A/N: Hi guys, thanks for at least taking a look at my fanfic today. I haven't been writing very much recently, but here I am starting a new story. This will be VixCaitlyn centric. I've had a hard time tracking down all of the correct lore, what with Rito deciding all Institute of War lore has been thrown out the window. This story is lightly alternate universe... Simply put, there is no League of Legends. Not a lot of background is necessary, so I'll let you get to reading. Please review, as it helps a lot, and I'm completely open to criticisms. Thanks!
-Rawberry

Tea Time and Techmaturgy
Chapter 1

Bright sunshine warmed the peaceful city of Piltover, shining across the harbors, the town, and the fields that surrounded it. Caitlyn Harrison calmly walked up the long pathway leading up to the Piltover Institute for Gifted Minds. Strands of her long, dark brown hair swayed and danced with the light breeze. She was clad in her favorite color, purple. It was a special day for Caitlyn, but the girl opted for her favorite purple dress and boots. She wanted to be as comfortable as possible in such an uncomfortable place. Despite her ever-calm appearance, the young brunette of only eighteen years had been anxiously awaiting this day.

She was unsure of whether she had regret toward her decision to join the academy after agreeing to do so in response to her parents nearly begging her to attend, in hopes of their daughter might pursue a more dignified way to join the local law enforcement, rather than single-handedly tracking down any and all wrongdoers to enter their beloved City of Progress. Endless nights of nagging, arguing, crying, and rage had lead Caitlyn to accept their offer of residency at the prestigious institute, her parents attempt to encourage the strong, young woman to study the field before jumping in, assault rifle first.

Outside weapons were prohibited from the Piltover Institute for Gifted Minds. Only personal belongings such as clothing and toiletries were approved to pass through the gates of the school. That wasn't to say that all weapons were banned from the Institute – on the contrary - the creation of techmaturgical armaments and equipment that came from within were much celebrated, their inventors and mechanics held in high revery. However, Caitlyn felt wildly out of place without her father's trusted rifle, net, and personal traps, and was immediately made nervous as the thought of what criminals or brutes could potentially do to the unarmed young woman if she were caught alone on a dark night. Caitlyn swallowed her fear and quickened her pace, toting her wheeled luggage behind her. She approached the inner entrance of the Institute, a ten minute walk from the outer gates, heavily guarded with massive robotic guards. The inner gates were much less threatening.

Caitlyn rapped her knuckles against the foot-thick, heavy oak double doors that stood before her. A moment of silence passed, and nervous Cait tapped her foot against the packed dirt below her. Her mind wandered a moment to thoughts of her parents, her father specifically. Her number one worry about attending the Institute being that her father would be without her protection for a very long time. It was a huge risk to take, the possibility of robbers, gunmen, and other villains taking revenge on Caitlyn via her father was very real. The brunette jumped as the heavy oak doors blocking her path suddenly parted, an aged creaking coming from them in unison.

The gates gave way to a pristine campus. The buildings all complied with Piltover's common motif. Tall, white, steel buildings that aimed to touch the sky with their high peaked roofing, met the clean, solid stone walkways in a way that was calming to Caitlyn's nervous mind. The pathways were wide, and edged with a sapphire-tinted metal that Cait had recognized from the etching into the central police station in Piltover, a place she had visited on more than a few occasions. Caitlyn walked toward the Institute's Head Administration Building, her luggage clacking against the stone pathway as she advanced.

As she entered, Caitlyn found herself just as impressed with the interior of the building as she was the exteriors of the towers she had passed on her way. Everything was neat and clean, but she found her fascination most drawn to the quirky decor throughout hall. Against a large marble wall was a tall counter with several Yordles manning each of the three admission desks. A tall, dark-haired man towered over the left-most admission aid desk, seemingly filling out paperwork with a scowl deeply engrained on his harsh face. Still not free from her gripping anxiety about her new situation, Caitlyn opted to speak with the farthest away available Yordle on the matter of her dormitory quarters.

"Hello, miss! Welcome to the Piltover Institute for Gifted Minds!" A small, bubbly Yordle girl greeted Caitlyn, beaming a smile at the wannabe Sheriff, "May I please have your first and last name?"

"Caitlyn Harrison," the brunette responded quietly.

"Thank you, Miss Harrison!" The Yordle automatically replied, quickly jumping from her seat down to the floor below, pulling open a large drawer and running her small, furry fingers against the folders inside. She located the file she had been searching for without trouble. The Yordle jumped back up into the chair and handed Caitlyn the welcome packet within her file.

"You can find your dormitory located here, room number sixteen," she explained, pulling the map from Caitlyn's packet, and pointed to a tower that appeared a short distance from the building she currently stood in. "Your pass card for the building is included in your packet, and should be cared for like any other important personal identification, as you will need it to enter each building on the campus, minus this one, of course."

"Thank you, miss," Caitlyn responded politely, taking the map back from the small Yordle and studying it a moment.

"Have fun, Miss Harrison!" The Yordle giggled and waved her good-bye, "And welcome again to Piltover's Institute for Gifted Minds!"

Caitlyn smiled calmly back, and turned toward the exit. She was still anxious, less so that she were going to get mugged or attacked while on this campus, but more so in excitement to get to her room and make herself at home. She was due a nice cup of dark, bitter tea.

An overwhelming figure stepped in her path, however. The man who stood at the far-off end of the counter had since finished his paperwork and stopped Caitlyn in her tracks. He was tall, muscular, and had piercing eyes of lavender. This man was no stranger at all. Actually, Cait knew him quite well and upon realization of who had stopped her, she felt breathless for a moment.

"Jayce!" Cait's voice echoed with excitement throughout the entryway, a smile growing wide across her face.

"Well hello there, miss," Jayce smiled, taking Caitlyn's chin between index finger and thumb, leaning in close to give her a peck on the lips.

Caitlyn hugged him as tight as she could, her arms not reaching the entirety around Jayce's large chest. Jayce smiled, taking Caitlyn's hand and leading her out the door.

"Allow me to escort you to your dormitory, a pretty young investigator like yourself should not be alone in these parts," he mused.

The eighteen year old girl felt practically untouchable with Jayce by her side. The two of them had been a couple for the past two years. He found her calm demeanor and strong personality irresistible, like a techmaturgy challenge that he had yet to find the solution to. Caitlyn had always been very independent, free-willed, and strong, but Jayce recently had been able to relax that. He had been working toward 'breaking' the girl, as a wild horse might be. Caitlyn didn't care for Jayce when they had first met. She found him arrogant, selfish, and tricky. Even after the ice had been melted, her heart held at least some level of distrust toward him, especially after each time he had cheated on her and she inevitably learned of it, what with her top investigative skills, Caitlyn was not above staking out his house several nights in a row to discover his true intentions.

Each time he had done something untrustworthy, however, Jayce made sure to make it up to Caitlyn. He did so with massively expensive fine gifts, personally crafted jewelry, and the biggest puppy dog eyes the man could muster. And each time, Caitlyn fell for him all over again, trusting him even more after each incident. Cait may have been a brilliantly logical girl, but it seemed her heart was not quite as prone to listening to her head as she would like. And what did Caitlyn see in Jayce, exactly?

He was protection, with a brain. Just as Cait wished to protect her father and mother, she also required protection herself. That's how it started out, anyway. What this mutual benefit had become was love, in Caitlyn's eyes. She saw only her loving protector Jayce and a happy, safe future for herself.

Caitlyn's hand was suddenly empty. Jayce was already a few steps away from her in the opposite direction.

"I'll catch you later, babe, you'll be fine!" Jayce shouted over his shoulder as he hurriedly walked away, "I've got... things to do!"

Caitlyn frowned. Jayce did this often. She walked up the stone steps to the entrance of her dormitory. No one was around, surprisingly. Cait did like to arrive at her destinations early, though. It never really surprised her when she beat a crowd somewhere. She watched Jayce run off and turn down a different path that Cait had not explored yet. She sighed.

'Maybe if I put out once in a while, he wouldn't go running off like that so often,' Cait thought, guilting herself.

Caitlyn waved her student identification card in front of a scanning device placed to the side of the doors. The clean steel door slid open following a small, high pitched 'beep.' Within her dormitory building, there was a large room filled with plush seating around a central fireplace, which was empty and unused. The girl peered down at her map, turning it upside down and sought her directions. She followed the map's guidance to a long corridor to the left of the common room. The hallway was wide, and would easily allow for many people to bustle through them simultaneously. Walking past several uniform oak doors, Caitlyn arrived outside the room with a small silver 'Sixteen' embellished upon the door at eye level. She waved her student pass over the center of the door and it allowed her entry.

In front of her, Cait could see a small bed pushed to the corner of the room with a small metal nightstand beside it. Next to that was a fine walk-in closet, the black filigree printed curtains half pulled back revealing ample storage space. A wall met the corner of the closet, extending roughly five feet out, against which a small desk rested.

Caitlyn sat her luggage upon her small bed and began sorting through her items, placing her clothing in the closet beside her nightstand. She pulled a small, purple toiletry bag from her luggage and turned around, expecting to walk over to her personal bathroom. Instead, she bumped directly into a tall, threatening woman, thudding against her chest.

"Won't this be fun." A growling voice floated into Cait's ear. She looked up.

"Vi?" Caitlyn was shocked, and took a step back, the back of her knees meeting her small dormitory bed, causing her butt to hit the sheets abruptly.

Caitlyn knew this Vi as a troublemaker for the city of Piltover. How could such a girl be accepted into the Piltover Institute for Gifted Minds? She was nothing but a brute, Caitlyn thought. But here Vi stood, clad in tight, vertically striped denim jeans that squeezed every bit of her lower half, emphasizing her shape and muscle. She wore a simple, red leather jacket over her very lightweight white tank top.

"Why are you here?" Cait tensed, her hands forming fists at her waist.

Vi smirked, and replied in a teasing tone, "Oh Cupcake, that's no way to speak to an academic colleague," she mocked, raising her pinkie finger to the air. She laughed, one arm leaning against the frame of her closet and smiled, "I received a fine scholarship from Heimerdinger himself. Apparently he felt that I too, have a brilliant mind."

Cait shook her head in disgust. She couldn't help but notice, however, that Vi had been stripped of her massive robotic gloves. "I see the same rules apply for you, though," She gestured at Vi's naked forearms.

Vi stood up straight, and a look of displeasure filled her face. She crossed her arms across her chest, "Don't think that doesn't mean I can't still have a little fun," she challenged, punching a fist into her hand.

The brunette rolled her eyes, turning back to her things. Vi laughed, and stepped over to her side of the room, an identical set up to Caitlyn's, a door to a shared bathroom separating the close quarters. Caitlyn picked up her toiletry bag and walked to the entry of the bathroom. She glanced at Vi, and back to the bathroom.

"We're supposed to..." Caitlyn's face clenched, "share this?"

Vi shrugged, "Whatever. As long as you don't hog it, we won't have any problems, right?" She twirled a pink dreadlock between her fingers.

Caitlyn raised her eyebrow but ignored Vi. She may be without her rifle, but she was at much less of a disadvantage than her roommate. At least she still had her intelligence, something Caitlyn doubted Vi had a measurable amount of. She neatly placed her things in the bathroom cabinet and took a moment to examine the lavatory.

The walls were a cool light blue marble, matching the large bathtub in one corner of the room. Caitlyn imagined herself relaxing in that bath, piles of soft bubbles surrounding her while sipping a fine cup of tea. She was reminded of that cup of tea she promised herself, and turned to leave the bathroom.

Caitlyn was a bit annoyed that she would have to travel all the way out to the commons area for her tea preparation. Cait reached into her luggage for a small box containing her favorite tea cups and black tea. She was stopped before she reached the door by her antagonistic roommate, Vi.

"Where ya headed, cupcake?" She blocked the shorter girl's path.

"I'm a bit thirsty if you don't mind. Now please move," Cait glared at her.

Vi scowled, "Listen here, if we're going to live in this same dormitory, let me just lay the law down right now."

Cait was a bit surprised by Vi's inclination to have a discussion, or even to use her words over her fists in any situation. "Excuse me?"

"Number one," Vi started, "Don't ever wake me up."

The brunette looked at Vi, bored, "Why would I want to?" she quipped.

Vi growled, continuing, "Two," she barked, "Don't get your shitty tea spilled on my stuff!"

Cait responded with venom only in her eyes, but shoved past Vi and left the room quickly.

The kitchen of the shared dormitory quarter was rather empty, a few Institute students wandering about the common area or lounging on the plush furniture. The kitchen was lovely, much nicer than Caitlyn's parents' kitchen. She filled a kettle with water and set it on the stove, lighting the flame below. Cait prepared her tea and stood admiring the fine etchings on the marble counter as she waited. She kind of wished Jayce was there, at least to keep her a little company. What was it he was doing exactly that was so damn important? Or perhaps a better question was "who?"

Caitlyn shook her anxieties from her mind. She already had enough on her mind with the recent discovery of who she was to be sharing a room with during her term. The kettle soon began to make bubbling sounds, letting Caitlyn know her water was ready. She poured the boiling water over the packed infuser into her cup. The steam rose up and tickled Caitlyn's nose, the comforting warmth alone could calm her nerves. She took the full cup back to her room, eager to have a sip in the privacy of her quarters.

As Caitlyn returned to her room, she sat the cup of tea on her bedside table to let it steep and cool. She took the time to arrange neatly her family portrait near the lamp on her desk. She unstrapped her leather boots and slid them off, placing them on the floor of her large closet. It was curiously quiet for being in the same room as Vi.

Vi sat across the room, her legs sprawled out in front of her with her butt perched on the edge of her bed, watching Caitlyn's every move. She noticed how Cait did everything so precisely and carefully. Confused, Vi considered Caitlyn's familiar purple dress. Not one solitary wrinkle could be found in the fine fabric that hugged her torso and hips. Her white petticoat shown at the bottom edge of the skirt. Several layers of silky ruffles peaked out and brushed against the back of Caitlyn's legs. Vi felt a lump in her throat and swallowed.

"Can I help you?" Cait's stern voice pierced the silence, making Vi jump ever so slightly.

Vi frowned, and looked away. She stood and stretched, her long limbs allowing her fingers to nearly touch the low ceiling of the bedroom.

"I'm..." Vi yawned, cracking her neck to the left, then the right, "A bit thirsty myself." Without another look at Caitlyn, Vi headed out the door.

Caitlyn watched her leave, and narrowed her eyes at the door closing behind Vi.

"Weirdo," she muttered under her breath.

Vi walked out the door of the dormitory building and started across the campus. She put her ungloved hands into her pockets and walked around, peering into open windows of the buildings as she passed them. The heavy sounds of footsteps drew her attention ahead of her. Vi's chest filled with tension.

Jayce was walking right toward her, his head held high. He raised an eyebrow at Vi and they locked eyes as they passed each other, saying nothing. Vi balled her hands into fists in her pockets, shaking her head in disgust. To Vi, Jayce was not an honorable man. Merely a piece of shit who had come about to make her life that much more difficult. The guy was just plain rude.

There was a time when Cait and Vi had first met that Vi was actually pretty cheerful and playful in her antagonizations toward Caitlyn. It was only harmless teasing, in Vi's eyes. And for about a day, Caitlyn would play along, the two of them throwing quips back and forth, until she started hanging out with Jayce.

That boy thought himself brilliant to come between Caitlyn and Vi, taking the white knight position on Caitlyn's behalf. He tried to "protect" her against Vi's "cruel" words. He made her out to be the bad guy in all of this, when really Vi had only been trying the best she could to make a friend who wasn't a hardened, ratty criminal. Because of Jayce, Vi never even got to try to get close to Caitlyn, or have a respectable female friend in general to confide in. Of course, she expected Jayce to be at the Institute, it would be much stranger if he wasn't. He did indeed have a brilliant mind, one of the up and coming leading inventors in Piltover. He had laughed at her techmaturgic gloves since day one, and encouraged Caitlyn to do so, too. So what if her gloves weren't top notch, perfectly crafted pieces of tech? They worked, and worked damn well. She had shown Jayce a few times, in fact.

Vi had walked all the way to a small student-run shop, roughly a quarter mile from her dormitory. She entered the shop and gripped a small velvet bag of coins pulled from her jacket pocket. Reaching in, she pulled out three heavy gold pieces and dropped them on the counter.

"Hello miss," a tan, muscled man gave Vi a wicked grin, "What can Draven help you find today?"

Draven snatched up the coins in his hand and pocketed them. Vi gave him a sideways glare.

"I need alcohol," Vi stated blankly, using a hushed tone.

Draven laughed, "Oh! That's gonna cost you a bit more, love."

Vi rolled her eyes, digging her coin purse out of her pocket, and threw Draven five more heavy coins, one rolling off the counter onto the floor behind him. Draven frowned.

"Fine, fine," he turned away, and ducked below the counter. He pulled out one large bottle of hard liquor, "I'm sure you can pay me the rest in another way," he winked, licking his lips and studying Vi's figure up and down.

Vi's fist clenched at such a forward remark. She brought it down on the counter, causing the display of small trinkets to rattle, and Draven to laugh. Was she to be a joke the entire length of the term, all because of her naked fists?

She took the bottle of liquor and tucked it into her jacket, holding it close to her with one arm pinned to her side. Vi was much more thirsty after running into two very stupid men. She headed back to her dorm room, ready to find the bottom of the bottle she had just purchased.

Caitlyn sat on her bed, quietly sipping her tea and listening to a quaint music box that her mother had given her for her tenth birthday. Several songs played in rotation, just long enough to enjoy a cup of tea to. A sudden rap at the door broke Caitlyn from her relaxation. She looked down at her teacup, half remaining.

"Who is it?" She barked, upset that she had been so rudely interrupted.

A velvety smooth voice came from behind the door, "I just came to see my sexy Caitlyn," he whined.

Cait stood up quickly, brushing off her dress and setting her tea down on her nightstand. She rushed to the door, sliding it open for Jayce.

Jayce walked in past her, leaving the door agape. He looked around and surveyed the room, enjoying the cute little neat pieces of Caitlyn's life spread about. He turned to Caitlyn and took her face in his large hands.

"Finally, a place of your own," Jayce winked, bringing his lips to meet hers, gripping her waist with both hands.

Caitlyn's face grew warm, and she melted into the kiss. Jayce was such a charmer, how could anyone say no to him? Jayce's hands slid slowly down the brunette's backside and reached a stopping point on her butt, squeezing her and pressing her into him. Caitlyn moaned quietly, grabbing Jayce's neck and pulling him as close as the two could be.

His hands toyed with the rim of her skirt, playing with the ruffled petticoat underneath. Caitlyn's pulse quickened, and she felt the rest of her body grow as warm as her face had. Jayce's mouth traveled to her neck, sucking on the unblemished skin, causing more moans to resonate from Caitlyn.

A loud clearing of the throat interrupted the two. Cait turned around abruptly to find the door still wide open and Vi's figure filling the empty space. She quickly shifted her skirt into a much more proper position, and stepped away from Jayce. She knew the two weren't on good terms, and never had been. Jayce disliked Vi just as much as Caitlyn did, and for the same reason, she thought.

Jayce stepped in front of Caitlyn, "Hey butch, how about you take a hike? Who let you in here anyway?" Jayce growled.

Vi laughed, punching lightly into the wall next to her, "Oh Jayce, you're a funny one, you know that buddy?"

Jayce frowned, "What the fuck are you talking about, Punchy?"

Vi crossed her arms against her chest, "This is my dorm room," she stated. "Or should I say," she glanced over at Caitlyn, "Our dormitory."

Jayce looked very confused. He gave Vi a sideways glare, and looked at Caitlyn.

"What is she talking about?" Jayce questioned her.

Caitlyn bit her lip, "Well, you see," She shifted her weight to one hip, "We've been assigned the same quarters."

Jayce's eyes lit up with anger. Caitlyn hated that look in his eyes, she knew it was only followed by bad things happening. He stepped toward Vi, "The air in here is musty. It smells like shit. I'll catch you later, Caitlyn."

Jayce stormed out of the room, bumping into Vi's shoulder as he passed and slamming the door shut behind him.

Vi's fists had been clenched hard since she walked in the room. Her face was beet-red. She marched over to her bed and pulled the bottle of liquor out of her jacket, setting it on her bedside table. She kicked her heavy boots off, and twisted the cap of the liquor off.

Caitlyn stood there in disbelief. She felt her self-esteem drop. Vi was the reason Jayce left. Vi seemingly didn't care that she and her beloved were having a private moment. Now Jayce was gone, and Vi was sitting there ever so smug, taking sips from a bottle of vile green liquid.

"You're drinking right now?" Caitlyn managed to say, although all she wanted was to scream at Vi until she left and Jayce came back.

Vi laughed at her. She pulled her jacket off and tossed it to the edge of her bed, taking another gulp. "What else am I supposed to do if I'm going to coexist with you?"

Caitlyn groaned, sitting back down on her bed and finishing her tea, which was growing cold. Her music box had stopped playing and the two shared a moment of awkward, tension-filled silence.

A/N: Thank you! Let me know what you think! And if you'd like me to read your story and review, let me know!
-Rawberry