Work Text:
Missing.
Vi is on her way to work when she hears.
“Did you hear? The Kiramman girl—” “Hasn’t been home in days—” “No word—” “The councillor—”
She's off like a shot. Vi sprints through Piltover, weaves between its citizens, jumps over decorative half walls, tramples over meticulous lawns. The gates of Kiramman Manor tower in front of her. No time. She runs up one of the stone columns and vaults over it.
“Cassandra!” She shouts, landing heavy on polished stone. “Mrs. Kiramman!”
Large, heavy doors open.
Vi scrambles up the stairs and comes to a stop in front of the Kiramman matriarch. She huffs and puffs, eyes wide, staring up at her. “I heard— I heard…”
Dark circles underline red eyes. Quietly, Cassandra says, “Come inside,” Her gaze darts over Vi’s shoulder.
Vi swallows and nods. She’s led into the kitchen.
“Violet,” Tobias’ tired voice greets. He leans on the island
“Toby,” Vi says. “What’s going on? Is Cait…?” She looks back and forth between him and Cassandra.
Cassandra shakes her head. “Detectives have combed every inch of this house for clues. They have boots on the ground in every corner of both cities. No one can find anything. It like—”
“It’s like she just vanished,” Tobias gestures with his hand. “Into thin air.”
Vi furrows her brow and looks down at the countertop. “I don’t understand,” she clenches her fists. “I was with her. Friday night. She didn’t plan to go anywhere this weekend— It doesn’t make sense.”
“It’s a waiting game until the detectives find something,” Cassandra says.
Vi snaps her head up and stares incredulously. “You can’t mean that. There must be something we can do!”
“You and Tobias will stay safe here and wait.”
At this, Tobias narrows his eyes at his wife. “Cassie?”
Cassandra shares a meaningful look with her husband. Vi finds herself looking away, not wanting to intrude.
“You’ve been away all weekend, Violet. The garden misses your presence,” Cassandra’s voice grows soft. “Caitlyn will appreciate it looking nice when we find her. You know how she loves to spend her time there.”
“What are you going to do?”
Cassandra lifts her chin and straightens her shirt. “I’m going to go find my daughter.”
🐌
Vi walks mechanically into the garden, squints at the mid morning sunlight. It feels odd. To go about business as usual with the heavy weight of her girlfriend’s disappearance on her shoulders. Despite it all, she doesn’t have the heart to fight Cassandra on the matter. Despite it all, something in the back of her mind is telling her that the garden is the right place to be.
Vi tugs on a pair of gloves. The only thing to do in a garden is garden, she supposes.
She examines a bed of plants. It needs pruning for sure, she thinks. There’s a snail on one of the leaves she means to cut off. It stares at her expectantly.
“Aw, little guy,” Vi mutters. “I’m sorry, but you can’t be here,” she maneuvers it onto her glove. The snail’s shell catches the light and she can’t help but hold it up. “Woah,” she breathes. “You’re so pretty, your shell is like a sparkly blue in the sun!”
Vi tilts her head left and right before she lowers her hand and smiles. “Cait’s hair is real pretty in the sun too. I’ll make sure to find you a new home, snail-Cait, don’t worry,” she sets the snail down on the handle of her toolbox. “Why don’t you hang out here while I work?”
Surprisingly, the snail sticks around while Vi tends to the garden. At the end of the day, she finds a shaded spot under some blueberry bushes and gently sets the snail down in the dirt.
“Thanks for the company, snail-Cait,” Vi picks a blueberry and sets it in front of the snail. “Here, dinner for you.”
The snail just stares at Vi.
Vi sighs and shakes her head. “What am I doing? Talking to a snail, hah. See you around snail- Cait,” she grunts and pushes herself to her feet. “Stay safe out here.”
🐌
Days pass without a word. Vi has taken to sleeping at Kiramman Manor, in a guest room close to Caitlyn’s empty one. She dines with Cassandra and Tobias. When she retires for the night, she pretends not to hear their muffled worrying. Pretends she doesn't see the exhausted set of Cassandra’s shoulders when she returns home each evening.
The snail is following her.
Tuesday morning the snail sat waiting in her toolbox. Same on Wednesday. She gave up rehoming the snail then, returning the toolbox to its storage with a leaf and a blueberry for its new inhabitant. Thursday morning the snail was still there with that same expectant stare. Well. As much as a snail can stare.
It’s Friday evening now. Vi lies, cooling down under a peach tree with the snail on her glove. “It’s been a whole week, snail-Cait,” she sighs and wriggles her shoulders, trying to get comfortable. “You wouldn’t know where your human counterpart has gone, would you?” she chuckles. “Ah, ‘course you don’t. You’re a snail! All you know is eat blueberry and sit on leaf. And, I guess, follow Vi around, huh?”
The snail does not respond.
Vi sighs and shifts again. At her movement, the snail on her glove tips and falls. Vi squeezes her eyes shut and feels the snail bounce off the corner of her mouth.
Vi opens her eyes to try and look for the snail, but a sudden bright light, and a rush of wind has her holding her hand up. When she lowers it, she finds herself staring into the wide blue eyes of her missing girlfriend.
They look at each other for less than a second before Caitlyn falls and lands bodily on top of Vi.
“Oof!” Vi grunts as the air leaves her lungs. Her arms come up automatically, hovering over Caitlyn’s back.
“Violet!” Caitlyn exclaims, pushing herself up. “Oh, I’m so relieved— I knew you would figure it out!”
“Wh— figure out what?” Vi stares in bewilderment. “Never mind that, where have you been! Your parents and I have been worried sick– oh, we have to find your parents!” She moves to get up, but finds Caitlyn staring at her in confusion.
“You didn’t know?” Caitlyn asks. “That I was the snail?”
Vi’s jaw drops. “What are you saying to me? Snail-Cait? You’re telling me you were snail-Cait this whole time?”
Caitlyn blinks and then smiles. “Aw, you named me?”
“That is not the point!” Vi gestures wildly. “How were you a snail and why are you not a snail anymore!”
At this, Caitlyn grins. “True love’s kiss restored me to my human form,” she brings her hands up to cradle Vi’s face. “I have never doubted my love for you, but it’s nice to have it cosmically confirmed. I quite enjoy being right.”
Vi blushes. “I love you too,” she says. “You still haven’t explained how you turned into a snail in the first place.”
“A wizard cursed me,” Caitlyn shrugs.
“Oh,” Vi pauses. “Do you think it’ll happen again?”
“I should hope not.”
“Yeah, same,” Vi agrees. “Lets uh. Let's go inside and tell your parents.”
“Lead the way, my love.”