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Small snowflakes were falling peacefully from the sky for the first time in a few years now, gradually covering Piltover in a blanket of white coldness.
Caitlyn was lounging on the window nook of a large arched window with a mug in hand, sipping from time to time while watching the garden get covered in snow.
On the other side of the living room, Tobias hummed to the tune of a jazzy song playing on the record player. He kept collecting baubles and garlands from a box, to arrange them into a multicolored ensemble on a pine tree.
As she stepped into the living room with a yawn, Vi took it all in. Suddenly, the atmosphere felt different with various decorations dangling from the fireplace, windows and furniture. It offered an elevated level of coziness, making the air warmer and more fragrant than usual.
“Are we celebrating something?” Vi asked as she kneeled in front of the fireplace with her arms outstretched towards the warmth. She watched the swirls of smoke provoked by each crackle with wonder.
Caitlyn turned to face the fireplace, with her lips curled up into a smile. “Oh, Vi. I didn’t hear you come in.” She patted the blanket on the window nook when Vi looked back at her. “Come here darling, let’s watch the snow together.”
Vi rushed to sit down on the other side of the nook, with her back resting on plushy pillows and her arms crossed. “So?” she asked and blew some heat into her hands, before she turned to watch the scenery with curiosity.
“During Snowdown, we don’t go out much. To make it a bit more bearable at home, we decorate, give the place a spirit of its own.”
Vi’s eyebrows furrowed. “Is this something Pilties do?”
Caitlyn took a sip from her mug and took her time coming with an answer, rushed by Vi poking her foot with one of hers. “No, Freljordians came up with it. We’ve just adopted it to have an excuse for trading with them.”
“It started around five years ago, when you were…” Tobias started from the other side of the room, trailing off when seeing Caitlyn’s aggravated expression and Vi’s arms flexing uncomfortably. He approached them and apologized for reminding them so directly that Vi was in jail at that point.
Vi’s arms slowly relaxed, and she dropped them onto her lap while turning to face Tobias.
“No worries, old man. I’m slowly putting that part of my life behind me,” she said and shook her head nostalgically. “You’ve just reminded me of when I used to exchange loot with Powder and the rest. We figured giving each other things we’d snatched from the Topside would make us feel better that we didn’t have much, y’know?”
The Kirammans exchanged a glance before Tobias spoke again. “Why don’t we organize a fancy dinner next weekend, just the three of us? We could exchange some presents and tell stories while grabbing a bite.”
“That actually sounds amazing, father,” Caitlyn said with a grin that kept broadening by the second. “I could hunt down a wild boar, like in the old days.”
“And I can help cook it,” chimed Vi in as she stood up from the nook. “Great idea, pops!”
“I’m looking forward to it, girls.”
The three of them spent the rest of the day decorating the mansion, in the process teaching Vi what kind of ornaments should be placed where. Sneakily, Caitlyn planted a mistletoe on the dining room’s doorframe.
The following week went by in a whoosh, with everyone enjoying some time off from their usual duties. Vi baked delicious cookies, Caitlyn could be found with a book or another in the reading nook, and Tobias sewed clothes that needed repairs.
At times, they’d hide from each other so they could prepare the presents without the others seeing them in advance. Once, Caitlyn was caught hovering over a photo album by Vi.
“What do you have there?” Vi asked while entering the study room.
Caitlyn closed the album with a thud. “Oh, this? This is for father,” she replied and reopened it when Vi stood next to her at the desk. “I wanted him to have memories of our family, especially of mother.”
Vi browsed through the pages, having all sorts of lighthearted reactions to the photos. She then cleared her voice and bowed her head all serious, speaking in a low tone. “You know, um, I don’t know what would be appropriate for me to gift him. Can I get some help?”
Caitlyn held Vi’s hand gently within hers and squeezed it reassuringly. “Definitely.”
When the day came, the three of them put their gifts under the tree and teamed up to set up the table. Then, Tobias took a seat on one side of the table, with his daughter and her girlfriend next to each other on the other side. Not once did any of them dare sit at the head of the table since Cassandra had passed away; it would forever remain her honorable seat.
As promised, a wild boar lay on a silver platter with a shiny red apple in its mouth, covered in aromatics and surrounded by all sorts of fruit and vegetables. A charcuterie board with finger foods from various parts of Runeterra lay next to it. On the other side of the boar, a small pot of rice pudding let out steam that carried its sweet, milky fragrance throughout the room.
“Let’s begin, shall we?” asked Tobias, which prompted everyone to fill their plates.
They ate mostly in silence, sometimes asking each other to pass spice bottles, plates or wine. There was barely anything left by the time any of them said something unrelated to food.
Vi laid back in her seat with her hands cradling her full belly while absent-mindedly listening to the others. The Kirammans were discussing the current state of affairs in Piltover, which had improved since Caitlyn had resumed working full-time to aid the Council.
When silence threatened to seep in for more than a minute, Vi cleared her voice. “Gotta hand it to you. It was brilliant to set this up at a time like this.”
Tobias smirked into his glass of red wine, with a tinge of red painting his cheeks. “Why, thank you Violet. I’ve been feeling for a while that we need something cheerful at the end of the year. Leave the negative behind, proceed with the positive.”
Caitlyn grabbed her glass of wine, looked into it, and sighed. “It’s indeed been quite an eventful and unforgettable year.” She then glanced at Vi. “It wouldn’t have been possible to pull through without you there with me,” she said, and raised her glass. “To us getting together and helping unite our cities!”
Vi picked up her own glass and raised it. “To us, and a more peaceful future!”
“To those we have lost!” Tobias exclaimed and chugged the entire glass in one go, the red of his face deepening swiftly. He slammed the bottom of the empty glass on the table, his eyes now wild from alcohol. “Ahh. Let’s open those presents!”
Their glasses got emptied in record time, but not without Vi and Caitlyn first sharing a worried look from the sudden outburst. Afterwards, Tobias sat all tipsy at the table while Caitlyn cleaned it up, and Vi occupied herself with bringing the gifts. In just a few minutes, five neatly wrapped boxes occupied the table.
Caitlyn reached out for one of the boxes, let her hand hover over it for a few seconds, and retracted it all empty. “How should we go about this?” she asked, suddenly a bit shy.
Vi took a box from the pile and handed it to Caitlyn with a wink. “Giving the gift to whom it belongs should do the trick. Open it.”
Taken aback by how heavy the box was, Caitlyn carefully steadied it on the table and unwrapped it. A pistol engraved with “C.K.” in cursive letters on both sides, similar to that which was pointed at Vi in Janna’s temple a few months back. “Vi, this is…”
“The best handgun you’ll ever own?” Vi asked excitedly, her fists playfully formed into finger guns.
“Isn’t it Jinx’s?”
“No, I bought it off Ekko and engraved it myself. He’s had it for years now.”
Caitlyn studied the pistol for a few more seconds and gently put it back into its box. “I shall put it to good use, then.” She then grabbed one of the unopened gifts. “This is for you, my love,” she said, as she handed it over to Vi.
Quickly, the wrapping got opened to reveal a thick green book with a flower bouquet drawn on the cover. “The Harmony of Flowers - Learn to Mix and Match ‘em” Vi read out loud and traced the golden letters. “Is this your way of telling me to make you bouquets from all those flowers in the garden, Cupcake?”
A blush crept up Caitlyn’s cheeks. “Perhaps.”
Vi placed the book on the table and bowed excessively in her seat. “I promise you’ll be spoiled with the most delightful bouquets when the garden comes back to life.” She then picked up the largest package in the diminishing pile and handed it over to Tobias.
“Thank you,” he said before unwrapping his gift. “Oh, what’s this? A memories album? Am I not a bit too young for this? I can still remember you.” He looked at his daughter with a cheeky grin, and then said while pointing at Vi, “and you.”
Caitlyn rolled her eyes at her father’s theatrics. “Just open it, father,” she mentioned with amusement in her tone and hopped off the chair together with Vi to stand behind him.
Tobias took his time perusing the album, stopping every now and then to remark on the memories that had moved him most.
One of the photos had Cassandra facing Caitlyn in her rookie uniform, grimacing at each other. Tobias looked up at his daughter, with a proud smile that reached the corners of his eyes. “You know, I’ve never told you how glad I am that you’ve paved your own way. Being on the field has always suited you best.”
When the end of the album was reached, Tobias gasped dramatically. “Someone is missing from here.” He picked up the golden camera from the gift box and loaded a filmroll into it. Shortly after a click sound, a photo of Vi’s puzzled face came out of the camera. Tobias waved it a bit and inserted it into an empty slot inside the album.
“I’ll be right back,” Vi said before dashing out of the dining room, leaving the others confused. A moment later, she reappeared with a framed picture of Cassandra and handed it to Tobias. “Let’s take a proper family photo, shall we?”
Caitlyn put one arm around Vi’s shoulders and one on her father’s right shoulder. From the other side, Vi put one hand on Tobias’s left shoulder and the other one Caitlyn’s waist. Tobias hugged his wife’s picture to his chest and pointed the camera towards the group. “Ready?”
“Born ready.”
Click
The camera spilled out a new photo, which Tobias held up delicately. “What do you girls think?”
Vi nodded enthusiastically in agreement when Caitlyn answered, “Worthy of being on the front cover, I would say.”
The photo got its rightful place on the album cover while the two women silently reclaimed their seats. The album and camera got set aside on the table, and Tobias pushed the remaining gifts towards their recipients.
Caitlyn opened the golden envelope and squinted with her good eye at its contents. “A trip for two to the most luxurious spas in Runeterra?” Her eyebrow furrowed. “I don’t believe taking such a long break would benefit us at the moment.”
Vi snorted. “Can’t wait to get some peace and quiet, huh pops?”
With his hands held up in mock defense, he admitted, “I think you girls deserve it, after everything you’ve done this year.”
A murmur escaped Vi’s lips while concentrating on unwrapping her gift. “You don’t say…” A posh suede case now stood open in front of her, exposing a black suit with a remote control next to it.
At Vi’s confused expression, Tobias supplied, “A suit that can change color. Don’t be shy, try it out.”
Vi took the remote, and, after studying it for a bit, clicked on a button that slowly turned the suit pale blue. A few more options were tried, until both her and Caitlyn ended up with tears in their eyes from laughing at some of the more ridiculous choices. “How does it really work?”
“Only Caitlyn’s grandmother knows. While a very talented scientist, she wasn’t the type to leave papers laying around,” Tobias replied, inhaling as if he was trying to remember something. “Perhaps that machinery of yours contains some information on it,” he continued, nodding towards Caitlyn.
He let out a wheezing cough, the type of which was becoming more and more frequent as of late. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll retreat for the night.”
“Take care, father” and “Rest well, old man” could be heard from the two women as he stood up to leave with the camera in hand and the album under his arm.
It stayed silent in the room for a few seconds after he left, until Caitlyn eventually bit her lower lip and said, “Follow me.”
Vi followed her to the door, stopping at the doorframe when Caitlyn did. Her hands, calloused from too much garden work rather than fighting, were now held and caressed by Caitlyn’s soft fingers.
“There’s something you should know about,” Caitlyn said in a sultry tone, a playful smile tugging at her lips.
Of course, Vi couldn’t help but look at those mesmerizing lips while trying to find her words. “And that is…”
“Above you.”
As instructed, Vi looked above their heads to see a small bundle of mistletoe attached to the doorframe. “So this is how I’m being introduced to floral arrangements, isn’t it?”
“It’s not just an arrangement. Mistletoes represent love and affection, so people often hang them up during Snowdown to garner the attention of those worthy enough,” Caitlyn explained and started leaning in towards Vi, who was trying to absorb the information without getting too distracted by the way she was being looked at.
Vi leaned in as well, close enough for their noses to touch. “And am I worthy?”
Their lips brushed briefly, teasingly. “Always,” Caitlyn whispered, while they were both closing their eyes in anticipation.
Their mouths met in a languid kiss which got lost in time. They held each other in an embrace, soft, heartfelt, and their kiss deepened like their lives depended on it.
One of them broke the kiss at some point, and their eyes opened lazily to take each other in with soft giggles.
“So, about that luxurious trip-” Vi started, but got interrupted swiftly when she felt a tug at her hand and saw Caitlyn nod towards the staircase.
“Oh Violet, I’m afraid that will have to wait. For now, I’ve got other plans with you.”