her heels. “I need you to round up the crew, get the ship moving. Cait and I need to go the long way around, stay out of sight.”
“Aye, sir,” Ekko says, then rushes back down the stairs. Vi can trust that Marcus doesn’t know the faces of everyone on their crew, and Ekko has always been particularly gifted in the art of staying unseen. He would be fine.
She and Caitlyn busy themselves with packing up their belongings from the night before, shoving clothes in knapsacks and cleaning up any signs that they’d been there at all. Then Vi moves to the window, opens it, and gestures for Caitlyn to go first.
Caitlyn balks a little. “We’re on the second floor,” she protests.
Vi peeks over the edge and shrugs. “Not that high,” she says. “Besides, there’s hay at the bottom. Perfectly safe.”
Footsteps come thundering up the steps, thudding down the hall, and Vi waves her hand impatiently.
“Now or never, poppet. We don’t really have another choice.”
Caitlyn sighs and shoves her bag into Vi’s chest, peeking out the window with a gulp before hopping outside with a yelp. Vi hears a distant grunt and the sound of a body meeting hay, and vaults easily out the window, landing beside a groaning Caitlyn.
“Got the wind knocked out of you?” Vi asks.
Caitlyn nods wordlessly.
“We’ll work on that,” Vi tells her, pushing herself to her feet and holding out a hand. “But for now we gotta go.”
By the time they make it to the ship, ducking and weaving through back alleys and busy streets, Ekko has done his job, getting the crew gathered and the Gauntlet ready for departure. They hadn’t run into any more soldiers on their way out of town, but the encounter had obviously left Caitlyn rattled based on the way she slumps down at the base of the mast, eyes staring despondently at a middle point on the deck. Vi watches her in concern for a moment before Ekko walks up to her, asking where they were headed.
Vi snaps her gaze away from Caitlyn and pats at her pockets, looking for the map Vander had drawn for her but coming up with nothing. Not that it mattered all that much; she knew where they were going. She rattles off some coordinates to Ekko and he nods, hurrying off to steer the ship.
When Vi looks back over to the mast, Caitlyn is gone.
“Didn’t know they made crows as pretty as you.”
Caitlyn sits up a little, peeking over the edge of the crow’s nest to see Vi standing there, a grin on her face and a bag over her shoulder.
“All the crows from Piltover look like this,” Caitlyn replies, a smile stubbornly tugging at her lips. “And we don’t squawk, we sing. And poop gold.”
Vi laughs loudly and clambers into the basket beside her, the two of them awkwardly arranging their limbs until they can fit in the small space. Once they’re settled with Caitlyn’s legs draped over top of Vi’s, Vi gives her a lopsided grin. “You’re lookin’ a little pink there, Miss Crow,” she says, reaching out to poke Caitlyn’s sun kissed nose. Without a word, she takes the hat off her head and places it on Caitlyn’s, providing her face with a little more shade.
Caitlyn smiles in gratitude and watches as Vi swings her bag into her lap and reaches inside, producing some wrapped bread and a canteen. The sight makes Caitlyn’s stomach grumble, and she’s reminded of the fact that she hasn’t eaten all day, hiding up in the crow’s nest the way she has. Vi hands over the food and Caitlyn tears into it greedily, not caring about manners when the bread is fresh from Vander’s bar, buttered and soft and filling her empty stomach perfectly.
She feels Vi’s eyes on her while she eats, and Caitlyn knows she wants an explanation for why she disappeared all day.
“How long have you known I was up here?” Caitlyn asks, swallowing the last bite of bread. She reaches for the canteen and starts unscrewing the top.
“Few hours,” Vi says. “Mylo was complaining about you taking over his post; says you owe him chores now.”
Caitlyn snorts, taking a swig of water to wash down her dinner. “Mylo still owes me money after losing at cards last week. If anything, this makes us even.”
Vi chuckles softly, leaning her head back to watch Caitlyn silently for a few moments before nudging her leg with a foot. “Penny for your thoughts?” she ventures.
And there it is.
Caitlyn sighs and fiddles with the canteen in her lap, twisting it absentmindedly between her hands. “I don’t know how Marcus survived,” she starts. “But if he came to Bilgewater looking for me, it wasn’t of his own volition. There’s only one reason he would do such a thing.” She looks up to meet Vi’s eyes. “My parents asked him to.”
Vi studies her carefully, patience clear in her expression. Caitlyn hasn’t discussed much about her parents with Vi – of course, Vi knows who they are, knows what role her mother plays in running Piltover, but that’s common knowledge. Every once in a while, they would come up in a story that Caitlyn was telling, but she didn’t like to dwell on them too much, didn’t want to think about the life that she’d all but abandoned to stay aboard the Gauntlet.
“I’ve hardly thought about them in months,” Caitlyn says. “And I know that makes me a terrible daughter, but it’s true. I really haven’t. But seeing Marcus, knowing why Marcus was there… it made me realize that they must have been thinking about me – worrying about me. I disappeared months ago and never even had the thought to write them a letter explaining that I was safe. How awful is that?”
“To be fair, at first you weren’t really safe,” Vi points out. “I mean, you were taken as prisoner. It’s not like we would have let you contact them anyway.”
Caitlyn huffs a laugh, for once grateful for the reminder of how she and Vi met. “True,” she says. “But even thinking about it now, knowing that they’re searching for me, I still don’t know if I should contact them. I mean, what would I tell them? That I’ve chosen to be a pirate and abandon my old life completely?”
“At least they’d know you were alive,” Vi offers. “At least they’d know you were alright.”
“Maybe,” Caitlyn says, unconvinced. She sighs again, leaning forward to rest her forehead against her bent knees. “I guess it just feels like I’ve been living a fantasy up until now, and the real world is suddenly crashing back all around me.”
She expects Vi to come up with some other comment to make her feel better, maybe something about how living on land isn’t half as good as being on the sea, but when all that meets Caitlyn is silence, she picks her head up to see Vi fidgeting intently with a ring on her finger. Her eyebrows are drawn together, and her eyes are distant as they’ve often been the past couple of weeks.
“You’re making that face again,” Caitlyn says quietly. Immediately, Vi’s features smooth out again and she meets Caitlyn’s eyes.
“I’m not making a face,” Vi says. “I don’t make faces.”
“Yes, you do,” Caitlyn says with a fond smile. She reaches out and gently touches the space between Vi’s eyebrows. “You get these creases here when you’re thinking, when you’re anxious. If you’re not careful, they’ll wrinkle.” She keeps her tone purposefully light, hoping to ease the turmoil within Vi, but when Vi fails to meet her eyes again she lets her hand drop back into her lap and leans in ever so slightly.
“I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me,” Caitlyn whispers, words earnest. “Let me help you, love. Please.”
It takes Vi another minute to respond, and when she does, it’s with a deep sigh. “Maybe this life isn’t what’s best for you.”
Caitlyn recoils. “What?”
Vi winces. “Not… not because you aren’t good at this life or anything- I’ve honestly never seen anyone who was accepted into the crew as easily as you were. Just-” Vi shakes her head, trying to collect her thoughts. After a moment, she carefully meets Caitlyn’s eyes. “You said it yourself. This world isn’t real, not for someone like you. Your whole life is back in Piltover: your friends, your family, a future. And I took all of that from you.”
Vi pushes herself to stand, leaning against the edge of the basket and staring out into the distance. Caitlyn tries to process everything that has just been said, rising slowly to stand beside Vi.
The sun is just starting to set in the sky. This is always Caitlyn’s favorite time of day, when the sun meets the water, nothing to disrupt the image over the horizon.
“I feel as though you’re giving yourself too much credit,” Caitlyn says. “If I wanted to leave and return to my old life, I would have done so by now. There have been plenty of opportunities, even before I officially joined the crew.” She reaches out and slips her hand into Vi’s, squeezing until Vi looks her in the eyes again.
“You didn’t take anything from me, Vi,” Caitlyn tells her. “You gave me everything. Life in Piltover may seem real in a more traditional sense, but being here with you, with this crew, it’s… more than I could have ever dreamed of, really. Travelling, freedom, camaraderie… love,” Caitlyn surprises herself with the last addition, and Vi’s eyebrows shoot up her forehead in equal surprise. “Those are all things that I didn’t have before, but I do now.”
They hold each other’s gaze for a long moment, just listening to the waves and wind around them. Caitlyn takes the opportunity to study the way Vi’s eyes match the clear blue of the ocean below.
Vi is the first to break the moment, looking away with a breathy laugh. “Shit, poppet, you really know how to reassure a girl.” Caitlyn chuckles and raises their joined hands to her lips to press a kiss to the back of Vi’s. “But I still can’t help but feel like you deserve better than this. Better than pillaging for a living and the danger that comes along with it.”
Caitlyn hums, willing to entertain Vi’s line of thinking. “And what would you constitute as better than all this?” she asks.
“Earning enough to retire comfortably,” Vi replies shyly, and suddenly the puzzle pieces start to fall into place. “A house by the sea; far enough away from anybody that we could be left alone, but close enough to the market that we could get fresh fruit in the morning. And- I don’t know, a dog, maybe? Two? I haven’t really thought up all the details yet but-”
“Captain Vi,” Caitlyn interrupts, a smile stretching across her face, “the most feared pirate on the Guardian’s Sea. Have you been searching so desperately for treasure lately because you want to start a life with me?”
Vi’s ears turn a brilliant shade of red, and Caitlyn can’t keep her affections at bay, leaning in to kiss the tip of one reddened ear.
“I’m being realistic,” Vi insists. “I know I can’t keep up this life forever, so I’m just figuring out what to do when it’s time to pass the captain title onto someone else. And, you know,” she turns shy again, ducking her head, “when you’re in love, your mind tends to wander.”
Caitlyn’s smile softens and she reaches out to lift Vi’s head with a hand under her chin. “I will be perfectly happy with wherever my life takes me, so long as you’re there.” She tells her, stroking a thumb across the VI tattoo on Vi’s cheek. “And I love you, too.”
At that, Vi kisses her, which Caitlyn happily returns, and the two of them spend a long while trading kisses high in the sky, wind in their hair and a sense of endless possibilities in front of them.
* * *
The tiny strip of land that the Gauntlet pulls up to barely constitutes as an island, only a few miles long in either direction. They circle the islet until they find the best place to make port, spotting nothing on the island but trees and hills.
They split the crew up, most of the pirates setting out in rowboats with shovels and pickaxes, leaving Powder, Ekko, Claggor, Mylo, and Lux to stay onboard to keep watch over the Gauntlet while they’re gone. Vi leaves Powder in charge only after making her promise that she wouldn’t take her ship for any joy rides, to which Ekko assures her that he’ll keep an eye on things.
The rest of the crew splashes to the shore, tugging the rowboats onto the sandy beach behind them. Vi leads the charge, studying the area with a careful eye. Caitlyn comes to stand at her shoulder, Deckard and the rest of the crew not far behind, lugging along all their equipment.
“You sure this is where Vander was talking about?” Deckard says, grimacing at the lack of… well, anything noteworthy, really.
Vi doesn’t spare him a glance. “Should be around here…” she murmurs, mostly to herself, then starts walking farther inland.
Deckard looks at Caitlyn, rolls his eyes, then trudges after her.
They only walk for a few minutes before Vi stops to inspect the area around a small group of coconut trees. She takes her time investigating each of the trunks as the rest of the crew catches up.
Caitlyn tilts her head as Vi pats one of the coconut trees, apparently satisfied with it, before spinning on her heel and taking three comically large steps away from it.
Deckard props his shovel over his shoulder. “You have any idea what she’s doing?”
Caitlyn watches as Vi takes two deliberate steps to the right, then does one hop backward, and shakes her head. “I haven’t got the slightest clue.”
After a couple more minutes of Vi dancing around as if she were avoiding booby traps, she looks up with a grin, feet firmly planted where she stands. “This is the spot.”
Despite the odd way she’d gone about making that decision, the crew doesn’t question their captain, setting to work right away.
They dig for hours, the sun beating heavily down on them as it travels across the sky. The longer they work, the more agitated the crew becomes, grumbling under their breaths about Vi having gone mad and how there’s nothing to be found at all. If Vi notices the change in morale, she doesn’t let on, diligently digging away at her own spot in the hole, sweat dripping down her face and sand coating her arms.
Unfortunately, Caitlyn can’t quite fault the crew for feeling frustrated. She’s tried to keep her own attitude upbeat for Vi’s sake, but when her arms start to shake from exertion and her lungs threaten to give out, she feels like she has no choice but to say something.
“Vi,” Caitlyn calls out cautiously. She straightens and sticks her shovel in the ground as Vi looks over at her expectantly. “I hate to doubt your instincts, but perhaps we’re looking in the wrong spot.”
“Yeah, or there’s nothing here to find at all!” Deckard interjects, wiping his forehead with a grimy arm.
Other members of the crew join in, jumping at the excuse to start complaining.
“How do you even know this is the right place?”
“Been digging for hours.”
“How do we even know Vander can be trusted?”
The last one comes from a crewmate named Ran, dark hair falling in front of her eyes. Vi, who has listened to the onslaught of criticisms with nothing more than a vaguely annoyed expression, fixes a glare in Ran’s direction.
“We can trust Vander,” Vi says firmly, tone making it clear she will hear no arguments on the matter. Ran crosses her arms over her chest with a scowl.
“And how do we know we can trust you?” Deckard replies, stepping in front of Ran to gain Vi’s full attention. “Don’t you think we’ve noticed how erratic you’ve been lately? Chasing leads that go nowhere, making reckless decisions that force the rest of us to save your ass? From where I’m standing, things aren’t looking too great for you, Captain.”
Deckard spits the title out like an insult, and Caitlyn has half a mind to say something, feeling guilty that she unwittingly started this whole mess in the first place. She takes one step forward to come to Vi’s defense, but Vi holds up a hand before she can, eyes narrowing at Deckard.
“I don’t know what kind of bullshit power trip you think you’re on right now,” she says, voice low and dangerous, “but if it’s the heat getting to you, I suggest you get your head out of your ass and go sit in the shade before you do something you’ll regret.”
Vi pauses, staring him down for another second before turning her gaze on the rest of her disgruntled crew. “And that goes for the rest of you, too. Go take a nap, drink some rum, whatever- but if you need me, I’ll be right here, doing what I came here to do.” She looks at the group for a beat, waiting for any of them to say something, and when she’s met with silence, she grips her shovel tightly and turns around, plunging the blade of it deep into the sand.
Thud.
Every single pirate behind Vi visibly straightens. Caitlyn tilts her head and leans in closer. Vi freezes for a moment, her own head quirking in curiosity, before pulling her shovel out and stabbing it again. Again, the sound of the tip meeting solid wood is clear.
Vi glances over her shoulder. “A little help, maybe?”
It’s a rush to extricate the chest from the ground, the crew apparently getting over all of their misgivings at the renewed motivator of treasure. They all gather around it, staring down at the medium-sized chest, reveling in their discovery, before Caitlyn hears the distinct click of a gun behind her.
“An intriguing find, to be sure,” drawls Marcus. His officers line the hole beside him, weapons at the ready. Caitlyn slowly turns around, and her former superior’s gaze lands immediately on her. “But I’m personally looking for something a little more… human.”
“Marcus,” Caitlyn says, unable to hide the shock in her voice.
The corner of Marcus’s mouth twitches. “That’s Commodore to you, Officer Kiramman. Or have you forgotten your manners so soon after a few short months in the company of pirates?” He spits the words out like a curse, and Vi steps up to stand beside Caitlyn.
“How did you find us?” Vi demands, hand at the ready on the hilt of her sword.
Marcus turns his attention to Vi distastefully. “You’re not quite as inconspicuous as you think, Captain.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a folded piece of paper, then drops it down to them. “You left less of a breadcrumb trail and more a shining beacon as to your whereabouts.”
Vi catches the paper and unfolds it, revealing the map that Vander had drawn for them. Caitlyn didn’t realize they’d left it on the table at The Last Drop, and apparently Vi hadn’t either, based on the curse she lets out as she crumples the paper up in her fist.
Vi turns her glare back at Marcus. “So you’ve found us,” she says sharply. “What do you intend to do with us?”
“I mean you and your crew no harm,” Marcus replies. “Although it would certainly bring me pleasure to rid the world of a few filthy criminals… I’ve come here with only one purpose, and that is to return Miss Kiramman here safely home.”
Caitlyn feels Vi stiffen beside her. “Yeah, that’s not gonna happen,” she says, voice tense.
“I had a feeling you’d be resistant in this,” Marcus sighs. “So, I’ve come with two options: one, I will pay for whatever ransom you deem her to be worth and we part ways each having gained something. Or two…” He makes a gesture and the officers around him lower their guns, fingers hovering over the triggers. “I take her from you by force.”
Before Vi can tell Marcus to go fuck himself – which is what Caitlyn assumes she is about to do and would really only make things worse – Caitlyn steps in front of Vi with her hands raised non-threateningly in the air.
“Marcus, wait,” she says. “I know you’re only here because of my mother, and I know she’s only sent you because she’s worried about me. But as you can see, I’m perfectly fine, and you can tell her as much! Tell her I’m in no danger. Tell her…” Caitlyn swallows. “Tell her that I’m happy where I am.”
No one moves as Marcus considers this. Caitlyn locks eyes with him, silently pleading to whatever decency might exist in him.
But Marcus is still Marcus, and Caitlyn sees the moment his resolve hardens when his eyes narrow.
“I’m sorry, Caitlyn, but you have no idea what is at stake here,” he tells her coldly. He looks at Vi. “Last chance to do this peacefully.”
Vi draws her sword in response.
Marcus sighs. “Very well. Force it is, then.” He casually fixes the sleeves of his jacket, and Caitlyn grabs onto Vi’s hand and squeezes, anticipating the onslaught of bullets coming their way. “Men, you may fire at–”
Except the onslaught never comes, because at that moment, a shovel slams into the back of Marcus’s head, sending him crumpling to the ground.
In his place stands Powder, a twisted grin on her face.
“You guys were taking too long,” she says. “Looks like you need help with more than just digging, though.”
A frenzy of voices comes from behind her and the rest of their crew comes charging onto the scene, catching the Piltovan forces by surprise and scattering their formation within moments. Caitlyn laughs in disbelief and catches sight of Claggor tackling one officer from behind, sending them both tumbling into the sand. Mylo tries to do the same but doesn’t have enough mass to knock his target over, which leads to him yanking on the officer’s forehead in an attempt to send them both toppling.
Lux and Ekko are there, too, each already engaged in a swordfight, doing their best to distract the guards that had trapped their crewmates only moments ago. The sight is so beautiful that Caitlyn doesn’t realize she should be moving until Vi grabs her arm.
“They’ve bought us time, but the Pilties will regroup soon,” Vi tells her, dropping into a crouch with her hands laced together palm-up in front of her. “Out the hole you go, poppet.”
It takes Caitlyn half a second to understand her meaning, and she nods, holding onto Vi’s shoulders and placing her foot in Vi’s hands. A moment later she’s being hoisted upward until she can pull herself over the top of the hole. She scrambles to her feet and the moment she’s upright Vi’s sword is tossed into the air in front of her. Caitlyn snatches it from the air and pulls out her own sword just in time to intercept the sword of an officer, blocking the downward swing with both blades crossed in an X over her head, then shoving out so that the officer stumbles back.
Caitlyn spares one glance down into the hole at Vi, and at her nod, charges into the fight.
This was not how Vi had imagined her day going.
As soon as she sees that Caitlyn is securely out of the hole they’d quite literally dug themselves into, Vi turns to the rest of her crew. Most of them are already on the move, helping each other climb up and out of the pit to start fighting Pilties. Vi finds Deckard and points at him.
“Get ready with the chest,” she says. He gives her a quick nod of understanding, and Vi immediately runs at the steep slope of the hole’s wall. She manages to jump high enough to grab onto a root at the lip of the hole and haul herself up. One officer notices her pulling herself out and comes at her, saber flashing, but she dodges the swipe easily and grabs his wrist, yanking him down into the pit.
As soon as she’s back on her feet, Vi looks down to see Deckard and Ran each gripping one handle of the chest. With a mighty heave, they send the chest up to Vi, who curses and stumbles back once it lands in her arms, not having expected it to weigh so much. She lands on her ass in the sand, chest in her lap, and she takes in her surroundings.
To her right, Claggor is just finishing up his latest victim, sitting on the man with a hand balled in the front of his uniform.
“Claggor!” Vi calls.
Claggor looks over, and Vi jostles the chest a little. Understanding flashes in Claggor’s eyes, and he delivers one more swift punch to the man below him before rushing over to help Vi with the chest. They carefully make their way through the fight, dodging swords and throwing punches as they go.
Vi spots Caitlyn, a little ways away, easily fending off two officers at once with her two swords, spinning and parrying like she was born to fight. Her heart swells proudly in her chest, and she has to remind herself where they are so that she doesn’t get too distracted by the sight.
“Back to the ship!” Vi yells over the chaos.
Slowly but surely the crew starts to draw back from the officers, who had indeed started to get their bearings together. Vi knew that on their ship, on the sea, the Piltover forces would be no match for her crew. But here, on land, after a long day of digging for both herself and her crewmates… well, Vi wasn’t willing to take that risk.
It’s a mad dash to get to the rowboats, then an even madder dash to get from the boats to the Gauntlet. As soon as they’re out on open water, the officers start firing on them until they’re out of range. Vi doesn’t relax until the entire crew is safely aboard and they’re sailing away at top speed.
Vi stands at the stern, watching the little island grow smaller and smaller until it disappears completely.
A hand appears on her shoulder.
“Somehow I don’t feel like that will be the last we see of him,” Caitlyn says, sliding into Vi’s space. “Of Marcus.”
Vi shakes her head. “We got lucky this time. If Powder hadn’t come when she did…” she trails off, not wanting to finish the thought.
Caitlyn squeezes her shoulder, leaning in to bump her forehead gently against Vi’s. “We got lucky this time,” she restates. “That’s all that matters.”
Vi smiles a little and presses a kiss to Caitlyn’s lips. “And you’re still here,” she says. “That matters, too.”
Caitlyn slides her hand into Vi’s, tangling their fingers together. “We both are.”
They share another kiss, both smiling into it, until the moment is broken by someone clearing their throat behind them. Vi reluctantly breaks the kiss and they both turn to see Powder standing there, a bemused look on her face. Behind her stands the rest of the crew, expressions ranging from polite embarrassment (Claggor) to wolfish grins (Mylo).
“Sorry to break up the honeymoon, lovebirds,” Powder says, sounding not sorry at all, “but we’ve got a chest to open over here.” She gestures to Ekko, who’s standing next to the chest with a split lock in his hands.
“Managed to get the lock off,” Ekko says with a grin. “But we figured we’d leave the honors of opening it to you, Captain.”
Vi chuckles and steps over to the chest, pulling Caitlyn along with her. They crouch in front of the chest, and Vi can feel the crew leaning in behind them with bated breath. With a deep breath of her own, Vi grips the lid of the chest and flips it open, revealing-
Gold.
Lots of it.
A cheer rings out from the crew, celebrations of their success starting immediately. Caitlyn leans in and places a kiss on Vi’s cheek. Out of the corner of her eye, Vi can see Powder and Lux kissing, Mylo and Claggor embracing.
But Vi’s eyes aren’t focused on the gold. No, they’re focused on the small, intricately designed cube sitting atop the gold.
Vi reaches into the chest and pulls the cube out. It fits in the palm of her hand and is heavier than she expected.
“What’s that?” Ekko asks, not yet caught up in the celebrations. Caitlyn leans closer, too, and the three of them inspect the small object curiously.
Vi turns the cube over in her hand, runs a thumb over the engravings on the sides, and smiles.
“A start.”
Marcus slumps onto a bar stool in whatever shabby pub he’s found himself in. He doesn’t care what the place is called, so long as they have strong drinks.
Which, at a pub in Zaun, the chances of that are high.
“Give me the strongest shit you’ve got,” Marcus tells the barkeep. A minute later, some sort of orange drink is slid in front of him. He takes a sip, winces as it burns down his throat, and takes another sip.
Zaun. What a fucking joke of a city. A smudge sitting in the shadows of Piltover’s greatness. Marcus had only ever come here for official business before, a handful of times, and each time he detested the place more than the last. The people here were castoffs, criminals, miscreants.
Though it seemed as though Marcus wasn’t much better than the worst of them, now.
He throws back more of his drink. Feels it burn. Drinks some more.
There’s no way he could return to Piltover. Not yet. The second he sets foot within Piltover’s boundaries, he was sure he would receive a summons from Cassandra Kiramman, asking where her daughter was. If he faced her again without Caitlyn in tow… Marcus would be a ruined man.
So, for now, Marcus had to settle on taking refuge in Piltover’s sorry excuse for a sister city until he could regroup. Think of a new plan. He could do it, he just needed time.
But gods was he tired.
Marcus finishes off his drink and immediately asks for another, tapping the counter anxiously as he waits. He feels eyes on the back of his head – which has yet to stop throbbing from that disaster of an encounter – but is determined to ignore it until he hears a voice.
“You look like you’ve seen better days.”
Marcus turns slowly in his seat. The pub isn’t all that busy, which makes it easy to see the man sitting in the shadows across the small room. He can’t make out his face, obscured as it is, but he sees two boots propped up on a table, pale hands laced in front of a slim figure.
“You could say that,” Marcus says with a scowl.
The shadowed man hums lowly. At the next table over, a large woman shifts in her seat, eyes focused intently on Marcus. A cloak covers her left arm, and a series of burn scars span her left cheek, running all the way down her neck.
“From the sounds of it, you haven’t had much success at all lately, have you, Marcus?” the man says.
A chill runs down Marcus’s spine. “H-how do you know who I am?”
The man chuckles darkly. “Oh, I’ve heard all about you, Commodore. I know the governess is blaming you for the disappearance from your daughter, I know you’ve been tasked with finding her, and,” the man pauses, voice lilting in interest, “I know you’re after the Hound of the Sea.”
Marcus swallows. The barkeep places his drink on the counter beside him, but Marcus makes no move to pick it up. “So what is it you want from me?”
The man hums again. “Nothing in particular,” he says. His boots slide off the table in front of him. “But, you see, I’m after a prize of my own.” Finally, the man leans forward, out of the shadows, and Marcus gets his first good look at his face.
The left side of the man’s face is marred with scars and is slightly paler than the right side of his face. An eyepatch sits over his left eye, leaving one sharp blue eye to peer inquisitively at Marcus from where he sits.
The man’s lips slide into a sly smirk.
“I believe this could be the start of a mutually beneficial relationship, Commodore.”