The sun had just begun sinking over the horizon, bringing night to all of Valoran. For many, this meant that it was time for rest and recovery after a long day's work, to prepare for tomorrow's inevitable arrival. Such was not the case for City of Progress, however; the hextech lanterns that hung over the streets buzzed to life, illuminating the people below as they made their way towards the city's theatre, where they all waited in anticipation for the show tonight.

Sona Buvelle, the Maven of the Strings, was expected to perform tonight, bringing the beautiful sound of her Etwahl to the citizens of Piltover.

A lot of folks believed that her show was indefinitely put off, fearing the danger that Jinx brought to the city would cause harm to one of Valoran's most beloved celebrities and champions. Now that the Loose Cannon has been detained, the streets were as busy as ever, filled with people excited to hear that the fair Maven would appear once again in their great city.

The citizens were joined in their festivities by their own champions; Caitlyn, Vi, Ezreal and Jayce, all of whom were well dressed and ready for the show that Sona was set to put on tonight. Vi adjusted her own tie, and popped the collar of her vest up to try and make herself more comfortable. Her partner immediately flattened her collar down for her, though, giving the rebel a small scowl as they walked towards the theatre. "I swear, I can't take you anywhere…" the sheriff huffed.

"You knew what you were getting into when we first got together, Cupcake." Vi said with a grin, pulling a few strands of her hair out of place.

"We're not in a relationship, Vi… and please don't say that kind of stuff in public. We don't need any more rumors spreading about that."

"I think it's hilarious, but whatevs…" Vi said with a shrug, then ran a hand down the side of her slacks. "Besides, I didn't expect you to fit me into this suit… I'm absolutely stifled!"

"Well you didn't seem like the dress-wearing type. At any rate, that outfit looks better with your crutches."

"Yeah… I still can't believe you made me bring these stupid things…" The Enforcer groaned and raised up one of the metal frames just above foot level. "I might as well be that washed up old crippled—"

"Jericho Swain…" Caitlyn interrupted suddenly.

"Yeah, Swain… How did you…?"

Vi looked at where her partner was staring, and she saw the same unsettling sight; the Grand General of the city of Noxus, Jericho Swain, his wooden cane tapping against the cobblestone street as he hobbled through the crowd. At his side, two more emissaries of Noxus; Darius, who acted as Swain's right-hand man and commander of his army, and Emilia LeBlanc, the so-called 'deceiver' that made her way to Noxus aristocracy through allure and treachery. Eyeing the sheriff of Piltover, the trio walked over to the other group of champions waiting for the show.

Caitlyn spoke up first as the three Noxians arrived at their location. "Grand General Swain, such a pleasant surprise…" she said sarcastically. "Spare me the false formalities, 'Sheriff'…" Swain replied, the raven perched on his shoulder cawing bitterly at the brunette before them.

Vi, however, kept her eyes locked onto Darius, whom she considered the most dangerous of the three. Though typically clad in heavy steel armor, the Hand of Noxus seemed rather well-dressed tonight, even if Noxus' idea of fashion was vastly different from Piltover's. Darius looked back down at Vi and sneered, obviously not any happier to be here than she was.

"So, why are you here, General?" Caitlyn asked Swain accusingly. "Surely you're aware that your presence here could generate unease within the citizens of our fair city."

"I assure you, we have only the best intentions here, Sheriff." Swain snapped back. "I merely wanted to come and watch Madam Buvelle perform tonight. I'm sure you can understand as she rarely makes appearances in Noxus."

Caitlyn was a tad surprised to hear him admit such a thing. Granted, there were rumors circulating around the Institute of War, and all of Valoran, that Swain was indeed of fan of Sona's music. Now that rumor was confirmed, at least for these four. The sheriff sighed and crossed her arms, glaring back at her 'guest'.

"Fine, then I suppose we don't have anything to worry about… so long as you and your entourage don't cause any trouble during your visit here."

"Then we shall take our leave of you… Good evening to you, Sheriff…" Swain's snide comment trailed off, as he and his fellow Noxians wandered back into the crowd, heading towards the theatre once again. LeBlanc shot a mischievous wink over to Jayce, then turned and followed the other two again.

Once they were out of earshot, Ezreal whispered over to Vi, "Noxians… I hate those guys."

"You and me both… I'd like to break that cane over Swain's ugly beak!" the enforcer spat venomously.

Caitlyn stood in front of the other three, waving a finger in a commanding way. "Now, now… If they don't want to cause us trouble, then we should just let them be. We don't necessarily want Noxus to view us as their next mortal enemy, do we?"

The group nodded in unpleased agreement, and began making their way to the theatre, as the show was set to start soon. Vi stopped, however, when something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. As she looked, she noticed a woman through the crowd; her blue hair was pulled into a tight bun, and her thin, pale frame was wrapped in an elegant black dress.

"No way…" Vi muttered to herself. She knew that Sona had similarly colored hair to Jinx, but this was spot-on; and she knew that Sona would be inside getting ready for her performance. The enforcer pushed her way through the crowd, not letting her eyes off the woman for more than an instant, before she reached her hand out and grabbed at the woman's arm.

"HEY!" Vi called out, making several people around her jump, including the woman she had chased down. The female gasped, looking over at Vi with wide eyes, her green pupils staring up at the enforcer with a worried expression. Vi's face changed from rage to surprise, and then she let go of the woman's arm. "S-Sorry… about that…" she said meekly. The female gave a faint smile and silently nodded, then quickly made her way towards the front entrance of the theatre.

Vi remained motionless, placing a hand on her forehead and racking her brain. Ezreal, finally catching up to her, placed a hand on her back. "Hey, you okay?" he asked her.

"Yeah… Maybe…" Vi shook her head. "I'm just paranoid, I think…" Ezreal glanced up, noticing the blue-haired woman, then looked back up to his friend.

"Listen… Jinx is locked up in the hospital, guarded by top-of-the-line security drones… There's no way that she'd be here, unless we let her, got it?" The young man smiled up at his companion, and in turn she grinned back at him, albeit uneasily.

"You're right, Ez…"

"Aren't I always?" he said with a chuckle. "Now c'mon, we got a show to watch, and Cait's wondering where you went."

/\ A/N: I accidentally made this part a little on the long side, I guess… looks like another part of this chapter will be coming later! Stay tuned to see what happens next! /\