AN: ughhhhhh, struggled to the max for the ending lmao. *wheezes* hope you enjoy

2022 In Hallow Spirits # 5

Chalice of Flight

"I need that chalice." A woman deadpans with a serious face before whipping out a map, particularly blueprints of campus building structures.

"What?!" Her friend exclaimed, "But Vi— it's impossible to get into the headmaster's office!"

"It's not like I have a choice Ekko! I need it to protect Powder," she then traced her finger along the outer walls. "Here, I can scale the building and get through the window from the ledge stones."

"You're crazy."

"And she's my sister." Firmly placing her hand on the table, Vi paused to look Ekko in the eyes. "Look, if you're not gonna help me, mister honor student, do me a favor and turn a blind eye. I need that chalice!"

Ekko only groaned in frustration. "Why do you need it so much Vi? It's in the headmaster's tower for crisis' sake!"

"Because that chalice lets you fly when you're holding it and I need it to reach the top of the freshman hall! I need to get that before anyone finds it and Powder gets suspended." She then looked back down at the blueprint before scrunching her eyebrows.

"But you could get suspended as well!"

"I don't care! I have to protect Powder, if I can get into the freshman's hall, I can remove that piece of evidence that would pin their stupid prank on her! I need it by tonight. Once the sun rises, it's game over. The headmaster finally comes back from his trip and the prank will be exposed!"

"But the worse that can happen to her is suspension! There's no reason for you to do all of this, you can get expelled Vi, expelled."

She just rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Now, are you in or out? I could use a guard."

"I—" a long sigh escaped his lips before he shot her a look. "You owe me."

Vi only shot him a grin. "Atta boy."

xXx

"I need that chalice Jayce!"

Jayce's mouth dropped as he stared at his best friend in shock. "You're out of your mind Cait!"

"It's the only way. If I don't get my hands on that, mom will kill me!" Caitlyn exclaimed as she began packing up a small to-go pouch.

"But that would mean breaking into Headmaster Heimerdinger's office! You could get expelled if you're caught Cait. Your mom would do more than just kill you!"

"Well, what do you want me to do then Jayce? If I don't sneak into the freshman's hall, my picture is gonna get exposed! And if that gets exposed, I'm dead!"

Jayce couldn't help but snort. "You shouldn't have said yes to that freshman."

She shot him an annoyed look. "I was just being nice. How was I supposed to know they were gonna take a scandalous picture? If that gets out, my mother isn't going to let me leave the house let alone my room when I come back for winter break! I can't bring more attention to myself this semester!"

"You reap what you sow." He shook his head before letting out an amused laugh. "You shouldn't have kissed her cheek then."

She scoffed in offense. "I did not kiss her cheek! She just turned when I happened to turn so my lips touched her cheek!"

"Sure that was the case, sure it wasss." He teased with a slight smirk. "Anyways, whatever you're doing, I know nothing."

Giving him a look, she sighed. "So you're not gonna help me?"

"Nope."

She rolled her eyes before pushing him out of her room. "Goodbye."

"Wha— hey!"

"If you're not helping me, get out of my room!"

"Oh come on— through the window?"

She shoved him closer to the window. "Stop being such a crybaby, it's not like you can leave through the front door."

"Urgh, I know but—"

"Bye Jayce!" She then pushed his head out the window.

She then turned around before getting back to business. "Alright… I just need that lock pick set and I'm all set."

xXx

Grumbling to herself, Vi huffed as she pulled herself up the stone ledge. "Why is this tower so damn tall…" her hand snatched the next stepping stone before her foot eased itself onto the window sill. Once she was settled, she turned her head to look down.

A gust of wind blew, making her shut her eyes briefly. When she opened them, her eyes shimmered under the moonlight before she cocked an eyebrow. "That's a long, longgggg way down." The wind picked up again, sending a shiver down Vi's spine, as a dried leaf fluttered in the sky.

"Powder… you owe me big time."

Vi continued to scale the wall and many huffs and gruffs later, she was finally at the very top of the tower. She aimlessly reached out at the window sill and once she had a hold of the ledge, she slowly raised her head. Her eyes scanned the room, slowly turning left and right, and once she deemed the coast was clear, she shook the window frame.

"Oh come on…"

After a little bit of persuasion, Vi gently persuaded the window open. She then carefully pushed it up enough so that she could climb inside. Once in, she quietly entered the headmaster's office. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness and she was quick to snoop around.

"Where the heck does one hide a chalice…"

Opening a cabinet, Vi jutted her lips.

"Nope."

She then opened a drawer.

"Not this one either."

She ended up opening and closing pretty much every last cabinet and drawer until one caught her attention.

"Oh? That one looks…" she walked over to the last place she hadn't checked. "Suspicious."

Grinning slightly, she kneeled before rubbing her hands together.

"Alright… let's crack this one open."

She tugged at the handle before raising an eyebrow when it wouldn't open.

"Oh great."

She vigorously shook the handle.

"Come on… don't make me break you…"

Amidst her jingling and jangling, she was too focused on opening the cabinet that she missed the sound of someone messing with the doorknob.

"Come on…"

With a little more persuasion, Vi grunted softly before the handle snapped.

"Yes!" A bright smile grew on her face as she reached inside and pulled out an object. "The chalice of flight."

"The chalice of flight!"

Vi tensed before she snapped her head around. "Oh, shit who in the—" she made eye contact with the intruder. "Caitlyn Kiramman?"

"Violet Warden?"

"What are you doing here."

"What are you doing here?"

They said at the same time before letting out a breath.

"What is Piltover's honor student doing in the headmaster's office?"

"What are you doing in the Headmaster Heimerdinger's office?"

Vi scoffed. "Obviously cause I need the chalice of flight."

Caitlyn sighed before stepping inside and closing the door. "Well, I need the chalice of flight." She stepped over to Vi's side before trying to grab it.

"Oh nuh uh." Vi took a step back before moving away the chalice. "I found it first, it's mine."

"Well, it doesn't belong to you either Violet—"

"Vi," she corrected.

"Vi…" Caitlyn resumed in a much more calm voice. "I need that chalice so if you can just let me borrow it for a second, I'll give it back."

Rolling her eyes, Vi gave her an unyielding look. "Listen here cupcake, how about I use it first, and then I'll let you bother it after."

"We're getting nowhere, how about we—"

Jingling keys in the hallway make them both jump. They froze in place before snapping their head toward the door.

"Oh shit—"

"The night guard!"

"Quick!" Vi grabbed Caitlyn's arm before tugging her toward the window.

Caitlyn's eyes popped open, "Are you crazy?! I am not going to—"

"Oh shut it cupcake! If you don't wanna get caught, get your tight ass on that ledge!"

"But—"

In a matter of seconds, Vi shuffled Caitlyn out the window and followed her steps. Caitlyn ended up yelping in terror as she slipped on the ledge before Vi snatched her by her hips.

"Holy shit—"

"Shhh!" Vi shushed urgently before shuffling them along the window sill. Once they were out of the window's way, Vi quickly shut the window before jolting to the side when the door opened. She immediately pressed herself against Caitlyn's body, getting her to squeal which makes Vi shut her mouth. Caitlyn tensed from their close proximity as a flashlight scanned the room.

"Hah… another boring night, check."

The flashlight swept across the room a few more times before the door finally clicked shut. Vi let out a breath of relief before whispering.

"Thank god, he's gone." She then leaned back to look at Caitlyn, "You good—"

Caitlyn's face was bright red like a tomato and suddenly, Vi blushed as well when she realized what position she was in. One hand was holding onto the chalice with her forearm pressed against the wall while the other was wrapped around Caitlyn's waist to keep her steady. It didn't help that one of her legs was pressed up in between Caitlyn's legs with little to no room between their bodies.

"Oh shit— s-sorry my bad." Vi backed up a little to give them space but not that much since they were still both standing on a small ledge.

Either way, Caitlyn couldn't move so she turned her face away as she leaned back against the wall as much as possible. "Uh— no, you're good. I um… just… surprised that's all." She swallowed before nervewracking taking a glance down. "Holy shit, fuck me."

Vi's eyes popped open as she turned to face Caitlyn at her words. "Excuse me?"

Caitlyn snapped at Vi. "You're crazy you know that!" She whispered in anger, "What if we fell!"

Rolling her eyes at that, Vi scoffed. "Oh please, we're perfectly fine cupcake. You're not gonna fall."

"Are you joking with me? Just look at where we are! We're on a freaking window sill for crisis sake and who are you calling cupcake? I have a name Vi, it's Caitlyn."

"Yeah yeah, sure cupcake." Vi then shifted slightly to look at the chalice. "So, what will it be?"

Scrunching her nose, Caitlyn didn't like the sound of that. "You don't mean…"

Vi shot her a sly grin. "Either I use this first or you can get yourself out of this mess yourself."

Groaning out loud, Caitlyn shot her a look. "I can't believe this."

She only threw back a wink. "So do we have a deal?"

She grumbled in defeat before she reluctantly agreed. "Fine… deal."

xXx

"Soooo…" Vi started in a quiet voice as they snuck into the first-year's dorm. "What did you need the chalice for?"

Caitlyn furrowed her eyebrows before shooting Vi a look. "That's none of your business."

"Ouch, excuse me for trying to break the ice." She jutted her lips before sighing. "Seeing that we're gonna be stuck with each other tonight, I just thought we should warm up a little."

"..."

Remaining silent, Caitlyn looked away. The rest of their sneaking around was made with silence until they made it to their objective, the first-year dorm but specifically the common hall, otherwise known as the hall of games. It was an unnamed tradition. It was a chill-out space that was five floors but the only catch was that it closed at 9 PM and once locked, you couldn't climb the floors nor use magic in this area.

That wasn't a problem technically.

It's just that over the years, students started playing pranks, putting scandalous objects in various places. Over the years, the pranks grew out of hand to the point that teachers checked every morning. So, now rather than being a hall of games, it's become the hall of shame.

Vi came to hide some evidence that her sister Powder had left behind before going on a camping trip with her friends.

Caitlyn came to remove a photo of her that had her "kissing" a freshman.

They had completely different goals but their destination was the same. It was never an issue of getting into the hall. It was that the pranks or objects would be placed on the upper levels. Upper levels weren't accessible after closed hours so, the chalice of flight was vital in those regards. Magic didn't work in the hall but magical artifacts did. As long as the user held the cup, they would be about to float, allowing them to 'fly' so long as they project themselves forward with either magic or pushing off platforms.

So here they were, on the ground floor of the hall of games.

Vi pulled out the chalice from her bag. She held it in her hand before looking at Caitlyn. "So, what floor were you heading to? We can search together to speed things up."

"That's…" an eyebrow twitched and Caitlyn looked away nervously.

"Ah… you don't know huh?" She then tilted her head. "Well, I'm heading for the fifth floor. We can search there first for whatever you're looking for and make our way down as we go."

This time, Caitlyn scrunched her face before giving Vi a look. "You're… going to help me? Why? I haven't been the friendliest to you."

She just shrugged in return. "Well, it's not like we can get around without the chalice." She brought up her hand and pointed upward to the distant floors to make a point. "It's a pain to do things separately so it's more efficient together. Don't get me wrong okay? I'm just trying to return this thing because the headmaster finds out."

Caitlyn pursed her lips at that comment. "So you don't trust me to put it back?"

Vi shrugged again. "I wouldn't know, anyways let's hurry up, we're wasting time." Without warning, she stepped into Caitlyn's space before pulling in her hips.

"Hey—"

"Shhh. Let's try not to get caught, okay?" She then winked at her before using the chalice's abilities.

Vi jumped off the ground and they began floating upward. Caitlyn had to suppress her yelp of surprise as they quickly soared through the air. In no time, they were on the highest floor, the fifth floor.

"Alright, I'm gonna do my thing. Let me know if you want help looking for your thing."

"I'm good, thank you though."

She shrugged once again. "Suit yourself."

They split their ways and Vi quickly found what she was looking for. "There you are…" she mumbled to herself before stuffing a monkey, made and signed by her sister, into her bag. "Alright… time to find cupcake." She then stood up tall before looking for Caitlyn. Her eyes scanned the room before she spotted her. "There she is."

Vi made her way over and once she was by her side, she leaned against a pillar before speaking up in a hushed voice. "Did you find it yet?"

Caitlyn was busy rustling through some lockers. She didn't bother turning around when she responded. "No." She continued trifling about as Vi just rolled her eyes.

"I can help you, you know? I won't judge, just tell me what you're looking for."

"I don't need your help." She said before standing up and facing Vi. "Let's head down, it's not here."

Sighing at her stubbornness, Vi could only comply. "If you say so."

Vi's patience was surprisingly good. At least until they were done Caitlyn finally finished searching the fourth floor.

"Dang, it's not here either."

Her eyebrow twitched.

"Alright… let's move on to the third."

She clenched her teeth.

"..."

Caitlyn walked over to offer Vi her hand. "Shall we?"

Deflating with a huff, Vi had enough. "Okay, that's it. What the hell are you searching for so I can help you?"

She only raised an eyebrow at that. "What? Vi, as I said, I don't need help—"

"Listen here cupcake. I get that we could've done this the roundabout away so that I would be done and on my way but, I'm not! I am sick and tired of waiting for you! How long are you gonna search? Hell, we need to hurry and find whatever it is you're looking for because, at this rate, the sun is gonna rise!"

"I—"

"That's why you better tell me what you're looking for so I can help you or you can say goodbye to this chalice and find your way down somehow! I've been waiting for hours now and I wanna get home so I can take a damn nap if I can so you better not give me excuses and just tell me—"

"Violet!"

That shut Vi up but in return, gave her a mean look. "I said, I go by—"

"I'm sorry." Caitlyn cut off again before expanding. "I was being inconsiderate about your time… I'm sorry about that. I appreciate that you're willing to stay with me so that I'm not alone… I just…" she sighed before looking at the floor. "It's a picture."

Vi pursed her lips. "A picture?"

"Yeah, a picture." She confirmed before explaining, "Some freshman wanted a picture with me so I said yes. I didn't think it'd be an issue but I ended up kissing their cheek somehow and if the word gets out, my mother isn't going to let me live it down."

"Huh…" Vi blinked before rubbing her neck. "I see." She wasn't sure what to say honestly. "Well then… shall we?" She raised the chalice and Caitlyn gave her a small smile.

"Let's."

They scavenged the rest of the floors in record time, but time wasn't on their side. They were rushing about, trifling through the last floor with less than ten minutes to spare.

"Oh hell… I'm fucked." Caitlyn deadpanned to herself as she quickly looked behind a bulletin board. "We have to leave now! We need to return that chalice too!"

Vi was rushing through some drawers. "We're almost done, done give you!"

"But what if the picture isn't here? What if we just wasted all this time and risked getting suspended for no reason!"

"Don't give up on me now cupcake, we just need to stay positive and…" She rummaged through some files before she saw a familiar face. "Ah— found it!" She pulled out a photo before realizing Caitlyn was kissing some girl. "Oh— well that's scandalous… depending on who you ask though."

Caitlyn's face turned bright red as she ran over to snatch the photo from Vi's hand. "Give me that!"

Vi handed it to her with a fuss. "Here you go."

Caitlyn grabbed it before quickly shoving it safely into her jacket's pocket. Once she calmed down a little, she looked at Vi. "Thanks."

She only shot back a teasing grin. "No prob."

That made her compliance blush before clearing her throat. "Come on, let's hurry and run! We have to return that to Professor Heimerdinger's office before he returns!" She then grabbed Vi's hand and pulled them to the center of the room.

"I know, I know, you don't have to tell me!"

They were quick to rush back to the headmaster's office and right when they busted into the room through the window, the door began to rattle.

"Oh shit—"

Vi quickly scrambled to open up the cabinet.

"Hurry!"

Wincing terribly, Vi quickly shoved the chalice back into its place before running to the window.

"Hide!"

"What?!" Caitlyn's eyes widened when she saw Vi jump out the window compared to climbing over the sill.

"Hurry up cupcake!" She brought out her hand, "Take my hand!"

The door clicked open and Caitlyn's mouth dropped. "Fuck!" She quickly sprinted over to the window and Vi yanked her outside with a silent yelp.

Once Caitlyn was outside, Vi swiftly shut the window sill before pulling Caitlyn into her body so that they were out of its sight. They ended up squeezing each other by reflex and Headmaster Heimerdinger's voice could be heard. However, neither of them knew what he was saying because the moment he started talking, they made eye contact.

They were just an inch away from each other's faces and their rushed breaths were all that could be heard. Heat was building up in numerous places and both of them were blushing at their situation but knew nothing could be done about it. Soon enough, the sound of their heartbeats filled up the white noise.

Caitlyn's hand twitched when a gust of wind blew at them. Vi pulled her in tighter by reflex to keep her safe and Caitlyn suddenly grew conscious of how muscular Vi's body was. Her body was so firm and tight, pleasant to the touch. Likewise, Vi had a whiff of Caitlyn's scent, in particular, her sweet and intoxicating perfume.

Sure enough, their thoughts ran wild, and what felt like an eternity had passed. Headmaster Heimerdinger finally left the room, allowing the two of them to release the breaths neither of them knew they were holding. They looked at each other with a bashful look and their way down was a complete haze. Before either of them knew it, they were back in front of their dorms as students began to wake up for the day.

Vi rubbed her cheek as she couldn't maintain eye contact. "Uh… t-thanks for the company cupcake."

Caitlyn was in a similar position. "Y-You're welcome and likewise…"

They looked at each other before looking away.

After a second, Caitlyn pursed her lips before facing Vi. "Stop calling me that, my name is Caitlyn."

Twitching at that comment, Vi turned to face her before spitting out, "But you're sweet… like a cupcake."

Scoffing playfully at that, Caitlyn shook her head. "Shut up."

Vi let out a happy laugh at that. She then smiled softly before bringing up a hand for a shake. "See you in class?"

Caitlyn looked at her hand before accepting it with a slight nod. "See you in class."