VI & CAITLYN

The doors opened to the main, lavish hall of the Kiramman Manor in a bright, warm light which both entered, though the mood was all somber. Vi could see Caitlyn's father Tobias, sitting by his own at the turned lone chair, staring at the fireplace, his back turned to the large portrait at the center of the ascending stairs, of both him, the now deceased Cassandra and a very young Caitlyn, in a supposed stroke of irony, holding a rifle. It was pretty clear Tobias was all to himself, slightly sobbing, and most of the few employees going around were silent as well, avoiding looks.

"I'd talk with him, if I were you...", Vi murmured to Caitlyn, touching her shoulder. "He needs company before-"

"Not now.", the newly appointed acting Sheriff replied. "Later. He needs his space to grieve."

"I'm serious, Cait.", Vi censored, pointing at him. "You might not have another chance, like this. I had and I wasted it."

Caitlyn sighed but understood what Vi meant. Perhaps it was her drive to acquire Jinx, regardless of cost, nearly blindsiding her to the issues around her, and it was clear her father, in pain, was something that needed addressing while she still could, before crossing the Bridge of Progress towards the fissures to start the hunt. That was why she approached Tobias and gave him a hug.

"Dad-", Caitlyn started.

"Caitlyn, please-", Tobias attempted dismissing her, but Caitlyn touched his face, so he'd focus on her.

"Just remember.", Caitlyn said. "I'm still here. Even when I'm not, I'm still here. Call me, and I'll answer."

Tobias, with some tears out of his eyes, simply nodded lightly in silence, as Caitlyn let go of him and returned towards Vi, whom then walked with her to the bedroom. Tempting as it was to visit the office, thanks to the promotion, it was already too late at night to consider the visit, and also it still recalled too much of Marcus, the once supposedly 'uncompromising' Sheriff of Piltover later discovered to have been under the employ of Silco.

The large bedroom, large enough to accomodate two single ones, remained much the same as they had left ever since before that cursed 'tea party'. The sparse bed at the back towering over a large map of Piltover and Zaun laying on the floor, with stapled lines and cards supposed to represent suspects attempting to draw a connection. Caitlyn knew this didn't matter anymore, that one case was solved. It died at that tea party. Now there was the new one, and she knew she'd need a much stronger knowledge of Zaun than it was ever demanded of her, ever since graduating into an enforcer.

"You know, you could use a table for this sort of thing...", Vi commented, as Caitlyn kneeled and started removing the lines and cards.

"Shut up, Vi.", Caitlyn started. "The worst of it is, there are almost no leads to finding Jinx. Her Chomper bombs are apparently mostly made out of scrap and the chemicals come from over-the-counter, and that makes it too difficult to trace. With everyone distracted with the Firelights and Silco, no one bothered to go looking for her. The informants are unreliable on this, might've been on Silco and Marcus' pockets all along."

"I can only think of one lead, right now.", Vi replied.

"Sevika?", Caitlyn asked, recalling the woman Vi fought at the Lanes, the one Caitlyn herself had to shoot her to save her once Zaunite guide.

"She was Silco's right-hand, handled most of his dirty work.", she said. "That means she knew or at least worked with Pow... Jinx, enough to likely know where she would pick her up for whatever job. And now, with Silco gone, she must be having a hard time keeping things together. A little pressure, she'll have to hand... Jinx over, or at least tell of where she's hiding."

"If Sevika's still keeping her, that is...", Caitlyn said getting on her feet and throw away the gathered lines and cards at the corner. "And I doubt she'd do that after learning her boss was murdered by his 'child'. Alright, some break, then we get down there and-"

"No.", Vi interrupted. "Not now, not tonight."

"Seriously?", Caitlyn gave Vi a harsh look.

"With all that's happened today, Sevika must've locked herself in and surrounded with whatever goons she still has. I know I would.", Vi answered. "No way we'll be able to reach her tonight, even putting up the fight of our lives. We're gonna have to wait 'til tomorrow."

Caitlyn groaned, but knew Vi had a point. "Fine.", she said, staring at the window, right at the nightly sky, attempting to sink it all in.

"Cupcake...", Vi called, noticing Caitlyn's state. "You sure you can handle this?"

"I...", Caitlyn started answering. "I don't know. Medarda put me into this, and now having to bring her in alive, even after what she did... I guess that's why I'm still letting you with me. Every way I slice it, if I go after your sister alone... one of us comes back in a box."

"This doesn't have to happen.", Vi answered. "If anything, I can do this myself. No one else needs to get hurt."

"Can you?", Caitlyn asked, turning around to face Vi. "I saw how you react when you're close to her. What's gonna keep you from dropping your guard and she gets away again?"

"I can bring her in.", Vi answered, as Caitlyn glanced at her with eyes of disbelief. "And if I have to... Fight her... I'll do it."

"She can't be saved.", Caitlyn said a second, looking away.

"Don't say that.", Vi protested.

"She chose her chair!", Caitlyn raised her voice, glancing back.

"She's my sister!", Vi stood her ground. "My family!"

"What do you think my mother was!?", Caitlyn asked, angry, her pain latent. She looked away. "Not like you'd ever understand..."

Vi glanced at Caitlyn for a moment, darting away for a second or two. She wished she could find the words that, at best, would make the topsider see her point, and yet she could feel none of them would ever be enough to extricate the pain. She did want Caitlyn to realize that Jinx, regardless of all that she did, could still be turned around, somehow. She did want Caitlyn to realize, despite all due reason in the world, how much this attempt at 'justice' would bring up nothing.

Suddenly, a small, but subtle noise of something getting pulled off a wall was heard. And a shady figure dropped from the back window.

"What the...", Vi started, rushing to the window as Caitlyn turned around, and both saw the shady figure at a street running, very fast, to a nearby alley and disappearing. Something whose's steps echoed subtle metal sounds.

Vi and Caitlyn exchanged glances. Whoever or whatever it was, it eavesdropped on them. At their home.

This wasn't decent. Good even less.