Caitlyn stood in the hospital room over her partner. Vi was covered with a blanket at the moment, but Caitlyn knew that it concealed a brace. She sighed with a mixture of relief and resignation, her relief coming from knowing that Vi could very well have died a few hours ago, but was saved by her armor.
She remembered the exact moment the call came in that they found Vi's body near the sight of the now infamous explosion. She also remembered the shock she felt when she arrived on the scene to find Piltover Emergency Services peeling the broken armor from Vi's limp form, careful not to further agitate any broken bones. While Vi was taken to the Piltover Emergency Room, the remnants of her armor and gauntlets were now under the care of Heimerdinger.
"I'll fix 'em up good as new before she goes back into service." The man had said when workers had finished loading the last of the pieces into his vehicle. "They'll be better than ever Sheriff."
"Good." Caitlyn remembered saying. She had little else to say.
Now she stood in Vi's hospital room waiting for her to wake up. She needed Vi's story to give her context on case evidence some officers had found.
A single blade trap, in the design of a lotus. It was found unarmed in the building where Vi must have fallen from. Caitlyn frowned as she thought about it. Jinx had traps, but hers were more explosive, and were much less complex in design. She had an accomplice. She thought as she turned the image of the trap over in her mind. Or had. She added, reminding herself that The Loose Cannon didn't have a good record of not terrorizing people she came across, let alone partnering with them.
"Hey." She heard a weak voice from the bed. She turned her head slightly to see Vi, slightly groggy but alert.
"Glad you're awake." Caitlyn said, hoping her voice didn't have her usual strictness in it when addressing her. "I'm also glad you're alive."
"Don't get sappy with me cupcake." Vi brushed her off with an intended insult to her softness. "Just help me..." She froze, realizing that she couldn't get up. Her eyes widened and for the first time ever, Caitlyn saw true fear in Vi's eyes. "Am... am I?" Her voice nearly broke, from the strain of the day or her feared situation, Caitlyn couldn't tell.
Caitlyn held up a hand in a calming gesture. "Relax Vi, you're not paralyzed. They injected you with a weak paralyzing agent so that you wouldn't move and possibly agitate your cracked spine and shoulders. They haven't finished putting your brace together, but I wanted a moment with you so that you could tell me about Jinx's accomplice."
Vi calmed down and let her head fall the centimeter she had raised it in defeat. Sighing audibly she muttered. "As if sticking around for that ceremony wasn't boring enough. Now I'm stuck here for who knows how long."
"I did tell you not to go." Caitlyn couldn't help but say, nearly regretting it the second she finished.
Vi's eyes flashed in anger. "You should have helped me!" She snapped, raising her head the little she could for emphasis. "If we were a team we could have-"
"We would both be in the hospital or dead!" Caitlyn shot back. "Why do you think they left you alive? Do you honestly think Jinx let you live on purpose? Her friend probably convinced her to let you go because you were no threat. If I was there they would have gained more by killing us both!"
"You're giving Jinx too much credit." Vi spat the name Jinx like a vile curse. "She's nothing but a-" She abruptly broke off as her eyes rolled back as she collapsed on the bed.
Caitlyn stared in confusion when a man in a nurse's uniform came in, "Sorry about that." He said apologetically. The automated ICU-PTC regulating her vitals sensed a heart rate increase as well as a blood pressure increase. In the interest of keeping her muscles from tensing up and harming her fragile bones further, it administered a stronger dose of the agent.
"Well tell it to wake her back up, I need that information." Caitlyn said impatiently; she was still heated from the argument that had been interrupted, and she was ready to take out her unspent anger on the medical offical.
The nurse pulled up Vi's vital signs on a screen on the opposite end of the room, muttered something to himself in confirmation, and proceeded to key in instructions to the automated bedside apparatus keeping Vi sedated.
Caitlyn meanwhile took several deep breaths to calm herself. She didn't want to delay Vi's recovery any longer than she had to. Vi's well being is more important than the information she could give me. She reminded herself over and over. She knew she treated Vi as a very good friend off duty, but she couldn't help but wonder if she treated her more like a police car or a living nightstick than a partner on duty. Perhaps she's right. She thought with a hint of sadness. Perhaps I do treat my men more like tools then people.
The fluid in the cables running under the sheets changed color, and Vi's eyes snapped open. "Wha?" Half of a word fumbled out of her mouth as she regained consciousness. "What happened?"
While the man explained the situation slowly, Caitlyn felt a sudden sharp pain in the back of her head. She jumped in surprise and glanced down to see a paper airplane drift to the floor. That must have struck me. Caitlyn thought as she bent down to pick it up. She unfolded it and quickly saw it was a message that made her pale slightly.
Get Well Soon!
Jinx 3 XOXOXO
"What's that?" Vi asked groggily.
Caitlyn quickly put the paper away. The last thing Vi needed to see was something Jinx related. "It's classified evidence. I'll tell you when you get better."
Vi blinked slowly. "I dunno, evidence usually doesn't fly in as an airplane."
"Vi, focus." Caitlyn said in a deliberately soft tone. "I need you to tell me what Jinx's accomplice looked like. We can talk about this when you get better I promise, but right now I need your help so we can catch them."
Vi's eyes blinked as enough fog lifted from her brain to let her be able to comprehend the question. "Uh, he had a mask on. A really pale one with a smile on it. There was only one eye socket." She answered slowly.
Caitlyn's spirits lifted. That small detail made it so much easier to track down their quarry. There were not many people with only one eye in Piltover, and she was going to interrogate every single one if she had to. "Thank you." She turned to the nurse. "How long until her brace is done and she can be fully alert?"
"Brace?" Vi repeated sluggishly.
"It should be a day. Two tops." The man answered.
Caitlyn nodded in appreciation. "Then the information I have will have to suffice for now." She turned back to Vi. "Get well soon Vi."
"Yeah yeah, don't get mushy on me." Vi answered, but with a small smile instead of a exasperated grimace.
Caitlyn gave a small wave as she left the room.
Vi turned her head to the man and said, "Hey nurse, put me under would you? I'll go crazy if I have to be awake during this process."
Grove was a thriving young village in Ionia. Named after the revered Astral Grove just a waterfall away, the inhabitants had dedicated their lives to living in balance with nature.
The man walked through the village; he waved cheerily at the children as he passed. They waved at him as he passed with cheers and smiles. They knew him well.
He walked down the dirt roads, marveling at the simple architecture of the buildings around him. It wasn't extravagant, or special in anyway, but it felt comforting. He regretting only having one reason to come.
He went up to a familiar and humble home and knocked with his good arm. He placed a wrapped package next to the door, just out of sight. He wanted to surprise her.
Once he heard the owner coming to the door he put on a smile, as naturally as one would put on a shirt.
The door opened to reveal the fallen celestial herself, Soraka. Her serene face brightened when she saw him. "Oh hello! It's a pleasure to see you again!"
"The pleasure is all mine." The man said with a bow. "I regret that my only reason for visiting today is this." He gestured to his broken arm and lifted his shirt to reveal the dark bruises over his ribs. "Do you mind healing it?"
Soraka shook her head. "Of course not, come in." She opened the door wider and beckoned him inside. "Have a seat in the den. I'll be there once I grab my staff."
He nodded and walked in. He glanced around, noting the simplicity of what was around him. The kitchen was likely the most room in the home, but the man knew that half of the time Soraka didn't cook for herself. He failed time and again to ask exactly how often she ate, but he did know she baked treats for the village children more often than she made food for herself.
A small counter, cabinets, a bucket with some washcloths, and a cooking pot decorated one side of the kitchen while a stone oven and a small table occupied the other side. A wooden floor made little sounds as he walked over it, proof that the floor was merely wooden slabs laid over dirt.
He walked to the den and sat cross-legged, and caught a whiff from the aromatic tea on the short table in the center of the den. Even though it was very warm, he could see the slender streams of steam rise from the cup like a siren of intoxicating scent.
Shortly Soraka walked in with her staff, and sat next to him. "I swear Khada, you only seem to visit when you break something." She teased as she put a hand over his arm and started healing his wounds.
Khada chuckled. "Well, you are the best healer for miles around, and painting in the woods can be quite dangerous when you are trying to get the perfect angle." His arm grew warmer as the pain started to ebb. "I actually got this arm broken by trying to climb a tree for the perfect view of the Kohona Mountain Range."
"And a simple ground view wouldn't have worked?" Soraka asked as she finished up with his arm and moved to his bruised ribs.
"You know me Soraka, I strive for perfection. It is the only kind of art worth producing."
"Well you shouldn't hurt yourself trying to reach perfection. Just because I'm here doesn't mean you risk your safety unnecessarily."
Khada sighed as his ribs stopped throbbing every time he breathed. "You are right, and trust me, I do not take you for granted." He looked straight at her with his sharp blue eyes. "I deeply appreciate your kindness, from the first moment you healed my wounds. No wonder this village welcomed you with open arms."
Soraka nodded in appreciation. "Thank you. They actually wanted to make me one of the village elders. I am still considering it."
"Do you not live here?" Khada asked as he stood up and tested his arm.
"I do." Soraka answered as she stood up as well, although she nearly faltered. She leaned on her staff briefly for support before continuing. "I just do not want to put myself in a position to fail these wonderful people. I am content as a healer; I have never led anything in my life and I am not keen to start."
Khada walked to the door. "Do you recall the old saying, 'Whatever fate we see in the stars, is a guide?'"
Soraka visibly cringed. "Yes, I remember it."
He opened the door and welcomed the morning sun. "Well, the stars deemed you as merely a healer. Do you not wish to be more?"
Soraka stiffened. "I have had bad experiences ever since I disobeyed the stars."
Khada recognized his error and bowed in apology. "Apologies, I did not mean to reopen old wounds."
"It doesn't matter. Nothing can change my fate now." Soraka answered glumly.
Khada reached to the where his gift hid and said, "Perhaps, but perhaps I can make it a little brighter." He presented her with one of his creations.
Soraka's eyes lit up almost instantly once she opened the wrapping. "Wow, this is beautiful! This was what you were painting the whole time?" She held the beautiful painting of the Kohona Mountain Range up to the sun for a crystal clear view.
Khada nodded. "I wanted to repay you for the bones you fixed and the fractures you mended over the months of my visits. I must admit I am impressed with your work. No wonder this village has no sick or injured."
"This is a wonderful gift, thank you." Soraka said with a smile that held none of the pain she had shown just moments before.
"You're welcome." He answered aloud. She is a creature of powerful magic. Khada thought. She will be one of my greatest masterpieces.
He waved at her once before walking back onto the dirt road and out of Grove. He watched the canvases running around him. Large ones, small ones, the canvases on four legs. They would all bask in the beauty and art of Khada Jhin. Their time was coming.
The stage was set in order.
Once chaos arrived.
The show would begin.