Archive of Our Own

Caitlyn honestly thought being an enforcer would be more difficult. She had, of course, heard stories about fellow enforcers struggling to keep the peace between Piltover and the Undercity. The thing was, Caitlyn never had any issues with people from the Undercity.

There was one group, who are called the Firelights, that were the cause of most of the city's issues with the Undercity. They would destroy ships with cargo, paint Piltover's walls in the night, and they would knock down any enforcer in their path.

Caitlyn had, in fact, run into them more than once, but for some reason they never hurt her. Indeed, they almost seemed to give her a wide berth as if she was carrying a disease. Her coworkers would joke that her mere presence was terrifying to them because they would all quit what they were doing as soon as she arrived. They also seemed less eager to get into a fight with the other enforcers that arrived at the scene.

No matter what their reason, fear or disease, Caitlyn was confused. It was a feeling she did not enjoy.

If it were disease, wouldn’t that concern be squashed when the other enforcers came and stood close to Caitlyn? That idea doesn’t work , Caitlyn thought as she paced her bedroom. Her enforcer uniform tucked away for the day.

She just had another run in with the Firelights, who were primarily identifiable due to their whole group wearing white masks with black and bronze details, except two who have masks with bright colors spray painted one (the taller one has blue while the shorter has pink). Those two colorful members rarely show up, the blue shows up more frequently, but it is still a rare treat.

What about fear then? Caitlyn thought. Could they truly fear me? And if they do, why?

“Why” was the question.

Caitlyn had some run-ins with Undercity residents before. In fact, she went to school with several.

The group was a family of 5 adopted siblings. The head of their little pack was a girl named Violet, a girl who Caitlyn possibly had a small ( huge ) crush on during their time at school ( and for two years after she left ). Violet was in the grade above her, while two of Violet’s brothers were in Caitlyn's grade. They arrived when Caitlyn was in her second year of high school.

Their presence was like a paint bomb, they added some life to the school with all their rebellious ways, breaking rules, and just acting undignified. Everyone seemed to gravitate towards them. Hardly anyone but the family was close to Violet though. She was too guarded. Caitlyn proudly knows she got semi-close with Violet having been her deskmate in an elective they both took. It was a class on justice and laws, something no one expected an Undercity kid would want to learn. Violet was, to most peoples surprise, a smart student who was terrifyingly good at reading people.

Despite all of them being great students, the group didn’t graduate though. They all disappeared during the winter break before Violet’s final semester. People all had different ideas of why, one of them died, they killed someone, went into hiding, or (Caitlyn’s  least favorite idea) they realized they didn't belong (preposterous, really, anyone belongs in Piltover as long as they try to be good).

So fear isn't an option. She got on relatively well with all the Undercity students. At least, none of them seemed to fear her.

So not fear then , Caitlyn thought. Then why do they treat me differently?

A knock at the door startled Caitlyn out of her thoughts. Before she had a chance to even shout a “come in” her mother was coming in.

“I heard that the enforcers had a run in with the Firelights again. I wanted to come in to make sure you were alright.” Cassandra was clearly worried since the run-in made Caitlyn late for returning home by a few hours. The Kiramman matriarch’s hair had a few loose strands falling out of her bun and her clothes were not as tidy as usual.

Caitlyn sighed and moved to face her mother, “I'm quite alright, mother. No one was hurt, and we know the Firelights never bother me much.”

Cassandra moved forward and swept some of Caitlyn’s hair behind her ear before stroking her face, “You know I worry either way.” Stepping back, Cassandra added, “Come along now, it is time for dinner. And you should get to bed early since you have an early shift tomorrow.”

For someone who didn’t want her daughter to be an enforcer, Cassandra was very diligent about keeping track of her daughter’s schedule.

After a quiet evening, Caitlyn retired to her room for the night. She couldn’t sleep though, she was plagued by the question of why they were leaving her alone. There seemed to be no answer until an idea struck Caitlyn.

Why don’t I just ask them? Surely I can grab one of them and demand answers.

Content with that plan, Caitlyn fell into a dreamless sleep.

It was only several days later when Caitlyn could finally put her plan into action.

Or so she thought.

It was in the middle of her patrol when she heard the tell-tale bang of a raid from the deck of one of the cargo ships. She ran over as quickly as she could to the ship where she caught sight of at least 4 Firelights. What shocked her was that Blue (as the blue painted mask wearer had been dubbed by other enforcers) was among the group. Blue was sticking close to the person the enforcers had guessed was the leader of the raids, a boy with an owl-like mask and sharp eye holes.

All of them whizzed by around the ship, purposefully breaking the cargo, but being careful to not damage the ship though.

“CUPCAKE!” one of them, her guess was the raid leader, shouted.

It was as if a bomb went off, the Firelights scattered, all zooming past her. In all the commotion, she saw Blue wave at her .

Confused, Caitlyn shouted “Who are you?” at Blue, but she got no reply before Blue jumped off the ship and flew away on her board.

Without thinking, Caitlyn ran off the ship and in the direction that all the Firelights were going. She was stopped when they crossed over to the Undercity and into a section she couldn’t reach. Caitlyn grunted and stomped her foot when she realized she couldn’t follow them any further.

Soon other enforcers came to ask what happened. Caitlyn replied honestly, “I don’t really know. One moment they were destroying a cargo load, the next, they saw me and everyone scattered.”

“Kiramman strikes again!” one of her coworkers, a woman with golden hair and bronze skin, laughed. She playfully punched Caitlyn in the arm, “maybe we should have you on the cargo ships from now on, save us all a lot of paperwork!”

The jovial attitude of her coworkers died off when Marcus showed up. “While that may be considered in the future, for now we should go about our normal duties.” The sheriff then turned and walked back to his office, having deemed the situation handled.

When all her paperwork on the incident was completed, Caitlyn decided to try a new plan.

“Sir, I wish to go to the Undercity to hunt down the Firelights.” The young enforcer kept her head up, shoulders back, just as her mother taught her.

Sheriff Marcus looked up, “Caitlyn Kiramman, I should have known you were going to be coming here sooner or later.” He stood up and looked out his window towards the park outside. “Why do you think you should go? What is your plan, if you even have one?”

“Well, I would go down, in pedestrian clothes, and try to follow them after the next raid.” She thought for a second before continuing, “if I can follow them, I can possibly figure out who is running it and their base of operations.”

Turning around, Sheriff Marcus asked again, “Why should you go? They flee the scene whenever they see you.” Everything about how he stood screamed how little he cared about Caitlyn’s thoughts. He looked at her as if she was nothing more than a nuisance.

The question made Caitlyn pause. Why should I go? The answer was simple, “Because I am the only one that likely won’t get hurt if they find me. They are willing to knock down anyone who gets in their way, except for me.”

“Alright then, I guess. I expect this to be kept quiet, of course. Can never be too careful, especially when you don’t know where everyone's loyalties lie. You will not be patrolling or working certain hours since it is unknown when they will strike next.” Marcus walked over to a cabinet on the wall and pulled out something. It was gold, as most things in Piltover were, and it had a lightbulb in the center. “This is connected to the enforcer alert towers around the city. On the back there is a key for what colors mean what place. I would like it returned when you complete your mission.”

Caitlyn thanked him and turned to leave the room.

She was stopped when Sheriff Marcus said, “One last thing, go tonight and buy Undercity clothes. Even your pedestrian clothes scream ‘Piltover’.”

With a nod, Caitlyn walked out the door, the alert indicator clenched in her fist. She went home and informed her parents that she has a mission that she cannot share details about, just that it will mean she doesn’t have regular times and will often be out at a moments notice.

That said, she changed into her plainest clothes, a simple top and pants, strapped on her rifle and used some string to tie the alert indicator to her belt before she made her way to the bridge.

In all of her time as an enforcer, Caitlyn had never been to the Undercity before. She had been on the bridge before, but never had she actually entered the other part of Piltover. It was daunting, like when she first raced Grayson in a shooting competition. Her hands started to sweat, but she took a breath and focused on the task at hand and walked forward.

She eventually figured out a way to get down into the undercity, and when she did, she had to take a moment to get used to the sights and smells. She tried hard not to gag at the smell the Undercity seemed to carry. It smelled like fish rotting in the sun, but eventually she went nose-blind to it and could carry on trying to find a place to purchase clothes.

They use the same currency, right? Hopefully it isn’t a bargaining system .

Caitlyn eventually found a clothing market stall. It was filled with handmade items made out of rougher fabrics than Caitlyn was used to. She eventually settled on a couple brown animal hide jackets, some black pants and white and gray shirts. Sadly, she did have to bargain a little when she realized the lady was trying to hike up her prices.

As she left the stall, she saw some familiar spiky brown hair.

“Mylo?” Caitlyn said, more to herself than anything. She pushed her way through the stream of people. A second look confirmed that it was indeed Mylo, the sassy boy she went to school with. “Mylo!”

Sure enough, Mylo looked back at the call of his name. What was odd was how he froze, did a once over of Caitlyn, then he booked it. He ran through the streets quicker than Caitlyn would have thought possible. He weaved through the group, clearly experienced at doing so. It was like a fast dance, he bobbed and side stepped with ease.

Caitlyn tried to keep up, but she lost track of him. She said some less than refined words as she turned back around to go home, feeling more than a little bit defeated. It was oddly reassuring to see Mylo though. It meant that at least some of the family was free and alive. She hoped they all were. They were all good people.

She decided that she wasn’t going to get anything done for the night down in the Undercity, so she went home. In her room she set an undercover outfit on her desk chair, ready to be put on in a moment's notice. The indicator was set on her bedside table, light facing toward her face, propped up on her lamp.

The next afternoon was spent wandering around the docks, hood pulled up on her new jacket. Hiding anything that could be identifiable for the Firelights, she hoped for them to show up.

They didn’t though. When does anything happen when you expect it?

No, the next time the Firelights struck was two nights later. Two days of wandering around the docks, and nights of sleeping like a cat, ready to pounce whenever the light flashed.

This came in handy when the light flashed blue, indicating the docks. Luckily Caitlyn had fallen asleep in her Undercity outfit. She dashed off to the bridge and towards the side of the Undercity. She saw the green lights whizzing by around a ship. She heard enforcer guns going off and saw a smoke cloud gather, presumably a smoke bomb of sorts. She had never seen the Firelights use smoke bombs in their attacks, but she knew it was still them because of the boards with their green light trails.

Eventually they flew away from the ship and towards Caitlyn. They clearly hadn’t noticed her yet, so she carefully ran on a narrow ledge to the sewer they entered. Caitlyn took a moment to mourn the clothes she was about to destroy (she had grown to like them), and then ran after them.

Because she didn’t have a board, she ended up sliding down the pipe when it suddenly dropped down. She didn’t scream out of fear of giving away her position.

Eventually the tunnel let out into a room with multiple tunnels. She heard the whirring of a Firelight board coming from the leftmost tunnel and followed that. It was pitch black, so she placed a hand on the wall to keep her bearings and followed the board's noises, now joined by hoops and hollers.

The noises eventually died off though, and Caitlyn had thoughts of being lost creep into her head. She had slid down an awfully long way and she doesn’t have any clue where an exit is.

Just when she thought about turning back and taking a different tunnel that would hopefully lead out to civilization, she saw light leaking through around what must be a door. She walked up and knocked.

Then someone knocked her unconscious.

When she woke up she couldn’t see. The pressure around her face would suggest a blindfold was preventing her from seeing.

“Who are you?” a gruff, young, boy's voice asked. There was a bit of hesitation in how he spoke. Must be his first interrogation.

This was confirmed when an older sounding girl said, “Look tougher. It will make you sound tougher.”

“Funny, I could ask you the same thing,” replied Caitlyn to the boy’s question.

Whispering too quietly to be made out happened, then the boy said, “You clearly know that we are the Firelights, the only way to that door is by following the raiders.”

That means she found their layer! She will have to remember how she got here though.

“Well, you know who we are, so it’s only fair you tell us who you are.”

Caitlyn froze. She can’t give away who she is, otherwise she might be at risk. Clearly these two don’t seem to be following the same “no harm” attitude other members usually follow. They tied her arm bindings a little too tight, which she guesses is not accidental.

“I will ask again, who. are. you?”

Before she could tell some lie, she heard a door open, followed by a familiar voice saying “What are you two doing here? I thought Jasper was supposed to be on guard duty tonight. You know the boss wants him to-” the words trailed off and the footsteps that had been coming closer stopped too.

Silence filled the room.

“Oh, you two are going to be in trouble.” This was followed by someone running out of the room, heavy footsteps growing quieter and a door slamming shut.

The whispering returned and Caitlyn was left wondering What the hell is going on?

The sound of multiple sets of footsteps grew closer, and at a very fast pace. The door slammed open, causing one of the two in the room to yelp.

“Holy shit.” Yet another familiar voice. This one was a woman, Caitlyn guesses. They also sound very surprised.

She heard the familiar boy's voice again, “See, I told you it was her!” Finally, Caitlyn figured out who it was.

“Claggor? Is that really you?”

She heard some laughs. “Well, masks clearly won’t do us any good. She was always too smart for her own good.” This got a giggle from the boy, followed by the muffled thump of what had to be some type of hit, if the “oof” was anything to go by. “Alright, Jasper. Untie her. And go inform the others.”

“But-” there was silence. The footsteps coming behind her as the arm bindings were taken off, and there were more footsteps running away.

After getting circulation back to her hands, Caitlyn removed her blindfold to be face to face with, “Violet?”

Violet laughed, her hair bouncing, “Sure am, Cupcake. It’s good to see you.” The pink haired woman offered a hand out to Caitlyn, who happily accepted it (with some butterflies, of course).

When they were both standing, Caitlyn was struck with how beautiful the woman in front of her had grown to be. Her hair wasn’t too different, but there was a strong, almost protective, air around her that only seemed to make her even more amazing. Suddenly Caitlyn felt like throwing up as she saw the mask in Violet's hand. It was simple, but it had blue paint all over it.

Violet and Claggor are both Firelights. Violet is Blue.

Marcus can never find them.

She was fucked. Royally. She may also be fired.

But then Violet smiled and all of those worries disappeared as a new fear filled Caitlyn. I must look like a mess .

As if reading her mind, Violet says, “Let’s get you cleaned up, then I can show you around.” Violet turns toward the door and pauses, “Unless you are going to tell Marcus where we are.”

“Marcus will never find out from me. Even if I have to resign.”

Violet laughs, “There’s the Caitlyn I know. Always so serious.” Caitlyn would have thought she was being insulted if it weren’t for the small sincere smile illuminating Violet’s face. “Come on! There’s so much to show you!”
Picking up the pace, Caitlyn follows. They left the stone room and headed towards a giant tree in the center of this huge open area. Everything was so colorful and bright for being in the Undercity, there was paint in fun designs all around the place. Lots of them are animals. Then there was a mural with a large drawing of two older men, surrounded by smaller drawings of younger people.

“Those are the people we lost fighting for our cause.” Caitlyn hadn’t realized that she had stopped until someone was standing next to her. She turned to see a man she was having a hard time placing looking at the mural too. 

“The beardless guy was my father-figure, Benzo. When he was killed, Vander took me in. That’s the other man. He died too a couple of years ago. When he died, our little family had to go into hiding since we were just defenseless teens. We started rescuing other people being targeted by the guy who killed Vander, and this place just kept growing.” The guy sounded so open while telling Caitlyn this. He never looked at her though. Not until he turned to her and said, “You probably don’t recognize me now, or without the mask.”

Caitlyn studied his face when he turned. “You… You’re Ekko. Violet’s youngest brother.”

“I’m also the one that is followed by shouts of ‘Raid Leader’ by your fellow enforcers,” Ekko said with a chuckle.

It was difficult to imagine that the sweet smart little boy Caitlyn once saw hanging out with Violet and her family is the same one who gave the other enforcers hell when there was a Firelight raid.

“You should probably get moving, Cuppie-cake,” Ekko said in a teasing manner, “Violet is probably not happy that you aren’t with her right now. She’s in the tree, by the way.” And with that, Ekko flies away on his board.

Running over to the tree, Caitlyn regroups with Violet. She didn’t even have time to ask why Ekko called her “cupcake” before Violet grabbed her hand and dragged her up some stairs going around the tree into a giant tree house in the canopy.

“Welcome to my room! Well, mine and Powder’s if you don’t think the curtain counts as a wall. Anyways,” Violet walked over to a dresser and opened some drawers, “here’s some clothes. You are taller than you used to be. Hopefully these fit.”

Caitlyn carefully took the offered clothes, then looked around. She didn’t see a good place to change. 

“Oh… right… I’ll just be-” VIolet points at the curtain before hurriedly shouting, “Pow-Pow, I’m coming in!” And just like that, with only minor protest from a girl, Caitlyn assumes it is Powder, and some hushed whisperings, Violet was gone.

Caitlyn quickly changes before she looks around. The room was tidy in a military sort of way. There were a lot of painted drawings around the room. Probably Powders doing, if Caitlyn remembers correctly. 

On the desk, there’s something shockingly familiar to Caitlyn. It was a metallic cube Jayce designed for Caitlyn to fiddle with when she was fidgety. It was a prototype, and when Jayce gave her a new one, she offered the old one to Violet. The girl was seeming to want to always be in motion, and Caitlyn had noticed she focused better when she fiddled with it. Violet almost didn’t take it, but finally did with a little nudging from Caitlyn. It was odd she still had it. Caitlyn picked it up to start fiddling with.

“You know,” Caitlyn almost dropped the cube, instead of dropping it though, she bounced it a couple of times, “I still use that thing every day. Whoever built that is quite skilled. It hasn’t even started to break yet.” Violet let the curtain drop from where she was holding it, then she walked forward towards Caitlyn.

Looking back at the box in awe, Caitlyn said, “I can’t believe you kept it.”

“Of course I did. I pretty much always had it on my person for the first few months after you gave it to me. It was one of the few things that I brought here with us.” Violet sat on the bed and patted the spot next to her, and Caitlyn went over and sat down. “So,” Violet turned to Caitlyn, “you probably have some questions, huh, Cupcake?”

Catilyn paused, trying to collect her thoughts. After a moment, Caitlyn knew what she needed to ask first. “I’m going to tell Marcus about you or this place, but I need to know, why? Why do you all raid cargo ships and vandalize places and attack enforcers?”

“Good question. Necessity is what comes to mind. Protecting our own also comes to mind.” VIolet looked off towards the wall, clearly trying to figure out how to answer Caitlyn’s question. “My dad, well, my adoptive dad, died during the winter right before I graduated. No, he didn’t just die, he was murdered. His murderer’s name is Silco. He used to be friends with Vander, but then they had different ideas for the Lanes. Vander ran this place, but Silco grew stronger until Vander couldn’t beat him anymore. Vander died, and suddenly I was in charge of 4 other teens. Now, we live here with others, and we have been trying to get the Lanes back from Silco.”

Violet leaned back on her arms and looked at the ceiling. “As for the raids, we only go after ships from Silco. They get shipped across the world, but we try to stop most of them. It’s pissed off some of the bigger baddies in the Lanes, but that means it’s working. Slowly we grow stronger and Silco weaker. That’s why we do the raids. We only attack enforcers if they threaten us or get in our way. That’s more of a survival thing. You see, Marcus is in Silco’s pocket. If we get caught, well,” Violet makes an explosion sign with her hands.

Caitlyn gasped. She had no idea that Marcus was benefiting from stopping the raids in a personal way. She also realized he had sent her here to destroy the biggest threat to his personal gain. Did he know that they were just young adults?

“Yeah, it’s a lot to take in. Well, as for the burglary in the stores, we need stuff to keep this place running, and some of the parts aren’t found down here, so we go and grab them from up top. And the vandalism? That’s teens being teens. I try to stop them when I’m up here, but as you probably know, I’m not up there much. That’s Ekko’s job.”

Violet flumps down onto the bed and Caitlyn does the same. They stare at the ceiling for a little longer, both just enjoying each other's presence. 

“Here’s another question I have, why do you all leave me alone? I get in your way just as much as the others.”

Instead of answering, Violet swings her legs and jumps out of the bed, then pulls Caitlyn up. “Let me show you around. Mylo damn near shit himself when he saw you the other day. Then he felt bad he didn’t talk to you.” VIolet then heads out of the room, clearly expecting Caitlyn to follow her.

They head down to the open area, where Caitlyn saw Claggor and Mylo playing catch with some of the younger kids.

“Yo! Idiots, look who’s here!” VIolet shouted at them. Claggor and Mylo looked up and smiled when they saw Caitlyn.

“If it isn’t the valedictorian enforcer!” Mylo called as he walked up to them. “What brings you to our neck of the woods? Did you miss me that mu-” He was cut off by Violet shoving him pretty hard out of the way. “Damn it, Vi!” Mylo said with a laugh.

Claggor waved from where he stood, clearly not wanting to be Violet’s next victim.

Violet put her elbow on Caitlyn’s shoulder, “Cait, you remember my brothers. Mylo here is in charge of lockpicking and getting around the lanes. He’s pretty useful when you are in a pinch. Claggor is the muscle-slash-protector of our little home. You will never see him up top if we use the board. He’s rotten at flying.” Violet smiled and looked at Caitlyn, “I know this isn’t what Piltover High expected from us, but I really wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“What about Powder?” Caitlyn asked, not seeing the blue haired girl out with them. “What’s her job?”

Laughing a little, Mylo said, “Jinx is our weapons manufacturer. She’s the one who makes the stuff that goes boom!”

Violet sighed, “I’ll tell you more in a bit. Powder sometimes goes up, but she usually stays here. She only goes up if we really need her to make a special tool.” Then she leads Caitlyn to play with some of the members while they catch up and reminisce on the past.

After a bit, a noise fills the area and suddenly people are grabbing masks. 

“What’s going on?” Caitlyn asked, watching people take to the air. She noticed instead that Violet was leading them to the treehouse along with some of the younger residents.

Violet doesn’t seem to hear when because she shouts, “They are heading out! Time for the junior raiders to come hang out with me!”

Caitlyn had no idea what was going on, but she resigned to asking when things were calmer.

A few minutes later, Violet had sent all the kids to various bedrooms to sleep for the night while Violet and Caitlyn went and hung out on the stairs.

“Mind explaining to me what just happened?” Caitlyn finally asked when things were quieter.

With a chuckle, Violet replies, “That was the raid alarm. Silco decided to send out another shipment soon after the other one, so we sent a group to check on it. There aren’t a lot of clocks down here, so I can’t trust everyone to keep track of the time. Ekko sets off the alarm usually. The kids who came here are the younger kids and orphans we have that get startled by the noises and who don’t have a guardian. That includes the kids whose guardians are part of the raid team, like Lily over there.” She points at a young girl with bat ears sleeping in one of the beds not in a room.

“What time is it? I realized I have no idea how long I was unconscious.” Caitlyn said with a startle.

Violet’s face turned sour. “Oh, Jasper is in for it.” She then spoke louder and to Caitlyn, “It’s about 1a.m. I think you followed the raid that happened at 11:30p.m.”

So that means Caitlyn had been unconscious for about half an hour. Not the worst, but not the best.

Her mother must be worried sick.

“I probably need to get back home soon.” Caitlyn said with a sigh. She swung her legs as the dangled off the edge of the steps. “I have no idea what to do about Marcus though.”

“Maybe you could-” before Violet can finish her sentence the raiders return on their board, looking worse for wear. Ekko zooms up to a room up near the top and suddenly the place has an alarm blaring through it.

VIolet jumps up, “You got a gun? You’ll need a mask!” Quickly she runs into her room and returns with two masks. One with Violet's normal blue decorations and one with indigo paint. “Powder made this for you just now. Put it on and save us the problem of you being found down here.”

“My gun is in the interrogation room.”

“Inter-what? Nevermind, I’ll grab it.” And again Violet dashes off, but not before shouting, “Cait, guard Powder and help her get the kids to the bunker!”

“What bunker?!” Caitlyn shouted in reply. Powder must know , she thought as she started herding kids towards Powder's room. Once in there she asked, “Powder, do you know where the bunker is? And do you have things we can use?”

Powder was one step ahead of her, having already collected her weapons and thrown them on the bed, other than a huge gun she had strapped across her chest, the gun hanging at her side. She also had her mask on the top of her head and had what looked like smoke bombs in her hands. “Mask up, Caitlyn! The show's about to start.” There was a wicked smile on the once-innocent girl's face as she brought down her pink and white mask. Caitlyn followed suit with her mask, then they were off.

Powder led them through down the tree, her in the front and Caitlyn in the back with a gun Powder designed. They made their way to one of the rooms and had all the kids file into a hidden staircase leading to what was probably the bunker.

“We stay outside and hide those who can’t defend themselves. Now for the fun part!” Powder laughed as she walked to the entrance of the room, smoke bombs in either hand. “Make sure no one finds those kids,” she paused, “and make sure none of those kids sees what’s going on here.”

Caitlyn nods, and with that, Powder pulls the pins and lets loose two smoke bombs that obscure the whole hideout. Caitlyn hears the enforcer’s shock and the raiders' cheers, clearly they have planned for this. Marcus’ voice is loud as he tries to take control of the situation.

Soon the smoke clears and the whole floor is in chaos. Every enforcer has a raider they are fighting. Claggor moved closer to the bunker, clearly trying to do his job as chief protector of the area. 

Caitlyn doesn’t care much because she can’t find Violet. Her heart is racing so fast it feels like it’s going to burst out of her chest and her breathing shakes. She has never felt like this before, not in any fight against raiders or outlaws.

SOmething shines on the floor, her gun. Caitlyn runs and grabs it, keeping an eye on anyone who comes near. No one has figured out that there are kids down here, it seems. 

Wait, if the gun is here, where is Violet ? Caitlyn thought, her fear reaching a new peak. Violet went to grab her gun from a place on the other side of the bunker, meaning something must have happened to make Violet drop the gun and not make it to the bunker.

“Where’s your sister?” Caitlyn yelled to Powder, who was throwing smaller smoke bombs like confetti, using it to throw off the enforcers and give the raiders a chance.

Powder’s body tenses, her head moves, eyes sweeping the room over and over. “I don’t know! I thought you said she was coming here?”

“She was! I think something happened!” Caitlyn, like Powder, frantically searched the ground and air for Violet, but she couldn’t find her. There was no sign of pink hair anywhere. It made Caitlyn’s stomach do flips.

Powder started murmuring to herself then she shouted, “Shut up, Vander!” as the girl held her head in her hands.

Caitlyn ran to Powder and grabbed her by the shoulders, “Listen, we need to find your sister. She will be alright, she is tough, but I think we would both feel better if we knew where she was.” Caitlyn didn’t know who she was trying to comfort more with her words at this point.

Nodding, Powder led the other blue haired woman into the frenzy. Powder took a cloth she had and stuck it under the enforcer's nose, rendering him unconscious. Claggor then picked him up and took him to a cell next to the bunker, then he went and stood watch in front of the bunker, taking up the post Caitlyn and Powder just left.

Must have been what they used on me.

Powder resumed throwing mini-smoke bombs into the frenzy, but the bombs were aimed closer to them as the two searched desperately for Violet. 

Eventually a yell was heard above the rest. It sounded like Violet. Quickly the two blue haired women ran in the direction they heard the yell come from. That is where they found an injured Violet cornered by Marcus, who was holding a gun that looked like it had just been used on Violet’s head.

For a beat, Caitlyn's heart stopped as she took in the bullet wound on Violet’s thigh, as well as her pale coloring and the way she was holding her head. The next beat was one of action. Without thinking of the consequences, Caitlyn ran up and doused Marcus’s lights with two well placed, very angry, punches.

The pathetic excuse of a man crumpled like a tissue onto the floor. Clearly not someone used to being hit.

Caitlyn would be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy punching Marcus.

Powder was on the floor with Violet, trying to figure out what happened, and soon Caitlyn joined her.

“I’m alright, Pow-Pow, the asshole broke my mask and gave me a concussion with the hard end of his gun.” Violet held her head as she said this, clearly trying to figure out how bad the hit was. Luckily there didn’t appear to be 

Caitlyn corrected Violet, saying, “It also appears he gave you a bullet hole with the barrel.”

Violet then looks at Caitlyn. “Yeah. Either way, I might need some help staying on my feet, care to lend a hand?”

Moving as quickly and carefully as she could, trying not to jostle Violet too much, Caitlyn helped Vi to her feet, then she brought Vi’s arm around her neck and secured her hand on Vi’s waist. 

Together, the three tried to make their way to the bunker, which hopefully had the medical supplies Violet needed.

On their way, Powder earned her nickname of Jinx as she said, “Well, this can’t get any worse.” And not even two minutes later Silco (who Violet identified for her) joined the party from an entrance up above.

“Marcus must have made a call,” Violet guessed. Caitlyn didn’t have a better explanation.

Silco was one mean looking bastard. And he brought friends. An equally mean looking lady and a couple other bozos.

Caitlyn didn’t know how they were going to handle them, but she knew it wasn’t going to be pretty.

“Cupcake, we need to let the others handle it. We need to get out of here, I can’t protect us in this shape.” Violet’s voice was shaking, whether from fear or anger, Caitlyn couldn't tell.

They made their way to a bunker, where Caitlyn still refused to put down Violet. Instead she brought them to lean on the wall, watching as Claggor and Powder take down enforcers in a surprisingly non-lethal way. One of the girls, too young for the fight, but old enough to see it, came out and put bandages around Violet's leg, closing what ended up being more of a cut rather than a hole.

There was another round of shouting, and it was from up above this time. Looking up, Caitlyn saw Ekko being held by the throat by Sevika. Silco watched on with a smile as Ekko tried to claw at Sevika’s grip.

“Shit, he got caught without his weapon.” Claggor said with worry. Now that she thinks about it, Caitlyn realizes she has never actually seen if Ekko can fight in hand to hand or off his board.

There was a scream as Powder brought her huge gun up and aimed towards Silco.

Violet tried to reach out to stop Powder, pleading, “Wait, wait, wait, wait, Powder, please!”

Whether Powder heard or not was not certain, all that was certain was she pulled the trigger as caitlyn dropped Violet, knowing Ekko was going to fall, possibly injured, if Powder hit Sevika.

Grabbing a board someone left on the ground, thankfully still functional. Caitlyn hoped her time doing balancing activities and her studying how the boards work for the firelights paid off. 

She ran with the board and hopped on, thankfully it turned on. While she wasn’t the most balanced, she didn’t fall off. Caitlyn kept in a wide legged, crouched position as she flew up to where Ekko was because Powder did hit Sevika in the chest several times, and now Ekko was being held in a dying woman's grip over the ledge. 

Caitlyn had not fully figured out how she was supposed to catch another person, but maybe she didn’t have to?

How much do I trust Ekko ? She thought right before she screamed as a body fell.

“Caitlyn, help!” Ekko yelled from above, and she saw as Sevika’s grip failed. She didn’t have time to figure out who fell off the balcony, she needed to get Ekko.

Right when she was next to Ekko as he fell, Caitlyn flew the board under Ekko's feet as she jumped off. Thankfully he immediately started flying on the board.

Of course, that meant Caitlyn was free falling towards the ground below. At least it’s better than both of us falling from this height.

Falling was loud. Wind rushed through her ears, knocking her hair up into the air and around her face.

She hears Violet’s screams fill her ears. That was the thing that made her pulse fly, Violet’s fear. She had never heard Violet be afraid.

Suddenly she stopped falling, but it wasn’t because she hit the ground.

“You are tougher than you look, Cait.” Ekko said in awe as he flew them back down. He was carrying her around the waist, helping her feet find the board as he stood on it behind her.

Once on the ground, Ekko raced to Powder as both made sure the other was okay. When his wellness was confirmed, Powder shoved him rather roughly.

Caitlyn ran to Violet, who had tears streaming down her face, but was smiling now.

“I thought you were dead, Cupcake.” Violet said, taking her hand and stroking it across Caitlyn’s face.

With a half-laugh-half-sob, Caitlyn said, “I thought I was too.” She then remembered the body she saw falling and turned to look at who fell. “Who fell? I thought I had missed saving Ekko for a moment.”

She saw, in a mess of broken limbs and blood, the body of Silco, lying lifeless on the ground. Caitlyn saw at least 10 bullet wounds in the back of Silco, and probably more in the arms and legs.

Caitlyn also saw that the frenzy wasn’t over and that the enforcers were not backing down.

Deciding enough was enough, Caitlyn took off her mask and shouted, “Everybody halt!”

For some reason that Violet would have to explain later, the raiders stopped first, but the enforcers followed suit quickly.

Trying to figure out how to be tall enough for everyone to see, Caitlyn didn’t notice that Claggor had come behind her and picked her up at the knees and lifted her so he was above his head, which was well over six feet off the ground.

“Listen up everyone! I was here on a mission to find the Firelights, when I did I learned they were working on controlling an illegal Undercity group and keeping them from spreading their poison. This was something Sheriff Marcus turned a paid, blind eye to. He was in the pocket of a man who murders people without punishment, who spreads his poison in the Lanes, breeding chaos. If you doubt what I say, just ask the person you were fighting. Think about how they only hurt the people and ships if they have no other way.” Caitlyn said, voice shaking with nerves as she tried to convince the fight to end. “Now, when you get your act together, come meet me by the tree.”

Once Claggor set her down, she picked up Caitlyn and took her to her bedroom in the tree, making sure she was comfortable.

“Hey, you are amazing.” VIolet said as Caitlyn put pillows under her head. “I’m so glad you are alive.”

Caitlyn had to fight every fiber of her being to not kiss Violet right then and there. Instead she just took a moment to take in how Violet looked. Even beaten up and bleeding, Violet was still the most beautiful woman she had ever seen.

Reaching up, Violet caressed Caitlyn’s cheek before saying, “Go take care of everything, Cupcake. Then come back whenever you can.”

Caitlyn nodded, and they said their goodbyes. Claggor, Mylo and Powder took her place as she went down to where everyone was obediently waiting. Ekko was waiting on the stairs for her.

“Alright, enforcers. We are going to take our people back to the station. Sheriff Marcus will be removed from office, and we will leave the Firelights alone from this point on.” Caitlyn yelled to her fellow enforcers.

“Yes, Sheriff!” One of the enforcers yelled.

That was not the response Caitlyn was expecting, but she could work with it.

Soon all the enforcers left for Piltover. None of them needed hospitalization, thankfully. It seemed that the raiders were pulling their punches.

She didn’t know if she could say the same about her enforcers.

Either way, the next morning it was determined that Sheriff Marcus was to be revoked of his title, of course, he fled the city with his daughter, so he never heard the news.

With the help of some enforcers testimonies, and with the backing of her mother, Caitlyn was made Deputy Sheriff and the previous deputy was promoted to Sheriff. 

It was a whirlwind couple of days for Caitlyn, what with her mother and father worrying, getting an office in the enforcers building, and getting protection for the Firelights from the Council.

Eventually the Council agreed to forgive the Firelights of all crimes, especially after testimonies from Caitlyn, enforcers, and Ekko. Firelights were also then told that, while not above the law and they need to report their findings to the enforcers, they are allowed to act as deputy enforcers only in matters relating to the undercity, as it was clear no one in Piltover truly understood what was occurring there.

With all of that handled, Caitlyn finally had a day off four days after the battle. So, being the girl with a crush that she is, she made sure she put on her best Undercity outfit, put on some makeup and did her hair up nice. 

Once she was satisfied with the results, she went to the bridge, hopped on the board Ekko gave her, and made her way through the sewer and down to the hideout.

According to Ekko, they were making good progress with fixing the damage the battle did. The hardest part was cleaning the damage Powder did with her big gun (namely the bloodstains). Caitlyn was excited to see for herself though.

Going down to the hideout was much easier, and cleaner, on a board compared to walking and falling.

As she floated to the door she noticed that there was a gap above the door big enough for someone on a board to go through while crouched down. With that thought, Caitlyn flew up to the gap, being careful not to fall off when she crouched, and flew in.

She barely got into the Hideout before someone shouted “Cupcake!”

Caitlyn really needs to ask Violet about that.

Landing on the ground with only minor stumbling, Caitlyn started making her way to the tree house, waving at people she recognized (which were still primarily Vander’s kids, as they dubbed themselves).

Ekko was right, it had been fixed up rather nicely in the last few days. Luckily there were no casualties other than Silco and his group. So there were no displaced families to worry about, just cleaning up.

In the tree house, Caitlyn walked past Powder who shouted, “Vi! Your girlfriend’s here!”

Caitlyn’s face turned bright pink. She tried to return it to normal, but she was unsure how well she did because Violet was there a moment later, leaning out of the doorway, hanging by one arm, and Caitlyn’s face was pink again.

“I was starting to think you were never going to come back, Cupcake. Heard you made Deputy and thought us Undercity folk were too low for you.” Violet started walking up to Caitlyn, clearly in better health than when we last saw each other. She was wearing what seemed to be ratty pajamas and it made Caitlyn feel slightly overdressed.

“That would never happen. We both know that I am now far too attached to you all.”

“Especially Vi!” shouted Mylo from his room.

Apparently the walls here were very thin. Noted .

“MYLO!” Violet shouted, her face going as red as her hair.

This was a promising observation for Caitlyn. It meant there was a slight possibility for returned affections.

Having decided that the halls were too public, Caitlyn walked towards Violet's room, Violet right behind her, walking with only a slight limp now. In the room, Caitlyn moved to sit on the bed, just like they had done days ago.

“You know, Powder was annoyed that Ekko forgot to bring you this.” Violet said as she went and grabbed something off her desk and brought it to Caitlyn, “She decided indigo was not your color and remade the mask.” Caitlyn looked at the mask. It was clearly made to look similar to Powder and Violet’s mask. It was nearly the same form, just made to look longer. It wasn’t a very fancy form, looking like the base of an opera mask, but it was the paint that caught her attention. Instead of indigo the paint was the same green the boards give off then they fly. “Jinx told me that apparently that is the flight path you took to save Ekko from where she was. She didn’t include where Ekko flew solo, instead taking your fall path. According to her it was more ‘badass’.”

Caitlyn loved it. She would have to wear it whenever she is on the board. Ekko had informed her that the masks actually help protect your face while flying, so that would be helpful in the future.

Eventually Violet made her way to sit on the bed next to Caitlyn. And suddenly Caitlyn forgot how to breathe, the butterflies spreading from her stomach to her lungs. Her brain had no more thoughts because all it could do was scream about how close they were. Those four days since they were reunited seemed to exponentially increase the severity of Caitlyn’s crush.

Instead of waiting for Caitlyn to remember how to be a person again, Violet said, “Sorry about Jinx and Mylo, they like to tease. I hope they didn’t make you uncomfortable.”

“I am quite alright, I hope they didn’t make you uncomfortable.”

Violet stopped and tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing, “Why would you worry if I’m uncomfortable? They were teasing me.”

All Caitlyn could do was stare. The butterflies were now in her throat and brain, stopping her from creating a rational thought, much less saying one.

Violet also seemed to be frozen, trying to figure out what was happening. “Did you think they were targeting you?”

“...yes?”

Her face turning to one with a soft joy on it, Violet said, “They were targeting me because I have had a crush on you since you gave Claggor, Mylo and I a tour of the school when we first joined! I am guessing based on what you are saying is that I wasn’t able to figure out that my feelings were returned.”

Holy Hextech , thought Caitlyn. Instead of being able to say anything, she just laughed for a moment. All the while the smile stayed on Violet’s face, having already figured out what was going on.

Finally, Caitlyn was able to speak, “I also had the biggest crush on you at school and it returned tenfold when we saw each other again here! I was wondering how I was supposed to tell you in the future!”

Both girls were laughing now, leaning on each other for support. Soon the laughs died down and Violet was resting her head on Caitlyn’s shoulder.

“So, when do we want to go on a date?” Violet asked in a straightforward manner, not bothering to move from her position except to grab Caitlyn’s hand to hold. This small action mixed with her question brought all the butterflies back.

This time Caitlyn pushed through and said, “How about today? I have the whole day free and it is still early.” 

“True, how about you show me Piltover?” Violet asked, seemingly about to get up. 

Not wanting to risk her injuring herself further, Caitlyn twisted, grabbed Violet by the waist and had them flop onto the bed while saying, “No, Vi, we are going to have an at-home date.” When Violet glared, Caitlyn rebutted with, “I will not be responsible for you worsening your injuries. Ekko informed me that you were not to walk too far and not fly around.”

“Tattle-tale,” Violet said lightly as she positioned herself to see Caitlyn. “Alright then, what do we do then?”

Caitlyn walked her fingers over Violet’s arms as she thought, “Well, we could always talk. I’ve heard that communication is a cornerstone of a good relationship.”

VIolet laughed, “If that’s the case. Well, let’s see. I am 24 years old, I run a group called the Firelights here in the Lanes. I lived here my whole life except for when I would go to school in the city. My father figure was Vander, he had a knack for adopting kids.”

“Wow,” Caitlyn said with a sarcastic eye-roll, “that tells me so much about you!”

Without missing a beat, Violet playfully kicks the other woman. “Why don’t you do it, Ms. Communication?”

“Fine. Something that most people get wrong about me is what they think my family life is like. They assume that because my mother is Councilor Kiramman I must get everything I want. In reality, I have to work as hard as possible to prove that I don’t need my mother to get things in life. Mother didn’t want me to become an enforcer. She wanted me to learn diplomacy like herself. Her thinking is that I am lesser for working for the public somehow, despite still being her child. It can be disheartening at times.” Caitlyn didn’t know where this came from, just that it felt like it needed to be said.

“That sounds awful, Cait. I’m sorry you have to deal with that. But trust me, you are doing pretty well, and I think you are better than some hoity-toity councilor.” Violet brushed some of Caitlyn’s hair out of her face as they looked into each other's eyes. It felt as if Violet could see right into her soul, and honestly, Caitlyn would let Violet have it if she asked.

“Thank you. It means a lot to hear that from you.”

With that, Violet adjusts herself, “An eye for an eye, I guess.” Before Caitlyn could stop her, Vi said, “Powder told me you helped her during the battle. I’m sure you noticed when she called out for Vander? Well, that’s the demon that haunts Powder and I. We were there… when Vander died. Claggor, Ekko, and Mylo were out, so when we heard trouble in the bar where we lived, Powder and I peaked up the steps. I had yelled at her to stay put, but she actually ran ahead of me when she heard Vander’s voice. I was so mad for a moment, but then she screamed and ran faster up the stairs. I froze. A minute later, Silco was gone and Vander was dead.

“Apparently he said something to her about listening to me because I’m trying to protect her. He had heard me yell to stop her, and Powder thinks that because he saw her, that’s why he was killed by a knife slice. Now Powder isn’t all there. I try to protect her where I can, but how do you protect someone from their own head? Apparently she sees him sometimes, usually when she feels like she messed up. She said you helped her when he showed up because she couldn’t find me. I am going to always be so grateful for that. Powder is a huge part of my life, and knowing she feels safe around you says all I will ever really need to know about your character.”

Caitlyn had no idea that Violet had to live through that. And the way she spoke of it, what kind of life do people have down here that death is so commonplace that she has been orphaned twice?

They relaxed on the bed for a while, letting their confessions bounce in the air for a bit before Caitlyn once again asked the question that had brought her down here in the first place, “Vi, why did the Firelights treat me so different, and why did they shout Cupcake when they saw me on the ship?”

Violet sighed, “I had hoped you would forget about that.”

“Nope. I need answers. Why do you think I followed you all down here to begin with?”

With a chuckle, Violet said, “Because you wanted to be around our sparkling personalities?” Not getting a reply, Violet continued, “As soon as I found out you were an enforcer during one of our burglary expeditions, I put you at the top of the ‘No Harm’ list for the whole group to know. Okay, so you might have been the whole list. Anyways, we couldn’t very well shout your name, so they used the nickname I always found myself calling you whenever I talked about you to the family. It was Ekko who came up with the codename since he was the one who needed to use it the most. Trust me, he took no small amount of joy in getting to have a codename that basically meant ‘Violet’s crush is here and no one should touch her lest they wish to feel her wrath’.”

Caitlyn couldn’t help it, she doubled over laughing when Violet was done explaining. When Violet asked what was so funny, Caitlyn managed to finally get out, “I chased you all down because I was losing my mind over proof of your crush on me?”

“Hey! You didn’t know I was running everything!”

That was a fair point. Caitlyn would never have known had she not come down here, and she wouldn’t have gotten her spectacular girlfriend either.

Instead of trying to waste her breath arguing with Violet, Caitlyn put both of their mouths to better use.

The kiss was cautious and sweet and everything Caitlyn could want in a first kiss. Violet seemed to agree because as soon as they parted she started another one.

“Hey, lovebirds! I’m happy you two figured it out, but can you go somewhere else? I have things to make over here!”

Caitlyn, now the reddest she had ever been, bolted up and pulled Violet along with her, “Sorry Powder. Oh, and thank you for the mask, it is perfect.”

“Yeah, yeah, just go!” Powder yelled through the curtain.

Violet slowly stood to follow Caitlyn to the door, “How does a picnic sound, Cupcake?”

Putting her arm around Violet’s waist (to provide support as well as to be close), Caitlyn smiled and led the way downstairs for their impromptu picnic in the grass by the tree.

Sitting under the tree, Violet's head on her chest, they talked and watched the Firelights fly around, both people and bugs. It was a very calm time. They ended up staying out there until it was time for Caitlyn to return to her house for dinner.

So, Caitlyn kissed Violet goodbye, hugged Powder, put on her new helmet, and took off to go back home.

As she flew across the sky like the Firelights she desperately tried to chase down for answers only days ago, Caitlyn couldn’t help but plan when she would go see Vi next and what they would do.

Maybe flying together?