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When Vi expects issues communicating with folks in Ionia, she expects having to gesticulate her way through buying food, shrugging and looking apologetic when people ask her to get out of the way, maybe even having to look to Caitlyn entirely lost when someone says something to her.
She doesn’t expect this.
This is the lowering of sunglasses and the sparkle of startlingly gold eyes, almost molten, the fluttering gasp of a hand pressed to lips perfectly plump as this stranger swoops right up to Caitlyn.
“诶？我们家小鹿？”
Is that you, little deer?
Vi almost gets to her feet but this is not a threat from the way Caitlyn’s eyes are wide in surprise and her girlfriend is almost out of her chair.
“Ahri姐...？”
Ahri-jie?
They’ve clasped hands by the time Vi’s decided this person is definitely not a threat.
The woman does a turn around Caitlyn, clearly taking in the entire casual outfit of loose open blouse and simple washed blue jeans. “凯凯，你啥时候长这么大了呀？”
Cait, when’d you get so tall?
“好久不见！姐最近还好吗？” Caitlyn beams.
It’s been a while! How have you been, jie?
Vi watches. Some form of reunion is clearly happening. What, she doesn’t know and she would judge by visual similarity but honestly that’s not really fair. Family, maybe? She knows Caitlyn has some kind of family here but she’s never talked much about it.
We used to do the occasional summer in Ionia, Caitlyn once said. I have fond memories of it.
“好多了，好多了。能见到你怎么会不好啊，小可爱？”
Good, good. How could I not be good getting to see you, love?
The lingering touch on Caitlyn’s arm, the easy smirk, the way Caitlyn leans into her touch, Vi doesn’t need to know who this person is to know that she must have been part of those fond memories.
“姐的嘴还是我记忆中的那么甜。” Caitlyn laughs, bright and open. Vi notes that she doesn’t cover her teeth.
You’re as sweet a talker as I remember you to be, jie.
“哦，对了，这是Vi。”
Oh right, this is Vi.
Vi perks up at her name.
“Vi, this is Ahri. We go back quite a while.”
Ahri.
That’s not a name Vi’s familiar with but she supposes that might soon change.
“Vi,” says Vi as she holds her hand out for a shake that’s surprisingly firm. “Nice to meet you.”
“Vi, is it?” The woman named Ahri clearly doesn’t care for an actual confirmation and she’s right up in Vi’s space in a whirl of flowing fabric. A manicured fingernail prods at her bicep and Vi looks over to Caitlyn for an explanation but finds absolutely none, just a gentle, amused look.
“凯凯，这是哪儿找来的小帅哥呀？”
Cait darling, where’d you find this handsome specimen?
Ahri’s nails cup her jaw. Vi finds herself blinking back into large golden eyes. Janna on a stick, who in Runeterra is this fox? What is going on? Now Vi looks over to Caitlyn for help but Caitlyn is, clearly, of no help because she is the most beautiful color of the ripest tomato Vi has ever seen.
Vi blinks, confused. She hadn’t even known that Caitlyn could turn that color outside of the bedroom.
None of that, however, stops the trail of Ahri’s hands down her shoulders. Vi feels like there’s a situation in which she’d feel a little… exposed. Right now, she feels a little more like a prize puppy on a stand being evaluated by a judge.
“挺壮的嘛～ 还有这些纹身。嗯... 不错。还算你有眼光。”
Great build~ And those tatts. Yeah, not bad. Guess you do have pretty good taste.
Whatever Ahri’s said clearly shakes Caitlyn out from wherever her head’s gone because it’s an indignant spark back in those blue eyes, the beginnings of what could almost be a pout.
Now Vi really needs to know who Ahri is and what else she can find out about Caitlyn. It’s one thing asking Tobias, it’s another, clearly, to glean embarrassing childhood snippets.
“眼—姐！我不是一直有眼光的吗？不像你...”
Do have—jie! Haven’t I have always had taste? Not like you…
Caitlyn folds her arms and this smirk too is familiar.
Ahri laughs.
“你真要和你姐拼？” The golden eyes on her trap Vi on the spot. She doesn’t know what’s happening but she knows she can’t escape, knows some part of this is at least about her. What, she has no fucking clue. “你不怕我全跟你小帅哥说吗？”
You really want to fight your jie on this? You’re not afraid I’ll tell your cutie everything?
“有什么好说的？你敢说就说吧，我不怕你—”
What’s there to tell? Go ahead, if you dare. I’m not afraid of you—
The words are foreign to Vi but this tone she knows. It’s the one that’s just a little south of too sharp and as far as Vi knows she doesn’t actually want them to fight. Not until Ahri can actually share some more dirt. Vi’s desperate, what can she say?
“Cupcake?” she prompts gently.
Two pairs of eyes snap right to her and Vi realizes very quickly that she might have made a mistake.
“Cupcake?” The way Ahri’s lip curls is a thing of beauty. “Oh, I'm really sorry, honey. Didn't mean to leave you out but you gotta know it's been so long since Cait darling's been in town. Couldn't resist, you know? She’s always been so cute when she blushes.”
Caitlyn blushes further.
Vi agrees.
“I am not—”
Ahri ignores Caitlyn.
“Tell me,” she leans in real close to Vi and now the smell of jasmine is so strong “What do you like about our little baby Cait? Think fast, puppy. ”
“姐！”
Jie!
The indignation on her behalf is cute, Vi thinks, but that has got to be the easiest question anyone’s ever asked her.
“Cait's really kind,” Vi says. “She's the sweetest person I know. She's sharp too, smart as a whip but it's her heart I love the most.”
Ahri leans back, almost a little stunned.
“You really like her.”
“Yeah,” says Vi. “Would be a little weird to come all this way to Ionia with her if I didn’t, wouldn’t it?”
Ahri pouts.
“凯凯，这小帅哥是到底哪儿找来的呀？”
Cait love, just where in Runeterra did you find this one, mm?
Caitlyn grins.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”