Disclaimer: the characters are not mine, they are League of Legends champions. I borrowed them so I can try to correct the horrible lack of LGBT + couples that currently exists in the official Lore.
Chapter 1
The alleys surrounding the large warehouses in the vicinity of the Sun Gates were deserted at that late hour. The Sheriff of Piltover was scanning the area through the scope of her Hextech rifle. She was expecting the appearance of a certain pink-haired woman who was the nightmare of every villain in the city and an administrative problem for Caitlyn..., but there were no signs of Vi.
That same morning, while the twentieth damage report of that week was being filled, Vi entered the Sheriff's office, with a wide grin.
"We have a lead, cupcake"
Caitlyn didn't look up from her report, the damages the city would have to pay for Vi's last arrest were worrisome.
"You'll have to be more specific Vi"
The other girl laughed softly and approached the brunette's desk.
"You remember that band of Shuriman antiquities dealers that we have been following for a few months now...?"
At this information Caitlyn raised her head, looking at Vi directly in the eyes.
"I got the information that one of the negotiators of the band was trying to contact a seller of ancient treasures in the corridors of Commercia"
"Which one of them?" Caitlyn asked, reminded of the big and small shops that filled the commercial area of Piltover.
"One of dubious actions in past transactions" the girl replied, flexing her Hextech gauntlets.
"How much will this information cost to the city?" Caitlyn asked after a long, weary sigh.
"Don't worry, Cupcake, my methods are extremely sweet with people who are willing to cooperate with the law"
"He… cooperate?... Without property or bones damage?" This time, the Sheriff was really surprised.
"Your lack of faith hurts, honey" Vi said, pretending to be hurt, and continued her story. "It turns out that I have forged a certain reputation due to my past interrogations methods..."
Vi looked around Caitlyn's office, ignoring the girl's snort.
"Anyway..." she continued, "it turns out that the guy offered him some trinkets from foreign nations, although he didn't specify what they were. They agreed to a meeting in the warehouses next to pier 12, tonight "
Caitlyn smiled at the pink haired girl who was looking at her with amusement mixed with deep affection. She knew what Vi was thinking, they knew each other too well not to know. That night they would catch the thieves who had been scaping from them for the last months, and they could get all those dangerous objects out of Valoran's black market.
Caitlyn put the rifle back in its position, it had been over an hour and there were no signs of the suspects. She didn't doubt of the information Vi had obtained, but their delay in the agreed meeting time was very fishy.
When she was about to call her companion through the intercom that Professor Heimerdinger had designed for them, she heard a buzzing in her ear, meaning that it was the pink-haired girl who was trying to communicate with her.
"Are you there, cupcake?"
"Yes, Vi. What do you have?"
"The seller just got out of a black car two streets from here, escorted by two burly guys"
"Follow them but do not intervene. I want to catch them red handed"
"At your orders, cupcake""
Caitlyn smiled at the nicknames that Vi gave her, she would never admit it but she liked them a lot.
She changed her position to have a direct view of the warehouse door where the transaction of the smuggled items would take place.
After a few minutes she could see the salesman approaching with two muscular guys on both sides. Without too many precautions, they entered the place.
The little hextech contraption in the sheriff's ear rang again.
"I'm in position"
"Let's go in," Caitlyn replied.
From that moment, things happened quickly. The men, alerted by Vi's violent entrance, fled in terror like rats. One of them threw some kind of a smoke bomb that allowed them to sneak away more easily. Not without first severely injuring the seller who had passed the information to Vi.
Caitlyn gave the order to Vi to follow them, she would stay to take care of her witness until medical help arrived.
After about twenty minutes, Vi returned with a scowl.
"I'm sorry hunny. They disappeared. It is as if the earth had swallowed them "
"Don't worry Vi, next time we'll stop them. Now we have other things to worry about" the brunette said pointing to a pile of wooden boxes in a corner of the warehouse.
"What do you mean..."
The astonishment didn't let Vi finish her sentence. In the corner, the reinforcement officers the sheriff had called were extracting several relics from the crates.
Large black objects that gave off a crimson aura shone in the darkness. Beside it, a bluish glow radiated from objects that were clearly made of true ice.
"I think Nunu is in Piltover until tomorrow as a Freljord messenger, I'll go and look for him," Vi said.
The sheriff nodded, "I'll contact Leblanc."
Not even two days had passed when, again in her office, Caitlyn was interrupted by Vi, who was watching her amused.
The girl smiled back.
"What's going on?"
"The representatives of Freljord and Noxus are here"
"And that's something to smile about because...?"
"Oh, you'll see"
Caitlyn accompanied Vi to the conference room and understood what the other woman was saying.
"Katarina" the sheriff greeted. The redhead was looking absent-mindedly out the window, although her posture denoted a state of expectant alertness. The Sinister Blade turned and nodded in greeting.
At the other end of the room, in her cold regal posture, the leader of the Avarosan, looked at her intently.
"Ashe" Caitlyn greeted her. But she only received a half smile from the archer.
"Enough with the greetings, why am I here?" Katarina asked from her side of the room.
Caitlyn sat at the end of the table and ordered the documents she had brought with her, ignoring the haughtiness of the assasin.
"You see, that attitude will only extend this meeting even more" Vi told the redhead softly as they sat at the table located in the middle of the room. Katarina just huffed.
"I understand that you have come on behalf of your nations since you were the ones in shorter distance from Piltover," the sheriff began.
"The Institute of War has been kind enough to let you out to play with us" Vi said with a smile full of sarcasm.
"Anyway" Caitlyn continued, "what brings you here is this..."
She extracted from an envelope and passed to them the images of the recovered relics.
"According to our investigation, these are just some of the objects this gang of smugglers have in their possession, we don't know how many more they have or how they managed to get them"
And if yourn nations weren't so distrustful and shared the information it would help us a lot, the girl thought but decided not to voice her those claims.
"We know it's a big band, with a lot of members scattered around all of Valoran's most important city-states, they're sneaky and a huge headache for law enforcements" Vi added.
"But we have a lead, we will get them" Caitlyn said confidently.
"What leads have you gathered so far?" it was Ashe who asked.
"We know they move in the lower rings of Zaun, there's a guy, Ezekiel, who handles them... at least in this area," Vi answered.
"And what have you done besides playing hide and seek with this Ezekiel?" Katarina questioned, looking bored.
"Ezekiel is in custody, in one of our cells," Caitlyn responded quickly, with a hard look directed at the assasin. "We expected that the emissary that Leblanc sent would be prone to unconventional... er, interrogations techniques "
"It's not like I can't do it myself" Vi said, "But cupcake here prefers me not to dirty my little hands"
"Well, at least now you're making some sense" Katarina said, getting up from her chair, "show me where the cells are and I will do my part"
"Always so eager to see blood" Ashe mocked, getting up too.
"When it's from my enemies, of course" the redhead replied over her shoulder, almost at the exit of the room.
"Well, that's something we share," the archer said coldly, "I'll go with you"
"I don't need your help"
"I didn't imply that you need it, but if this guy has infiltrated the tribes of Freljord, I want to know"
"This wretch has also infiltrated Noxus, and you will not have access to know how he did it"
Katarina was now facing Ashe, blocking her way.
Ashe looked up a few inches and her gaze fell on the deep green eyes of the other woman.
"Move"
"Ok, ok ... time out" Vi said smiling, she couldn't hide the fact that she was having fun with the situation.
"The Institute of War authorized this shared mission with various conditions" said Caitlyn, approaching them.
"First, everything that you know about the other nations involved in this investigation, must be kept under strict secrecy; second, no quarrels or fights between you two are allowed, much less causing physical harm," the sheriff emphasized the last two words "Third, Vi and I will be responsible for these conditions to be honoured. A breach of any of the conditions means a permanent ban of your nations from the Institute and you will never be able to step on the Rift again."
Vi grinned at both women who were looking at them with a frown. "I don't really like the idea of being your babysitter either"
Katarina snorted and with a "Alright", left the room.
Ashe said nothing, just nodded in Caitlyn's direction and followed the redhead, determined to keep her in sight as much as possible.
"So… This will be fun," Vi said, half sarcasticly, half seriously.
"You have a strange idea of what fun is" Caitlyn replied, gathering her documents and preparing to take her guests to Ezekiel's cell.
Ashe walked alongside Katarina, both behind Caitlyn and Vi. They were on their way to Ezekiel's cell.
The redhead seemed distracted watching the curious architecture of Piltover, which extended to places like the cells blocks.
The walls had geometrical designs and an efficient appearance. Hextech technology was used from the control of the doors of the cells to the security system of the entire building.
Ashe could feel Katarina's anticipation for the violence that was about to unfold. She recognize that wild energy it but it didn't bother her.
The frost archer was the warmother of her tribe but she was never prone to violence. If she could avoid it, she would. She was never going to flee from a confrontation, but she believed that the shedding of blood could be avoided.
Even so, Ashe could feel as if every fiber of the Noxian woman was filled with an energy that could turn to violence with extreme ease.
She looked at the redhead, that energy didn't bother her as it usually did, it just fascinated her.
"Why are you looking at me?" Katarina said, noticing her gaze as they reached the indicated cell.
"Nothing, you seem... curious, just that," Ashe said holding her gaze.
Katarina said nothing, only stared at her for a few seconds and then turned to face the dark cell.
In the middle of it, sitting against the far wall and plunged into the shadows, a figure lay motionless. Katarina couldn't tell the size of the man because of his position, but it didn't matter.
She took off her leather jacket and tossed it to Ashe without warning. The archer grabbed her in mid air, without even blinking.
Good reflexes, Katarina thought, satisfied by the frown she had been able to get from the woman. She had a weakness for disturbing the peace of a certain Frejordian royalty.
The redhead stepped forward and opened the cell door. The figure in the shadows didn't move but there was a dry laugh that came from it.
"I can smell your fear" Katarina said with a lopsided smile.
"Violence solves everything," quipped Katarina as she left the cell.
Ezekiel hadn't lasted long before giving in the interrogation to the assassin.
"I like your technique," Vi told her, giving the red-head a pat in the back.
Ashe and Caitlyn rolled their eyes.
"Let's go to my office, we have a lot to plan," said the sheriff, guiding them in the direction of a corridor that left the Piltover prison.
"First I wanna wash off the blood of that bastard from my hands" the assassin said as she left the group. She had taken a few steps when she turned around towards Ashe.
"Do you want to accompany me too or will you finally stop following me?" she said, raising an eyebrow.
"Why? you need help?" the frost archer wasn't going to let the banter go.
Katarina laughed almost inaudibly and left.
Ashe simply continued on her way to the sheriff's office.
Vi looked at Caitlyn out of the corner of her eye, trying to hide a smile.
It's amazing what a review can do to the heart of a fic writer... really xD