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A messenger approaches. “Caitlyn Kiramman?” Caitlyn stands before him, straight and tall. Rifle hanging on her back as always. He smiles and releases an amused huff. “I know that’s you, Commander. But I still need an acknowledgment.” Caitlyn releases an amused huff of her own. “That’s me.” The man’s expression turns serious. “I have a message for you from the Mayor of Zaun.” Caitlyn sharply exhales and rolls her eyes.
Caitlyn turns and jokes with an enforcer to her right “I wonder what the illustrious mayor wants today.” What the messenger says next stops her dead in her tracks. “She said to tell you it’s about Violet.” Two enforcers, Steb and Loris, turn to each other behind her. Caitlyn clears her throat. “I’ll…take it…Thank you.” The man nods, hands Caitlyn the letter and briskly walks away. Caitlyn stares at the letter in silence. It’s Loris who breaks the tension. “Waiting for orders Commander.”
Caitlyn blinks and shakes her head, trying to focus herself. “Sorry Sergeant. It’s…been a long day. We should call it a day and get some rest. Night shift can take it from here.” He turns to Steb and he gives him a surprised look. Loris just nods. “Yes Ma’am.” As they walked away, Steb trilled. Loris lets out a breathy laugh. “I know. The mention of her name is the only time I ever see that woman falter. And to send us to rest? Yeah. She’s dying to read that letter.”
Caitlyn sat down on her bed and wrapped herself in her covers. She didn’t know what the letter would tell her. But she wouldn’t have to find her way to her bed to collapse if she was already there. She opened the letter and somehow managed to smirk at seeing Sevika’s handwriting. She’s thought of the way they’d teased each other. Upon seeing her penmanship, Caitlyn said Sevika “Had pretty handwriting for a brute.” Sevika groaned, rolled her eyes and replied “We can’t all be dainty, little flowers like you Kiramman.”
Caitlyn and Sevika. Two people who were thrust into positions of power they’d never wanted in the first place. Both wanting what was best for their respective cities. Neither able to deny they were the best person for the job. If Zaun and Piltover were going to be independent entities, they need leaders who would think before they acted. And while Caitlyn and Sevika both had to grow into that mindset in the two years, they had accepted it with accountability and hindsight. A self awareness, Sevika said, that Caitlyn possessed that most “Pilties” lacked.
But it wasn’t until Caitlyn came face to face with Vi in her study a year before that interaction that the gravity of what she’d done under Ambessa’s thumb REALLY struck her. Who had she become that Vi was willing to strike out at? Vi who always touched her with such tenderness. Who had she become that Vi looked at with dark eyes? Vi who always looked at her like she was what she needed most. Who WAS she that Vi spoke to with such disregard? Vi who reassured her. Vi who made her feel safe. Vi who made her feel LOVED.
Vi’s words stung with a venom that no one else could deliver to Caitlyn. But she didn’t have to say them. Caitlyn had already heard them. Echoing in her mind in the moments when she was alone. When Vi stormed out, she wanted to stop her. Tell her she was sorry. Tell her she knew she was wrong. But she knew it wouldn’t do her any good. Vi was furious with her. And she had every right to be.
Caitlyn had honestly expected Vi to lay into her harder. And the moments that followed were like a whirlwind. Vi had released Jinx. That wasn’t her intention. But she did. Caitlyn found her in the cell. Reassured her. And Vi kissed her. Vi kissed her like she’d never done before. It was hungry and messy. When Caitlyn caught her breath, she tried to ask. But Vi read her mind. “I’ve spent so much time trying to do what I thought was right for everyone else. I need to do this Cait. I need to do this for me.”
They practically sprinted to Caitlyn’s office. It was the closest place they could think of. All the guards were gone, but they needed somewhere they could let their walls down. As Caitlyn shut the door, Vi whirled around and pushed her against it. As Caitlyn opened her mouth with a gasp, Vi’s lips found hers. Hot and huffing. It was hard to decipher if it was from the running or their need. But it didn’t matter. Vi’s tongue found its way into Caitlyn’s parted lips and there was no stopping them.
Caitlyn managed to slide her jacket off in the space between the arch of her back and the door. Vi’s hands made their way down to the buckle on Caitlyn’s pants. But Vi pulled back with a frustrated huff and they both giggled. In her desperation, Vi couldn’t get the clasp undone. Caitlyn softly smiled at her then slowly pulled off her shirt. Vi’s lips parted slightly and her pupils dilated. Her eyes found her way down to Caitlyn’s stomach then back to her chest. She’d waited so long to see Cait like this and she wanted to take it all into memory.
Caitlyn moved slowly. Her eyes never leaving Vi’s face. Vi looked at her like a mirage in the desert and she couldn’t get enough. Her heart raced. She reached over and unbuttoned Vi’s shirt. The one they’d dressed her in so they could easily access her stitches was now the only thing between her and Cait. Vi’s eyes finally made their way up to Cait’s as she rolled her shoulders to help Caitlyn slide the straps off faster.
It was Caitlyn’s turn to drink Vi in. Vi back up slightly to give her a better look. Caitlyn softly pushed out a puff of breath to push the strand of hair out of her line of vision. The slight smile on her face along with the light blushing on her cheeks made Vi’s heart clench. They found their way back together. Both sets of hands roaming the others back. Vi lifted on to her toes and pressed her face into the crook of Caitlyn’s neck. She breathed her in. Caitlyn instinctively nuzzled into her.
Then the mood in the room shifted to something different entirely. Vi pulled back so quickly that Caitlyn startled slightly. Vi grabbed her hands and walked her over to her desk. Spinning them around, Vi pushed Caitlyn into the edge of the desk. Caitlyn groaned. Her hands naturally grabbed Vi’s waist. When her hand pushed against the bandage on Vi’s side, she pulled back then gently touched it. “Vi. Your stitches.”
An almost devilish grin spread across Vi’s face. “I don’t fucking care Cupcake.” This time there was no fumbling. Vi reached across, unbuckled Caitlyn’s belt, and pushed her pants to the floor. Caitlyn quickly kicked them off and reached for Vi’s belt. But Vi grabbed her wrists and pushed her palms back against the desk. Caitlyn gasped. “Violet!” she huffed. Vi leaned in and kissed down her neck and chest. “Just let me take care of you Cait.” How can Caitlyn argue when Vi seems to know exactly where she wants to be kissed and when? And Vi is touching her in all the right places.
Vi makes her way down Caitlyn’s torso. Peppering her kisses. Then Caitlyn quickly realizes why Vi wanted her pants still on when she lowers herself to the cold concrete floor. Her hands slide to Caitlyn’s hips and she kisses the top of Caitlyn’s thigh. Caitlyn looks down as Vi speaks the words onto her skin in a low rasp “Open your legs for me Beautiful.” Caitlyn obliges and Vi makes her way inside her thigh until she’s right where they both want her. Caitlyn braces against the desk and the rest is a blur.
They dressed quickly. By the time they left, some of the guards had returned. With messy hair and a blush on her cheeks, Caitlyn quickly explained to the next in command that she was going home and that there was no need to check in on Jinx. He nodded and Caitlyn and Vi rushed off. As they got down the hall and away from everyone, they giggled and held hands as they sped up.
They barely had time to clean up before they had to meet Mel and Jayce. It didn’t help that they could barely keep their hands off of each other in the shower. But there were much more pressing matters at hand. As they went over the plans, Caitlyn placed her hand over Vi’s and intertwined their fingers. Jayce and Mel gave each other a knowing look.
-.-.-.-
Caitlyn and Vi had both been wounded in the battle. Caitlyn with two stab wounds. One to her abdomen and the other across her face. The second causing her to lose the vision in her left eye. Vi had sustained a deep cut to her abdomen in the previous battle and her fall caused it to reopen. The impact also left her with a concussion. She’s lost her sister and her father again and all she could do was scream. Vi screamed until her voice gave out. Then she retched and vomited.
Ekko was the one who found Vi stumbling and bleeding on the platform. His voice barely registering over the ringing in her ears. They both knew the signs. This wasn’t Vi’s first concussion after all. He offered to take her to the doctors treating those wounded in the battle, but Vi refused. “Take me home” she rasped. The words causing a tightness in Ekko’s chest. Where even was home for Vi anymore?
Seeing the panic and confusion in his eyes, Vi scoffed. “YOUR home Ekko.” He wanted to protest. He wanted to ask why. But he didn’t have the energy. He tenuously held onto Vi on his hoverboard as they made their way to the Firelight’s lair. Vi was heavy, losing blood and getting weaker. He was tired mentally and physically. He moved slowly. By the time he made it back, Scar was there with the others. And Sevika.
There was no time to question why she was there. And when she saw Vi’s state, she turned pale. Bloodshot eyes from crying, vomit still crusting her cheek and blood soaking through her shirt. She started to ask about Jinx, but Ekko moved past her and everyone. Desperate to get Vi to someone who could reclose her wound.
After everyone was released from Viktor’s grip, Mel was the first to Caitlyn’s side. Ambessa was dead and something unexplainable had just happened and there was nothing she could do. But she could go to Caitlyn. With their general dead, the Noxian soldiers didn’t move. Mel was a Medarda. Mel was also the one who had defeated Ambessa in battle. Therefore they awaited Mel’s command.
The enforcers and other fighters found their way to their feet. Stunned by what had happened and confused as to why the fighting stopped, the square was a place of confusion. Enforcers waited for the command of a woman they weren’t even sure was breathing. The citizens, from both Piltover and Zaun alike, simply resigned to returning to their homes. The war was seemingly over. And though no one knew what would happen next, what else could they do?
As she gently raised her up, Mel sharply exhaled in relief upon finding Caitlyn still alive. She looked up, expecting others to come to their aid. But no one moved. It’s like they were all frozen in place. Her voice cracked in panic as she yelled out “We have to get her medical attention! Someone get a gurney and help me move her!” It was only then that some of the enforcers around her scrambled into action. As she looked out at the mass of Noxians standing at attention, she looked down at Caitlyn and rasped “You’re going to be ok. We’re going to fix this.”
It was difficult to find surgeons in Zaun. Most people with the knowledge and expertise were moved to Piltover to attend schools and serve topside. Most of their doctors were apothecary in nature. So Ekko took Vi to the only person who knew could give proper stitches: Enzo. Enzo was a boxing coach. He taught both Vander and Vi. And he was also Benzo’s brother. So Ekko knew they could trust him.
Luckily, Enzo said, most of Vi’s symptoms were from her concussion. That her stitches had ripped open, but she didn’t have serious damage that wasn’t already healed or healing from the care she received in Piltover. By the time they got to him, Vi was pretty disoriented. She kept saying she “needed to find Powder.” Enzo looked at Ekko for answers and he just shook his head. It took three men to hold her until Enzo was able to ether her.
When Vi woke up, she found herself in a familiar place. The nurse’s station at Enzo’s gym. She blinked at Ekko and squinted “What…ahh…what are we doing HERE?” She grabbed her side. Ekko sharply exhaled. “You refused to stay topside and I had to get you stitched up.” The rest didn’t need explanation. Vi would know.
Vi’s other hand found her way to her neck and she winced. “How long..?” After Ekko practically whispered that it had been a few hours, Vi finally fully opened her eyes. Ekko braced himself for the questions he knew were coming. Vi furrowed her brow. “What the Hell WAS that?” Her eyes quickly squinted back shut. Ekko didn’t even know where to begin.
Her own enforcers carried Caitlyn to medical attention. Her wound was nowhere near as deep as Vi’s. But it was still serious. And there was also the matter of her eye. It was clear that Caitlyn would never see out again in its current state, but it was unclear if she would lose the eye altogether. They needed to clear some of the blood to get a better look.
Caitlyn’s surgery took hours and the doctors kept her sedated after so she could get some rest. Tobias stayed by her side in the hospital. After a few days, Caitlyn was moved to her home to recover. Tobias insisted upon it. He didn’t like the idea of Caitlyn being exposed to bacteria and potentially getting sick at the hospital. And they had doctors who could see her at their home. After a week, Caitlyn was awake. Everyone insisted she rest, but she insisted on finding out about Vi and the guards posted by her room refused to let the doctors in until someone called the station.
As the doctors prodded and doted over her, Caitlyn was finally able to ask Loris about Vi. “The last I saw her was in that tower and those…things were after everyone. I…I don’t know what happened after that Commander. No one has heard from her.” Caitlyn softly nodded. “Can we send someone to find out?” Loris was surprised at the softness of the request. It was a question. Not a command. “I’ll do it myself.”
-.-.-.-
Piltover’s surgeons assured Caitlyn they could return her face to the way it was before. Better if she wanted. Like the scar was never there. And their ophthalmologists informed her that they could do a corneal and retinal transplants to restore her vision. But Caitlyn refused. This was the badge she wore now. A reminder of the things she had to atone for. A sacrifice she had to make to begin making things right.
She’d lost her mother. Lost her eye. And temporarily, lost herself. With Ambessa gone, her mind was no longer being clouded and poisoned. She could see all of the terrible things she’d done in her grief. Mel stayed until Caitlyn was in better shape to do things on her own. But she eventually had to go to Noxus. She had to pick up where her mother had left off. Her body already sent back home to be buried. It was a kind of grief she and Caitlyn shared. Forced into power at the death of their mothers.
She and Mel both relinquished their council seats. But not before granting Zaun their independence. With the help of The Firelights, the people of Zaun held an election to name a mayor. Sevika tried to protest. But everyone knew she was the only person qualified for the job. She’d been there in Vander’s time and in Silco’s. Eventually she begrudgingly accepted. But only after Scar and Ekko agreed to be involved in rebuilding.
Sevika tried to talk to Vi, but Vi wasn’t interested in “making other people’s decisions for them.” What she wanted was to finally do things that she wanted. For so long she’d done for others. It was finally time to focus on herself. Vi settled into a shop as a car mechanic. Doing the things she loved watching her mom do as a kid.
Eventually systems were established. Zaun opened its own university with its own brilliant minds leading the way. Sevika, Ekko, Scar and the rest of the system they established led the people with empathy and fairness. Vi worked at a shop and people went to her first for all of their mechanical needs. She was Vander’s daughter and she’d fought for Zaun. They trusted her.
Caitlyn had settled into her role as leader of House Kiramman. A team of engineers at the university helped her set safeguards in place so that the ventilation system controlling the grey couldn’t be misused again. She remained commander over the enforcers. Loris served as Sergeant and Steb as Corporal. The chain of command more balanced. Tobias begged her to give it up, but Caitlyn was as dedicated as ever. She worked with Piltover’s new council and Zaun’s new government, led by Sevika, to ensure peace among the cities.
Trade agreements were reached once again with other cities. Noxus, led by Mel, among them. Even amongst Zaun and Piltover. It was a long road. But nearly two years after the war ended, it seemed like peace really was something they would be able to hold onto. It seemed like everyone had found a new rhythm. But the people of Zaun were in for a shock.
-.-.-.-
Vi was under a car working when one of her employees rushed in. Vi was running the place now, but she still insisted on doing the work. She hit her head as she raised up at the words. “There’s a call for you boss. It’s about your sister.” Vi rolled out from under the car slowly and rubbed her head. They matched grimaces. “What? What did you say?” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Ekko is on the shop line. He says it’s about…” “My sister?” Vi fished as she quickly stood up. He just nodded.
Vi picked up the receiver from where he’d put it down slowly. Ekko only knew she was there when he heard her breathing. “Vi…you have to get to my place now. She’s here.” Vi just dropped the receiver. They’d never found a body. But how could they expect to with half the tower collapsed onto itself. It would have taken months to sort through all the rubble and Zaun didn’t have the resources. Still, Sevika was going to do it anyway. But Vi told her to let it go. “Please. Just let her rest.”
Ekko’s voice sounded on the line “Vi? Vi are you there?” But the receiver dangled by the cord, swaying back and forth. Vi had taken off running. She didn’t even think to get on her bike. The employee tried to stop her but she ran past him. She had to get to Ekko’s place. She huffed and nearly choked on how dry her throat was as she burst into the door.
The guard at Ekko’s door nearly pissed himself when Vi shoved him into the wall. She jerked when Sevika touched her shoulder. “Eaaasy. He’s only doing his job since I’m here.” Vi lets up. “Now I need you to take a few deep breaths for me before we go in there. Ok?” Vi stands in silence trying to gather her thoughts and breath. “Vi?” Sevika breaks her concentration. “Did you..RUN here?” Vi just nods. “Gods Vi.” She turns to the guard and tells him to go get her a glass of water. He gulps, nods and runs off.
“How?” Vi finally says when they’re alone. “I think it’s best you let her explain.” The words sound so far away. It’s like it’s a dream. Vi feels like she has a concussion all over again. She doesn’t even notice Sevika’s guard holding out the glass of water. Sevika takes it and presses it into her hand. “I need you to drink this kid.” Vi takes it and drinks it without much thought. She’s staring at the doorway into Ekko’s livingroom.
It had been one year, ten months and nine days. Vi knew it down to the hours. The days passed by quickly but excruciatingly slow for Vi. She’s found a routine. Her life had found…normalcy. Or as close to normal as she could try to imagine after everything that had happened. And now, her world was turned upside down. Her heart was racing. Her head was spinning. And it all crashed down around her when she walked into the room and heard those five words.
“Hey Sis. You look good.” Vi dropped the glass in her hand and it shattered. But none of the Zaunites in the room even reacted. The sound of shattering glass was nothing new to them. She walked over quickly and reached out to touch the woman in front of her, but her knees buckled and they hit the floor before she got the chance. Ekko, Sevika and Jinx all moved to her. But Jinx got to her first. Her hands cupping her sister’s face so lightly that Vi could barely feel it. Tears welling in her eyes. Vi’s were already wetting her hands.
“You…smell like Mom.” Jinx almost choked on the words. Vi wrapped her hands around her shoulder blades and pulled her into a strong but gently hug. Just as she’d always done. That was Jinx’s breaking point. She was finally able to hold her sister again. Her head hit the top of Vi’s shoulder and she sobbed. They held each other and cried as Sevika and Ekko looked at each other with a mixture of relief and sympathy. Jinx just whispered “I know. I’m sorry.”
-.-.-.-
Caitlyn opened the first fold of the letter. “She has everything she could ever want. But it’s not enough.” As she opened the second fold of the letter, there was a photo. She had to stop herself for staring at the photo, trying to process it all, trying to drink in the image of HER, before she could open the last fold of the letter. “Your call Commander. -S”
Jinx and Ekko were sitting on Vi’s bike. Her hands on the handlebars. Him behind her with his arms wrapped around her. Jinx had a mischievous grin on her face and Ekko looked at Vi with a slightly worried expression. Vi was standing behind the front wheel laughing heartily. How it felt to see her happy. Caitlyn could almost hear her laugh.
-.-.-.-
Once the shock of it all started to wear off, Vi understably had a myriad of questions. All of which Jinx was happy to answer while she waited to ask her own long list of questions. Vi’s first question was logically “How?” How had she survived the explosion? Did this mean Vander had survived too? Quickly followed by “Where?” Where had she been all this time? It had been nearly two years.
The answers lay in the ventilation system under Piltover. Ironically, put there by the Kiramman family. When the explosion happened, the ducts that Caitlyn had opened created a vacuum that pulled Jinx inside. Debris slamming the way she entered shut. Much like it had for Caitlyn and Vi in the temple. The woman who once wanted to see Jinx dead had unintentionally saved her life.
With the grey once again controlled after Ambessa’s downfall, she could have used them to go anywhere topside. But no doubt enforcers would be looking for her. She could have used them to go anywhere in Zaun. But there was a responsibility there that people wanted to lay on her shoulders that she wasn’t willing to carry. So she left and went somewhere that felt familiar but where people didn’t ask questions: Bilgewater.
As to why it took her so long to return, the answer was simple: Vi. Vi needed time to heal. They both did. Vi needed the space to do something for herself for once. To finally decide what she really wanted without the influence of what anyone else needed. To make a life of her own without having to take care of everyone around her. And to give her a chance to be with Caitlyn if that’s what she really wanted.
But Vi didn’t mention Caitlyn. And she refused to give any details as to why she decided to go back to Zaun instead of going back topside. Jinx loved that she took up mechanic work. They both loved to work on things like their mother. She loved Vi’s bike even more. But Ekko insisted she couldn’t ride it. It was bad enough Vi was doing to get herself killed on that thing. Not that he could actually stop her if she really wanted to. After hours of conversation, Ekko finally suggested that everyone get some rest and they could resume all of this tomorrow.
When it came time for Vi to go back to her shop and get her bike, Sevika walked with her. They walked in silence. Vi thought about everything they had just happened and let out a short, breathy laugh. Sevika understood and returned in kind. After they got to Vi’s shop, Sevika finally spoke. “You know I have to ask kid: Why DIDN’T you go back topside with her?”
Vi sighed. She’d grown weary of the question. Everyone wanted the answer. Ekko, Sevika, Loris. Even her coworkers. One asked her before she took over the shop “What are you doing here covered up to your elbows in grease? You were a hero in their war. You could have had anything. They would have treated you like a king.” And it was true. She could have had a job, a warm bed and all the praise she didn’t want in Piltover. But she couldn’t have everything.
Everything to her was Vander. Jinx. Her family. And Caitlyn. But Jinx and Vander were gone. And she couldn’t have Caitlyn. Sevika looked baffled. “What do you mean? Who would have stopped you from being together?” Vi sharply exhaled and looked Sevika directly in the eyes. “Me” she said flatly.
Sevika couldn’t help the loud scoff that escaped her. “I’m gonna need you to spell this one out for me Vi.” Vi cut her eyes and squeezed her own fingers like she always did when she was nervous. Except for Jinx, Sevika knew that tell better than anyone. So she patiently waited for Vi to answer
The words slowly found their way out as Vi spoke softly to the ground. “Everything happened so fast. I didn’t have time to process it all. I just ran head first into it like I do everything. Jinx told me I should go after what I wanted and I did. But I screamed on that beam until I lost my voice. And then I just…laid there. Thinking about everything that had happened. I was so willing to picture myself in a future with Caitlyn that I forgot about our past. My past.”
There was a softness in Sevika’s voice that people outside of her circle never heard when she asked “What does your past have to do with your ability to love Vi?” And Vi responded almost instantaneously. “Everything. I lose everyone I love. I RUIN everything I touch. My sister isn’t the Jinx, Sevika. I AM.” Vi cleared her throat. Another tell. She was trying not to cry.
Sevika spoke as if she knew how the conversation was going to go all night. “Look kid. I know we have a complicated history.” Vi huffed. “But I’ve known you longer than most. Since you barely came up to my knee. You were always a sweet kid. Even after Vander and Enzo started teaching you to box. You always cared about other people. Especially Powder and the guys. And you were always putting yourself last. Always beating yourself up for not being able to do EVERYTHING. And I think that’s what Jinx has been trying to tell you. You deserve happiness too. You have to stop beating yourself up. This world does enough of that on its own.”
Vi huffs and responds playfully “Wow. Look at you all eloquently spoken Madame Mayor.” Sevika tried not to smile. “Don’t push your luck.” After Sevika left, Vi climbed on her bike and held her helmet in her hands. She couldn’t help but wonder now: Could they make it work? Could they work through everything that happened? Could she REALLY have Jinx AND Caitlyn in her life? It seemed pointless to think about knowing it had been nearly two years. Knowing that she and Caitlyn both knew EXACTLY where the other one was and didn’t even send a letter.
-.-.-.-
Loris was one of the last people to see Vi before the tendrils grabbed everyone. He was grabbed first so he didn’t see Vi get taken. But given that everyone else was, it was safe to assume she was too. They still didn’t really understand what happened. Jayce and Viktor, the only two people who knew, were both gone. All they knew was what Jayce had told everyone before the events that day.
All Loris knew, is he made the shot on the convoy, Viktor wasn’t in it, and when he woke up Vi was gone. But he told Caitlyn he would find out what happened to her and he meant it. He carried a photo of Vi and asked all around Piltover. No one had seen her. After a few days, he could tell Caitlyn was discouraged. So he went to Zaun and all the places he knew Vi went. People said they hadn’t seen her. But he couldn’t help but suspect they were lying.
Still confined to her room, Caitlyn began to wonder if Vi found Jinx and left with her. But after a week of investigating, a message arrived on Loris’s desk. Crews had been combing the remnants of the blown up clock tower for any sign of bodies. In their search, they found one of Vi’s gauntlets. It was badly damaged but there was no blood found near it and no body was found. Everyone tried to encourage him to remain hopeful. It was only one gauntlet and there was no body. Loris tried to hide the news from Caitlyn, but she found out anyway. She became despondent. Loris was more determined than ever to find a solid answer good or bad.
Three weeks after Vi’s disappearance, Loris paid the bartender at The Last Drop a large sum of money that finally got him talking. Vi was friends with the leader of The Firelights. If anyone would have answers, it would be him. Anyone who needed help could find him at Vander’s statue on Wednesday nights. When he arrived, Loris was ambushed and surprised to be confronted by Sevika, Scar, and his crew.
“I’m just looking for my friend. I was told Ekko could find her.” Sevika scoffed. “Alright then big guy. Who’s your friend?” Loris started not to answer, but this was probably going to be his last chance. “Her name is Violet. But everyone calls her Vi.” Sevika scoffs even louder. “In the pits, they called her ‘Hound’s Vengeance,’ but down here, you call her Vander’s Protege.” That got Sevika’s attention, but before she could say anything, Ekko stepped out of the shadows.
He walked right up to Loris and the men holding him let him go. “If you know Vi, tell me something only she would know.” Loris said “Ok” and reached out his hand. The men around them raised their weapons as Ekko furrowed his brows. But Loris insistently offered his hand. Ekko took it and Loris gave him a handshake that only four people knew. And two of them were dead.
Ekko’s eyes widened and all he said was “Where did you meet her?” The men lowered their weapons. “We were enforcers together.” They raised their weapons again and argued “A filthy enforcer!?” “You can’t TRUST him Ekko!” Ekko scoffed “You trust Vi don’t you?” None of them said anything but lowered their weapons. “Trust?” Loris said hopefully. “So she IS alive?” Ekko made a swift moment with his head and one of his men hit Loris on the back of the head.
When he woke up, Loris’s vision was blurry. But we could see people standing around him. His hands were tied behind his back in the chair. “What happened…t…puttin…a bag over a guy’s head?” He was groggy. Sevika responds gruffly “We’re all out.” Then Ekko chimes in. “We still can’t trust you. You could be working for ANYONE.” Loris sighed. “I don’t work for ANYONE except Caitlyn Kirraman.”
Loris is just getting his vision back clearly, but he can see Sevika and Ekko exchange looks. Ekko quickly tells the others to leave the room. Sevika stomps over to him “If you work for her then you should know who I am.” Loris scoffs. “Everyone knows who you are Sevika. What does that have to do with the commander?” It’s Sevika’s turn to loudly scoff. “Wow. She really doesn’t tell anyone anything, does she? She’s working with us to fix this damn mess.”
Loris squinted. “If she’s working with you, then why doesn’t she just ask you where Vi is?” Tired of the back and forth, Ekko sighs. “Because she thinks Vi is dead. And Vi doesn’t want to be found. So it works for everyone.” Loris barely waits for him to finish. “I want to talk to her.” Sevika chuckles. “What part of ‘She doesn’t want to be found’ didn’t you understand?” Loris sits up straighter in the chair. “Just tell her that Loris is here. If she doesn’t want to talk to me, then I’ll go home and stay there.”
-.-.-.-
In the beginning, Caitlyn couldn’t fight her sleep. If the doctors thought that she wasn’t resting enough, they would medicate her and induce sleep. She became frustrated by everyone forcing her to rest and refusing to give her any updates. Finally, she gave an order. Not as commander of the enforcers, but as the leader of House Kiramman. She was not to be given medications to sleep unless she requested them herself. Tobias tried to reason with her that it had been less than a month since she was stabbed, but Caitlyn wasn’t hearing it.
Mel and Shoola would meet with her in her room. And after another week, they met with her in her study. Caitlyn hated it. She wanted to get out of that house. And she despised that they were forced to accommodate her. But Mel and Shoola assured her that they’d much rather meet in her nice, warm house than the council room they almost died in. Then regretted being it up. Caitlyn hated that people walked on their tiptoes around her.
Every time Caitlyn tried to apologize or bring up what she did with the help of Ambessa’s influence, people swept it under the rug. Or worse, they placed all the blame on Ambessa. Caitlyn hated that too. Because she did these things. However blinded by grief. However much of Ambessa’s advice that she listened to. This was her. And how could she make it right if Piltover didn’t see anything wrong with it?
But then they started meeting with Zaunites. First the families of those who fought and died in the battle that day. Then people who led the revolutions. Like Scar, Ekko and Sevika. People who weren’t afraid to tell her EXACTLY what she’d done to her face. And Caitlyn welcomed it. She’d become someone she didn’t recognize and she needed to atone.
But there was one person she couldn’t apologize to. One person she couldn’t make things right with: Vi. What happened between her and Vi the day before the battle was a trust fall. It was both of them proving to the other that they could let go. That they could let their guard down. It was a first step. But Caitlyn wanted that next step. She wanted to PROVE it. To show Vi just how much she regretted it all. To show her that she could live and let live. Because Vi was the type of person who wanted you to put your money where your mouth was.
She didn’t know where Jinx was. She didn’t know where Vi was. All she knew was that there were no bodies. Then they brought her word that Vi’s gauntlet was found and everything in her sank again. This was HER fault. Vi was still recovering from the stab wound that had been inflicted because of her. Because Ambessa trusted her and she betrayed her. Because she let down everyone when her mother died. And now she’s sacrificed the woman she loved to make it right.
-.-.-.-
With the chem barons gone, and Silco’s goons gone, the raids stopped. The patrols stopped. But Vi couldn’t escape Caitlyn’s name. At first she was grateful. At least she knew she was alive. But her name hung over her like a dark shadow. Commander Caitlyn Kiramman, Queen of the Pilties.
If Caitlyn sunk low, Vi went lower. She blamed herself. For what happened with Jinx. For innocent people dying. For Cassandra dying. For the things that Caitlyn did when she was in power. For the things they did as a team. Because Caitlyn listened to Vi. And it all started that night Jinx held them captive. Vi so badly wanted to believe that her sister could change. Caitlyn held her shot and Cassandra died because of it. And she blamed herself for everything she could have stopped after that.
Ekko tried to reason with her. Sevika tried to reason with her. But Vi would always burden herself with the blame. When she walked the streets of Zaun, Vi expected people to hate her. To look at her with disgust for siding with the Pilties. But the battle had changed something. The raids had changed something.
Caitlyn’s task force had done exactly what she’d said it would. They removed all of the people still loyal to Silco. And they shut down the chem barons. Without Shimmer ravaging the Undercity, people could begin to heal again. And in Ekko and Sevika, they saw hope. Hope that Zaun could be whole again. And Vi had been a part of it all.
Vi was surprised when Ekko told her that they had Loris. She was even more surprised when he told her that Caitlyn was the one who sent him. But it was Loris who was in for a shock. Because Vi refused to go back with him. And even more, she insisted that he not tell Caitlyn where she was. “Vi. She thinks you’re dead.”
Vi couldn’t bear the thought of causing Caitlyn more pain. But in her mind the only way to break the cycle, in Jinx’s words, was to make a clean break. “Just tell I don’t want to be found. Just tell her I said ‘Oil and water.’ She’ll understand.” Loris knew that look in Vi’s eye. He knew better than to try and argue with her.
-.-.-.-
A few weeks after the war was over, Vi returned to the pits. She was good with her fists and it was easy money. But she wanted something more. She wanted to feel something besides pain and anger. She’d been carrying that around for too long. But she certainly didn’t want to get into politics like Ekko and Sevika.
One day on the way to the arena, she passed a woman with a broken down car and kept walking. Then she couldn’t help herself. She stopped and turned back around. The woman was relieved to see Vi. Her car was overheating. Vi pulled out her water bottle and dumped it into the woman’s reservoir. “Your coolant is WAY too low. This should you get the shop over there.”
When she saw the worry in the woman’s eyes, Vi huffed. “I’ll go with you.” When they got to the shop, the owner chuckled. “Hell. I should offer you a job. You’re already covered in grease.” Vi just sighed and rolled her eyes. She turned to the woman. “You have a radiator leak. Don’t let them overcharge you.” She started to walk off and then turned back “Oh. And if he tells you that you need brakes, he’s full of shit.” The owner chuckled again. “I’m not that kind of guy. But you sure you don’t want a job?”
-.-.-.-
Caitlyn was at a dinner party for the Kirraman Foundation held in one of the large rooms of her family home. The date wasn’t lost on anyone: two years since the attack on the council. Everyone in the room had their eyes on Caitlyn. Some looked at her as the matriarch of her family. Some looked at her as Commander of the enforcers. Others still, looked at her simply because of how stunning she looked. She wore a navy blue dress with a split up one side that exposed her long, slender legs. Her hair tied up in a bun.
One young woman, with white hair and light blue eyes, finally did the thing no one else in the room was brave enough to do. She asked Caitlyn out for drinks some time. Caitlyn softly smiled and politely declined. Her schedule simply wouldn’t allow the space for it. The woman nodded and moved onto her next conversation with someone else in the room. Caitlyn looked up to find Tobias watching her. He smiled sweetly and she gave him one in kind. A member of the Piltover council tried to approach her but she excused herself and left the room.
Caitlyn found herself in her room looking at the photo again like she’d done a dozen times. A glass of wine in her hand and a glint in her eyes. All she could think about was how the woman’s eyes reminded her of Vi’s. And of the words Sevika had written under the photo in her letter. “One thing is still missing.”