"Caitlyn X…" Vi´s heart was racing like never before, her head spinning more than when she took hits in prison fights, of course she messed up "That was not what..I meant"
"O-oh, th-that was not... I..I am sorry I thought" Caytlin spun on her own heels and tried to run away, completely embarrassed, but Vi got hold of her wrist.
"Caytlin, calm down...that was exactly what I wanted" Vi chuckled nervously "But, there´s another thing I need to ask, that's more urgent at the time…"
Caytlin bit her lower lip, trying to not freak out while she looked back carefully, as if turning around would trigger a bomb, her eyes ran over Vi´s face and she was greet with a sweet smile and pink cheeks, the girl looked adorable flustered like that, what made her more at ease, then she noticed how in Vi´s hand was a container, just like the ones they have been carrying around with messages.
"Vi...is that.." She turned slowly to face Vi and her hand reached to the canister, that's when their world stopped.
A gunshot, a sound so clear and familiar for both of them filled the whole place, their eyes wide in shock, Vi as pale as her sister, Caytlin's stomach dropping completely, it didn't take half a second before they both started running.
Half an hour earlier.
The air got heavier and denser as they walked inside the old complex of buildings, slowly and steadier going deeper.
"So this is it...no wonder we couldn't find them..actually I'm glad we didn´t" Jinx said, looking around and shrinking herself, walking with her back slightly bent forward.
"Yeah...me too.." Vi said with a nod, Caytlin agreed inside her own mind, but kept quiet, her eyes glued on the blue haired delinquent in case she decided to comit terrorism or arson while they were there.
It was one day after they left the council and Vi was in a rush to make her own council happen and she knew exactly who she needed.
"We could have arrived earlier, you know? If not for your late sleeping habits" Caytlin said with a soft sigh, she had to get ready some time in advance to leave the house and come all the way around town to the place, yet Vi and Jinx still managed to get late.
"Cupcake, you really need to relax a bit, we were getting breakfast" Vi stated.
"And you can't really rush those things'' Jinx completed "You know when it was the last time we had breakfast together? Never." There was a humored tone in her voice, but also a hint of sadness.
"What do I even do with you two?" She groaned back.
"You spit that out, but you actually love us, if it weren't for finding us both your life would be boring" Vi lowered her head a bit as they entered the small tunnel "Watch your head"
To that Caytlin had no reply, or yet, none that she would admit to the two sisters as she rolled her eyes, were it not for them turning the city upside down, she would be stuck on an overseeing duty that her mom forced her to take by pulling some strings.
The three walked the tunnel until they reached an end, they could hardly see, even on a clear day, the sunlight barely got to the underground path.
Vi reached her hand forward and let it up and forward, when she touched the improvised door she stopped, Caytlin was following behind and stopped as well but Jinx took another large step forward and hit her forehead and nose on it. the metallic thump echoed by the tunnel.
"Ouch! Thanks for the warning" The girl groaned, rubbing her forehead.
"We arrived" Vi said while she and Caytlin chuckled, and she knocked the code in the door a few seconds later there was a groan, a shake and slowly the door started rolling to the side, pushed by something huge to the side, the light blinding them for a few seconds.
Ekko waited on the other side with the big guy, behind them walls that went all the way up to open holes in the surface, a giant tree, kids riding boards around the air, a truly wonderful sight.
"I see you missed m-" Ekko was there, a smile on his lips and a crutch under his arm, one leg bandaged as he took a limping step forward, and then his eyes turned into fear for a second, an into pure anger, grinding his teeth and spitting the words from between them in almost a growl "What. Is…that..Doing here?" He put his weight on his good foot and took the crutch as a weapon in his hands.
"Ekko, listen to me" Vi quickly put herself between them, Jinx hugged herself, breathing heavy, looking over to him "It's not what you think, I told you to trust me before, and everything went out great, they heard us, now I'm asking for you to hear me out again, she's the one who killed Silco.." Each time she heard these words, Jinx flinched and shivered, she looked away and closed her eyes.
Then Ekko´s face flashed in confusion, his eyes quickly looked at Vi, then back at the girl trying to hug herself, his mind spinning in circles, was it a trick? Was it true? Would Vi lie to him right there?
He didn't knew the answer, and his head and leg were starting to hurt again "Come in, and be quick, we don't want too many people seeing her around…"
He basically barked out and turned around, limping as fast as he could to a door on the base of the tree that took them to a small room.
It seemed half an office half a thinkers workshop. Besides papers and books there were tables full of gear and parts for maintenance, Ekko was the only one to get in, while the three girls followed and sat on a small couch around a center table, he pulled a chair and sat down facing them.
"Now, explain me, what the fuck. Is going on"
"She told you, that man is dead" Jinx said sharply.
"Wasn't talking to you" He hissed back.
"Sorry, your head is so big I don´t really know what way you're facing" Jinx quickly spat back with a giggle.
"I'm not taking insults from a wimp" His voice got more rough,the grip on the clutch was sure to leave a small dent on the metal.
"I'll show you the wimp"
"Good to see" Vi slammed a fist on the desk "That you two still understand each other"
The both looked away, a faint smile on their lips that they tried to hide, a glimpse of an old and happy past.
"Now" She put a hand inside her clothes pulling another cylinder like container and rolling it over the table to him, it had the seal of Piltover on the side.
Ekko raised an eyebrow to her, Vi was sitting in the middle of the other two girls, she rested back on the couch crossing her arms with a smug smile.
The boy opened the can and took the papers out to read them, his eyes widened at each line, he bent himself forward more serious as he read it, flinching as he forgot about his leg, took him some minutes to read by all of that, the papers fell out of his hands and both of them got to his head, pushing his hair back with his eyes wide open to the content in front of him.
"...Is..this..serious?"
"All papers have the Piltover Council seal of approval, all of them are real, I was appointed by counselor Talis to supervise the actions of Vi and the creation of a second council" Caytlin spoke clearly to him.
"Shit…" He let out a long breath and sat back looking up to the ceiling "I can´t fucking believe it...we will be free, finally"
"Yes little man, we are" Vi chuckled "But before that, I need one more thing"
"Oh no, that phrase always ends badly" He groaned, but there was a clear smile that would not leave his lips.
"We need a fancy ass council to show we can make things right, clear the lanes out, make a true city, no shimmer...and who better for this, that the guy who got the firelights alive all this time, head chief and supervisor, what do you say?"
His eyes were about to jump out from the sockets "What, are you crazy?"
"Ekko" She walked to him and crouched by his side, holding his hand to talk "Who better than you? I might be cool and strong and all, but I don't have the spirit you have to bring people together, they need a leader, you grew so much, I'll be there to help you, but you have way more charisma than me, what do you say?"
He kept looking at her like the world was about to fall apart, but at the end he simply laughed "Alright alright, besides this decision that makes no sense, who else?"
"You, me and...Jinx"
It was like she had just cursed or said something so ugly that no one should hear, his smile dropped in a second, a frown took any happiness he had left away from his face "You want me to work with her? For a better city?" He said, almost spitting out the words.
"Ekko li-"
"Get out!" He screamed over at Vi before she could finish "She stays"
"That's not how we-"
"Vi...you heard him" Jinx said quickly, her gaze downwards to her lap, Vi tried yet to say something but Jinx continued "Sis...please"
It hit her chest like a bullet, since all this had happened Jinx didn't come back to call Vi sister again, she huffed and got up, Caytlin followed suit putting a hand on her back to guide her, they both walked outside and the door was closed.
"Shit, this will go bad…"
"Vi, you need to..trust your sister" Caytlin tried to comfort her, even if she was not so sure about it, her hand slid from Vi´s back to her hand, squeezing it softly "It will be alright"
Vi looked at her, a small blush coming to her cheeks "Hope so cupcake.." She gave back a weak smile.
(...)
The first two minutes were simply a stare duel until Ekko broke the silence.
"You really expect me to work with you like everything's nice? Like we´re old buddies? What´s the fucking plan here huh?" He leaned forward, his elbows over his legs and his hands together, the last time she remembered him looking so angry was when she broke some of his weird gadgets, she smiled at the memory.
"No...I don't" She reached for her back and pulled out her pistol.
"I see..that's how things are going to be" He sighed, all the possibilities going by his mind, how to stop her, what to do, the crutch suddenly too heavy, his only weapon, he looked down to the table shaking slightly, he didn't want to go by that again, the look in her face when he was beating her, he couldn't finish it, and he didn't knew if he would be able to do it, even this time after seeing her trick.
But his mind wandered away, in memories, in possibilities, but none close to what would happen next, his body jumped in place, his breath quickened and he put the crutch in front of him as a scared kid to defend himself, something had touched his knee...Jinx had a smirk on her face and her hand open over the table, she had slid the gun over to him, that's what had hit him, he looked at it not understanding.
"You see" Jinx started to talk, resting back on the couch, closing her eyes and tilting her head back "I'm not Powder anymore, I don't blame you for hating me, I'm Jinx, I killed many of your friends, lot´s of people, I'm not asking for forgiveness, not for you to like me, neither for you to go back being a friend...I screw up bad time, but now, Vi needs you, if you want to get rid of me…" Her voice turned shaky, cracking on each word, her nails digging in her palms and her chest going up and down quickly "Do it like a man, no stupid games, as long..as long as you help her I don´t care"
He hesitated for a second, only silence filled the room, silence and their breathing, he looked at her, from all the other times he faced her, this time was different, she was open, defenseless.
Ekko took the gun.