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It’s a cold night in Zaun, the room is dark, only being lite by one candle. Powder and Vi sit up under the covers. Their laughter echoed through the night.
“Ok, if you could be any thing in the world, what would you be?” The blue haired girl asked.
“Umm, I don’t know, maybe just a better version of myself?” Vi answered. “What about you?” She turned to her younger sister.
“I would want to be a rock.” Powder said.
“Ok, how come?” Violet raised an eyebrow.
“I don’t know, rock are pretty, and they just get to sit there in nature all the time. I think it’d be nice.”
“Would you still love me if I turned into a rock?” She asked. Vi laughed.
“I don’t think you’ll turn into a rock pow.” Powder jumped as thunder sounded outside.
“Hey it’s ok” Vi wrapped her arms around Powder.
“You didn’t answer my question.” Powder said after the thunder cleared.
“Hmm, yes, yes Powder I’d still love you if you were a rock.” She tucked a stray hair behind Powder’s ear Powder went to sleep with a smile on her face, Vi watched as she saw her younger sisters face relax.
|8 years later|
The stars sparkled in the sky over the graveyard. Vi visited every day, Powder was the only one in the family to have a grave. They were always to poor to afford one, not to mention the fact that they are no graveyards in Zaun. Only the rich folk get graveyards. There were a couple
gravestones, though most were destroyed. Either through collateral damage or someone didn’t like who was buried there, so they decided to destroy it out of spite.
Vi’s parents had one, it wasn’t even really a gravestone, it was just a random rock that Vander had written there names on following their deaths. but it was destroyed in the blast. They weren’t even buried there. Vi didn’t know where they went after the uprising. Nobody knew.
Graveyards were about respect, according to Piltover the people of Zaun didn’t deserve respect. Most bodies were burned or buried under houses, bridges. Anywhere really.
There were a lot of dead bodies unaccounted for because getting away with murder was extremely easy in Zaun. Nobody kept track of how many people they were. The people of Piltover Didn’t care who died or lived
Unless they were rich.
No one had last names, social Security numbers, no ID’s or anything. It was impossible to know how many people lived and died in Zaun. Nobody knew, and nobody cared enough to find out.
Funerals weren’t a thing either. Some people had small ceremonies with family, Some would just light building on fire in there name, or just light a cigarette and call it a day. Most didn’t do anything, cause it was a waste of time, energy and money.
Nonetheless Powder had both. They had a small ceremony that consisted of Vi, Ekko, Caitlyn, a few firelights and some of the Jinx copycats. Caitlyn set everything up, she’s the only reason Powder had a grave.
Vi and Ekko had decided were the gravestone would go, since there was no body, the could put it anywhere. They decided on a small graveyard just outside of Piltover.
It was nice and quiet, far enough away from Piltover, and close enough to Zaun. It was in the middle of every, in the middle of chaos, just like she always was.
Vi took her seat across the gravestone. And placed a small rock next to the grave like she did every time.
“You know, when I said I’d still love you if you were a rock, this isn’t exactly what I meant.” She took a deep breath.
“But my word is just as good as a promise.” She taped her bottle to the gravestone, and took a small sip and smiled at the stone sadly.
“So i… I guess you turned onto what you wanted, and i’ve yet to become mine.” She laughed darkly. The night of Power’s death Vi stood on that ledge all night, and would often visit it. Now she mostly went here, in the morning, night, the afternoon. Sometime every day she’d sit on the grass, and talk to Powder.
Vi grabs the monkey head Power made, out of her pocket. Thinking about that night 8 years ago when the talked about what they wanted to be. Vi smiled at the thought.
She laid down to look at the stars.
“We used to spend hours looking at the stars.”
Vi reached down to grasp the glass below. It was cold. A little damp, but it was nice
“Do you remember when you found me after one of my fights. You were writing your name on your face, I never told you, but you spelt it backwards, Cause you were looking in the mirror.” She smiled.
“You know, i am sorry about everything that happened, i…. I wish it could of been different.” She sighed.
“I’m… i should’ve….if- I’m sorry… fuck I’m sorry. It was never meant to be like this. I’m the oldest, you should be sitting at my grave.” She said with tears shining in her eyes.
Vi turned around, rubbing her thumb across the letters she let the tears fall onto the ground. As the wind blows through her hair.
“Always with you sis.” She whispered.
She placed the monkey head next to the stone.
|Summer|
Summer time was Powder’s favorite. It was warm, loud, the sun setting later made it so they could stay out longer. The would get to go swimming. That was Powder’s favorite thing about summer.
They would sneak into Piltovers lakes, they’d spend hours there until the Enforcers would find them.
Vi took her usual spot next to the stone. “I got into a fight today, they were talking shit about you. I kind of beat the shit out of them.”
Oh really? Kind of? Vi could almost hear Powder saying it.
“Cait told me I should stop hitting everyone who talks about you.” She smiled.
“Do you remember when I taught you how to swim? You were so scared. But you did it.”
“I remember you were so excited when you finally learned, because it meant you could come swimming with us. And milo gave you shit for being a slow swimmer, and then you beat him in a race.” Vi chuckled at the memory.
She took a breath. “Cait wants to get a dog. I remember you always saying you wanted one.”
“You said you were going to name it whisker, you even named one of the grenades after your hypothetical dog.” Vi sighed “if we do get one I’m going to name him whisker. Like you wanted.”
|October 10th|
Powder’s birthday. Birthday were always hard in Zaun. They never really had money for presents. none of them really cared about the lack of gifts.
Powder would always make something. Vi still has the keychain Powder made her, she carries it around in her pocket. But it was more about finding time when they could be together.
“So i saw this rock, it reminded me of you, so i thought I’d put it here.” Vi held up a stone that was somewhere between a soft-hued larimar and a light blue chalcedony attached to chain. She hung it on the side of the tombstone near the blue flowers already spread over the ground, most likely from Ekko as he frantically visited her grave as well.
Vi poured two cups of whatever alcohol Caitlyn had laying around.
“Happy 20th birthday Pow.” She sat there all day, taking, drinking and crying.
Because it was her little sisters birthday, and Vi was going to spend it with her in whatever way she could.