"I want you
And I always will
I wish I was worth
But I know what you deserve"
Oceans – Seafret
OoOoO
It was already way past one in the morning when Caitlyn finally managed to finish all the reports for the day. The reunion with the other sheriffs had taken longer than she expected; there had barely been enough time for her to grab a bite before she had to dive back into the important paperwork littering her desk.
The discussion with Jayce earlier had made her uneasy; as much as she would love to say his words had fallen unto deaf ears, truth to be told it made her thoughts race more than ever. And to make things worse, Vi had been gone all day without a word.
After grabbing her trademark top hat and her riffle, she made sure everything was properly locked behind herself before making her way through the main hall, now deserted save for the night shift staff. The front desk was occupied by a desk-warden, who seemed busy dealing with a distressed caller. She paused for a moment, wondering if she would perhaps be needed; wouldn't be the first time her late nights turned into early mornings due to some occurrence that required a sheriff's presence.
The eye roll she received answered her question.
'Ah. One of those.'
Chuckling softly, she bid the man her good nights and wished him good luck, to which he replied with a nod.
The chill of the night caught her off guard as she pushed the heavy doors open and stepped out of the Hall of Law. Rubbing her arms in a poor attempt to generate some warmth, Caitlyn noticed the moon was slowly but surely being covered by heavy clouds. The early spring had brought an unexpected warm day but that clearly wasn't going to last.
'Great… And just when I forgot my coat and umbrella this morning.'
Sighing, she decided it was best to just start walking and pray to whatever deities there were that she could make it to her flat before the storm settled in. Her heels echoed on the polished cobblestones with each step she took, her figure shrouded in the warm orange originating from the glow lamps illuminating the street.
Her thoughts wandered to a certain pink haired woman again and the sheriff began to wonder if something had happened. Her pneuma-tube had been left unanswered and in the office the only thing she had learned was that Vi had came in, rushed upstairs and then left again without a word.
Old troubles from Zaun were not an uncommon occurrence in the enforcer's life, but even if kept hush hush from the bulk of the wardens, she had always made sure Caitlyn knew what was going on. Hospital trips were also an adventure; it was rare when a call wouldn't be placed to her office to inform her how her partner was being difficult with the doctors or was getting too hands-y with the nurses again.
Shaking her head and focusing back on the empty streets, she figured a visit would be in order in case Vi didn't show up in the office first thing in the morning.
Just as she was nearing the residential quarters, heavy raindrops began to pour down, the sound of thunder rolling in the distance. Letting out a curse, she broke into a run until her building finally came into view.
Caitlyn clicked her key and pushed the heavy front door wide open. The hextech chandelier came on and basked the entry way in a faint yellow as the raven haired woman leaned against the nearby wall, completely soaked and breathless.
The sound of rain and her ragged breath were the only sounds echoing in the walls, aside from the occasional rumble of thunder. She turned her face to eye the water stained glass, the outside world so blurred it reminded her of a picturesque painting she had seen hanging at the art gallery months prior.
Caitlyn remained unmoving for a few minutes and by the time she finally managed to catch her breath, she found herself shivering with cold. The light had gone off due to the timer too, shrouding her in darkness.
Frowning, she moved from the wall and took off her hat, free hand reaching to tousle the drenched hair sticking to her neck and shoulders; she then reached to unstrap her riffle from its place at her back, the cold metal an uncomfortable feeling against her skin.
She entered the elevator and pressed the button to the penthouse, thankful to know that a warm bath, a nice cup of tea and her bed were just mere floors away.
Her plans were, however, completely ruined the moment the elevator doors hissed open and she spotted the sight at her front door.
Vi was sitting on the floor against the door, fast asleep by the looks of it. She was snoring loudly, rivalling the sound of the storm outside. Her face was serene, save for the occasional twitch at the corner of her lips and the scrunch of eyebrows.
Shaking her head, Caitlyn stepped into the hallway and began to wonder what the pink haired woman was doing in her apartment building. A feeling of dread took over as she eyed the sleeping form of her partner, her blue eyes darting around looking for any kind of injury.
She sighed in relief when she found none; but the feeling was quickly replaced with annoyance at how Vi had managed to get in without the sheriff's presence.
Using the butt of her riffle, she poked one of Vi's feet, in an attempt to wake her up. When all she got was a small mumble and barely a stir in reply, she poked the woman again, this time on her side.
That did just the trick.
The enforcer's eyes suddenly cracked open and she raised her metal fists, looking around for any signs of danger. Her eyes landed on the figure in front of her and it took her a whole minute to realize where she was, what she was doing and why Caitlyn was looking at her with such an unamused expression on her face.
Lowering her fists, she gave the raven haired woman a sheepish smile before getting up and dusting herself off. Her light blue eyes finally seemed to come to focus as she took a once over at the other woman. "You're soaking wet."
Caitlyn raised an eyebrow at this. "And you were sleeping on my doorstep." When the younger woman gave her a confused look, she added. "I am sorry, I thought we were stating the obvious."
"Yeah well... I didn't realize it was raining like hell outside. Guess I've been here for a while..." She paused for a moment to let out a yawn before pulling out a small pocket watch to check the time. "Whoa! You only got home now?! It's fucking two in the morning!"
"The meeting today was a mess and ended near supper time. Plus the commissary wanted those finances reports first thing in the morning. Couldn't be helped, I guess. Although... I think the most important question here is how did you manage to get in...?"
The enforcer nearly choked on air mid yawn, which made Caitlyn even more suspicious.
"Well? How didyou get in, Vi?"
"I-uh... One of your neighbours let me in."
"Vi."
"Okay fine. I may have promised your doorman to take a look at his hex-radio for free this weekend. And I also may have slipped some fancy liquor to his wife. You know how much they love to see me around the building so I had to pull some bribes."
Caitlyn shook her head at her partner's antics. "I am surprised that they let you in even with your so-called 'bribes'. Last time his wife told me just how much of an hazard to the building your very presence is; she is still convinced you will charge down my floorboards and wreck it in half just because you can."
"And risk damaging your fine porcelains? Never. I can deal with the old hag being mad at me. But you? You would cut my cupcake supply and shoot my ass. The most she could do is slamming the door on my face and tap me gently with her walking stick."
The sheriff shook her head and let out a sigh. "You are incorrigible. Now move, I need to get out of these clothes."
Stepping aside, the enforcer silently accepted to hold her partner's drenched hat as she clicked the door open and stepped inside her flat, turning on the lights. Awkwardly standing at the entrance, she watched as the other woman slotted her rifle in the mounted stand near the door before discarding her boots and making quick work of the leather belts she wore, laying them down on the back of a chair.
She paused her motions when she noticed Vi hadn't moved. "Are you waiting for me to invite you inside? Normally you just barge in."
"Ah..." the enforcer rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "It's late so I thought I would just get going and let you rest."
"Would not be fair to send you out in this weather and at this ungodly hour. Not to mention if you went through all the trouble to wait for me on my doorstep, you must have something important to tell me. Just come in and lock the door, will you?"
She hesitated for a second as the sheriff disappeared to the bathroom, before stepping inside and closing the door, making sure to click all the latches to properly lock it. Placing Caitlyn's infamous hat on top of the chair where her partner had draped her belts, she pressed a button on her gauntlets and they came loose with a satisfactory hiss; she then placed them on the heavy metal dish that the sheriff had arranged just for the purpose of storing the heavy metal fists.
When the raven haired woman returned to the room towelling her long hair, she found the enforcer stiffly sitting on the couch, flexing her hands.
"Do you need some ice or cold water to dip you hands in?"
"Ah no, I'm alright. Thanks."
She frowned at the reply. "Are you tired then? I can get you some blankets now."
Vi shook her head and glanced over. "Nah, cupcake. I'm good. Just go take a shower and get out of those clothes, ya? I can wait."
"If you are sure. Feel free to help yourself to the coffee pot if you want; there should also be some cupcakes left in the cupboard."
Nodding in acknowledgement, she watched as her partner exited the room, eyes lingering in the hallway where her form had just disappeared to. The enforcer waited until she heard a door slamming shut before letting out a long sigh and closing her eyes.
Making the right decisions was never an easy thing to do.
OoOoO
Fifteen minutes later, Caitlyn re-emerged from her shower wearing a sweater and plain grey pants. Her hair had been brushed and tied in a neat ponytail; but from the wet spots around her collar and shoulders, she had cut the drying process short.
She found Vi in the same place she was when she had left and by the looks of it, she hadn't moved at all during the time the sheriff was gone. Her gaze was lost somewhere on a random spot on the wall, eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed. Her elbows rested on her knees, her scarred hands supporting her chin.
Caitlyn studied her for a minute. She had never seen Vi so distraught before, so she concluded whatever had brought her partner to her flat was indeed a serious matter.
Her conversation with Jayce briefly came to mind and her heart raced. Had Vi perhaps heard some of it and was about to confront her about it? Her stomach twisted uncomfortably at the thought and she felt sick. Wouldn't be too late to just tell the enforcer she was too tired and avoid an awkward situation.
But on the other hand, she knew she shouldn't be jumping to conclusions. The younger woman had connections in Zaun that once in a while decided to prove inconvenient. Maybe one of them had gotten too problematic and had to be dealt with. Wouldn't be the first time she would come to her to clean up the mess in the aftermath.
Taking a deep breath, she padded towards the couch and sat down next to the other woman, slightly startling her.
"Oh sorry, didn't realize you were done already." Her eyes found the sheriff's as she offered her a small smile. "I got distracted by the way so... There's no coffee."
"That is alright. I can make us some tea if you would like...?"
"Nah, I'm good thanks. But hm... Yeah, we kinda need to talk."
Caitlyn's stomach twisted. "About?"
"Us."
