VI & CAITLYN

Their breath was heavy as they ran those streets and alleys, the people's fury literally being felt all upon them. She couldn't wonder how that happened again, this time they were subtle. At least, she recalled that.

All that mattered now was that they were being chased and now had to run again.

The crowd's size was one to envy a Noxian legion, this time. Gunfire was being heard and muzzles fired around as Caitlyn tried firing shots to fend them off, but they were just too many.

"This way!", Vi roared, heading left to an alley, where a gang of Chem Punks waiting for them with clubs and crowbars. She bashed the front one and pushed another to the wall as they moved forward.

Suddenly, as they entered the street, both their legs were shot, and Vi and Caitlyn fell to the ground. Vi tried raising her head to notice the shooter, revealed to be that group of Ironhands she saw slaughtering people the last time they were there.

The central figure, Colleen, if Vi remembered the name, blew a kiss from a distance as they departed.

"Cait, Cupcake, come on-", Vi tried getting on her feet, but it was too late, as mobs from both left and right of the street closed in as they did from behind.

They wasted no time in grabbing Vi and Caitlyn and putting them apart.

"Vi, VI!", Caitlyn roared, in anguish, disappearing in the sea of angry flesh.

"CAIT-", Vi shouted, before a fist met her mouth, shutting her up, her gauntlets stripped off of her by force, by people almost pulling her arm off.

And then a fist to her belly, another to her face, and another, and another, all as she was dragged across the crowd to somewhere.

She was tossed, bruised and bloodied, in an empty circle in the middle of the street, surrounded by everyone. Vi could clearly feel pain everywhere, she could swear an internal organ was bleeding, even her worst nights in Stilwater didn't cut into her like that, as all those surrounding her shouted, roared words of insult and injury, some even thrown some of the hand-held trash into her.

Words like 'traitor'. 'Topsucker'. 'Pilt-lover'. 'Leech-kisser'.

Vi tried getting on her feet, amidst the violence of bipedal animals, looking everywhere for an exit where there was none. Suddenly, in one side, above the crowd, hovering, she could see figures on flying boards, all still, staring at her. One them she knew too well from the white dreadlocks, staring with a too serious, harsh face.

"Ekko!", Vi shouted. "Ekko, help!"

Instead the board-riders turned around to leave, Ekko as well, turning his back and not looking back.

"EKKO!", Vi roared in anguish, tears falling out of her eyes. "Little ma-"

The cursing and trash throwing intensified, some objects so hard in composition and weight they threw Vi off balance and she fell to the ground, the pains being too much that she was almost collapsing.

As she looked at the raging crowds she could notice someone amidst them. A little girl, in blue hair, blue eyes and rags, staring sadily at her.

Vi could recognize her. Powder. Her child sister, but it shouldn't be possible. She was now all grown up, had too long a hair and her mental state was too far off the rails.

She shook her head turning to another side, noticing two boys, one as fat as a house and another too thin, also staring, disgusted. Mylo and Cleggor. Both dead by Powder's bomb.

It *had* to be pain, she was hallucinating from the trauma. That was the only explanation.

She turned to another side, a tall, muscular man with beard and mullet staring sternly and disappointed. Vander. Also dead.

Another side, a pale man with a mustache, sporting an Enforcer's uniform. Sheriff Marcus. Killed at the bridge.

In another side, a couple smirking in vengeful contempt, a slim man with an apparent half-scarred face and black eye with an orange pupil and a scarred woman in a scarf and mechanical arm. Silco and Sevika, which didn't make sense. She was alive. He wasn't.

Suddenly the trash throwing stopped, and Vi was suddenly grabbed and pushed backwards, where she fell on her back. She then felt a boot landing hard on her chest.

She opened her eyes and couldn't believe it, her heart racing.

She was looking at her younger self, short-haired and dirty, when she was the very appearance by that tragic night at Silco's cannery.

Staring at her with a pure vengeful expression. Fierce. Feral.

The young Violet knelt and grabbed Vi, the expression of 'Hell Hath no Fury Like a Woman Scorned' being made latent.

"You've really done it now, huh!?", Violet roared.

"I tried-", the older Vi said, but the younger Vi hit her face hard.

"Tried what!?", the younger one shouted. "Powder's gone, forever this time! Silco's death didn't mean shit! And now a WAR is going on, one you stoked! YOU TRIED WHAT!?", she then hit the older Vi twice, all the while the raging crowds grew into bewildered, savage ecstasy, cheering savagely, egging the violent pink-haired teenager on, whom grabbed the older, bleeding Vi's cheeks just as she did years ago with Powder. "Everything was fine until you left the slammer, and started messing things up!"

Violet then hit the older Vi with each following sentence. "Wanting to be tough! Trying to fill Vander's shoes you never would! Wasting time on the likes of Sevika! Getting Councillor pretty boy to kill kids! Nearly getting Ekko killed! Always choosing 'Cupcake' over your flesh and blood!", she stopped, grabbing Vi's cheeks again, letting out a snicker. "And you called HER a jinx..."

Her snicker started turning into a laugh. A laugh that went into a maniacal, out-of-bounds cackle as the younger Vi resumed the punching again and again.

The older Vi's eyes were nearly collapsing, as the younger one punched again and again. With each punch, she saw changes in the younger self.

The skin growing pale.

The pink hair turning blue.

The eyes getting bug-eyed open and the pupils turning pink.

Violet's cackle was fully blown. No longer a Violet. A Jinx.

"Vi."

"Vi!"

"VI!"

Vi suddenly got up, instincts and muscles at full power, and her right fist readily took flight to whatever was close to her, hitting it like a jackhammer.

She went up, breathing heavily, heart racing and sweating, the senses starting to return.

The hands touching the clean tissue of sheets. The eyes noticing her ambience was more lit than Zaun was. The skin feeling the warmth of the room.

Vi could realize, there and then, that she wasn't in the Undercity, but in Piltover.

She wasn't in a filthy street, she was in the bedroom at the Kiramman Manor.

She wasn't bleeding or hurt, but was safe, just sweating like a workout day under a scorching sun.

Then the ears started hearing a muffled sound of pain and breathing as well.

Vi turned around and then noticed, in immediate shell-shock, who it was.

Caitlyn, in her night dress, messed up hair, covering her nose and mouth, her eyes showing a scared, frightened expression.

Vi froze, realizing what it was her fist had landed in, and looked down in shame.

Caitlyn, covering her face still, went to the bathroom as Vi took her palm to her eyes, still breathing.

Neither said a word for the following two hours of the morning, Vi frequently looking at Caitlyn whom exchanged hurt glances back as each cleaned up, switched their clothes and then went downstairs for breakfast, provided by the serfs in the house. Caitlyn was at the head of the large dinner table while Vi was in the closest chair, to the right, chewing on her toast and morning tea, as Caitlyn did the same a bit slowly. The acting Sheriff was now a bit more composed, with a bandage on her nose and some purple bruise close to the nostrils, denouncing the violence of the punch.

"Cup... Caitlyn.", Vi called, struggling to both breath and find words. "A-about earlier..."

"Leave it alone, Vi.", Caitlyn said, softly, but still serious.

"I can't, I ended up hitting-", Vi said, totally ashamed.

"It was my fault, Vi.", Caitlyn stated, calm but firmly. "I've should've known better, let's leave it at that. I've much on my plate, now...", she directed her sights to the chair, close to the fireplace.

There, sitting down, was still the lone, skulking Tobias Kiramman, still in a battered pale state, which sometimes made even Caitlyn dart her eyes on him, once in a while.

"Shit, did he get any sleep or ate something?", Vi asked, knowing a ruined person when she saw one, a common sight in Zaun. On Piltover, on the other hand...

"By what the staff said, they had to spoon-feed him, and he's only sleeping when the body's giving in.", Caitlyn answered, in pain, looking away from her father and back to her plate, but she couldn't touch her food. "To think my... our House would end up like this...", she closed her eyes.

Vi looked down to her plate, trying to keep up with the toasts.

Problem was she couldn't.

That's when she got on her feet, taking her plate, heading towards Tobias' chair.

"Vi, Vi!", Caitlyn shouted, alerted, but Vi didn't listen, walking on pressed march and standing face to face with Tobias, toast plate in hand. Caitlyn had to get off her chair.

"Hey.", Vi called, with Tobias staring at her with empty eyes. "Open the mouth up."

"The stray...", he said, too weak, almost mumbling.

"I've got a name, you know that. It's Vi.", the pink-haired girl started.

"Vi, stop it!", Caitlyn ordered, as Vi raised her hand, signaling 'don't, not now' to Caitlyn.

"Look, mister Kiramman, I get it.", Vi said.

Tobias eyes glanced on her, as if he was offended by what she said. "You... get it?", he struggled to ask.

"Yeah, I get it.", Vi nodded. "I had that. But you'll still get to give her a goodbye, I couldn't even-"

Suddenly, with the strength he apparently still had, he slapped away the plate with the back of his hand, catching Vi off-guard, making her back off. "You dare...", he said, getting on his feet, clearly showing his weakened state, struggling to keep himself on his feet. "Say it like... it's a good thing..."

"Dad, please.", Caitlyn rushed to him to hold him.

"It's not!", Vi replied, trying to keep herself under control. "It's not. But it's bad enough without you like this!"

"Bad enough...", Tobias started. "What do you know, Trencher..."

"Dad!", Caitlyn stressed.

"Why, Caitlyn?", Tobias tried pushing himself from his daughter's grasp. "Why her? She comes in... you start getting hurt. People dying... Your... mom..."

He then collapsed to the floor, as Caitlyn and Vi, together, grabbed him to put him back at the chair. "Get food and medicine, now!", the Sheriff ordered the staff loudly, whom immediately scrambled, before Caitlyn's eyes watered a bit. To see her very father, too lively and bright not days ago, now at that state... Vi simply stood there, not knowing what to do or how to react.

Caitlyn then got up on her feet after some servants arrived to tend to Tobias, and then stared at Vi. "We'd best finish the breakfast, we still have to-", she started.

"Lady Caitlyn.", one of the serfs then approached. "There's someone to see you from the precinct, her name is Shelley."

Caitlyn's eyes became more alert as she nodded to the serf. "Thank you, please send her in.", she ordered, taking a deep breath as she got on her feet, having to steel herself while allowing other serfs to grab the falling Tobias and relieving Vi as well, as the luscious haired assistant walked into the room.

"Good morning, Sheriff.", Shelley said.

"Shelley.", Caitlyn replied. "Go ahead."

"About the subpoena, on the intelligencer.", Shelley said. "She answered it. She's waiting for you at the station."

Vi and Caitlyn stared at each other and then immediately headed over to prepare themselves to head to the station, as they went with Shelley to the Central Precinct, neither saying a word to each other, much as they wanted to, after the previous moment.

During their trek, Shelley said that, while the drawing of the suspect was ready, she put it on hold until Caitlyn gave the clearance to start the search. It was good for Caitlyn, but both she and Vi knew it wouldn't last long. Something like what happened at the Academy couldn't just be left unanswered. Vi knew that too well, given the mess the enforcers did on the Lanes at her childhood due to that botched burglary that got everything downhill on her life, ever since.

As they arrived at the Precinct, Shelley guided them to the office of the Sheriff of Piltover, the doors opening to reveal the room lit by morning light at the large globed window, with paperwork strewn about the desk and some file cabinets open. The desk itself also had a globe of Runeterra which served only as decoration. That, as well as a nearby small table in which lied a glass case with a decorated top hat hanging inside. Not much that the late Sheriff Marcus used it, or Caitlyn would, for that matter. There were no events to ever use that, especially now.

Vi simply looked at the office, shrugging. She thought Marcus' office would be a bit more lavish and decadent, with him on Silco's pocket and all. But then, guess she should've known better, it'd maybe draw too much attention. Or that, or, as Caitlyn once pointed out, he did resent having made that deal.

Caitlyn took notice at the nearby wooden panel, with some stapled notes, a small map of Zaun as well as one report or two concerning the Firelights. Caitlyn shook her head, disappointed. For all she knew, given that Marcus worked for Silco and the Firelights opposed Silco, it might've been all a smokescreen to all of Jinx' previous antics. Not surprising, really.

Except now, the Firelights did do something, this time.

"Send her in, Shelley, please.", Caitlyn asked Shelley, whom walked away, closing the office's door. "I'll handle the questioning.", she glanced at Vi. "I'm serious on this."

"I'll just be by the corner.", Vi replied, heading to the said corner, close to the window, where she dropped the large bag she used to carry the Gauntlets on their trek from Caitlyn's home to the station. "'Course, if she'll cooperate..."

"Vi, please, don't make this any worse!", Caitlyn stressed, clearly tense and nervous as she took her seat.

The doors then opened as Shelley walked into the room with another person, clearly an elderly one, about fifty or sixty years of age, with a pale skin and a white, well-groomed hairdo of a lady, but one that Vi couldn't avoid noticing their ends were almost akin to a demon's horns. This one's clothes were also clearly elitist, a corset and some sort of scarf with a jewel at it's center, predominantly as blue as her eyes, shining unnaturally, with golden details adorning most of the suit. To not mention the apparent mechanical legs she sported, almost like blades walking the floor.

"The newly appointed acting Sheriff...", the lady said in an almost robotic voice and unsurprised tone, walking in while noticing the Sheriff's bruise on her nose, as Shelley turned to leave, closing the doors. "I was wondering when we'd meet, given our professions and the current... condition."

"Lady Camille.", Caitlyn said, softly nodding but still diplomatically firm in her tone. "First of all, thanks for answering this summon so promptly."

"Summon, is it now?", Camille said, raising an eyebrow. "Out of a subpoena? Odd times, indeed..."

"I was hoping we could discuss yesternight's events.", Caitlyn replied.

"Perhaps you mean what transpired at the incident, or how I left in such a hassle?", Camille asked, as her eyes then shifted to Vi, the one element apparent and clearly out of place in that Piltovan setting. "I would have words, but preferably in private."

"Private?", Vi asked, arms crossed and staring at the elder lady, before starting to walk a bit forward. "This ain't a date. Ain't even an interrogation. Not yet at least...", she raised her eyebrows.

Camille's eyes stared at the pink-haired enforcer, her clothes, her hairdo. "All the looks, class and manners expected from a fissure girl.", she said, coldly.

"Oh, is it, now?", Vi asked, closing the distance, eyebrows raising.

"Vi.", Caitlyn called, eyes focused on Camille. "Perhaps, Lady, you can help us clarify a few things that are out of order in what happened.", she continued after a while. "For starters, how does an intelligencer happen to end up at that same spot, in the first place?"

Camille glanced at both for a while. "You could attribute this to the recent break-out from the hospital.", she said. "The escapee was a very renowned member of the Academy."

"Viktor, Jayce Talis' closest friend.", Caitlyn nodded.

"Still don't explain why you were there.", Vi followed. Caitlyn's eyes darted for a moment towards Vi but then back to Camille, seeing some sense in that inquiry.

"In case neither of you have noticed, which is highly unlikely, the very leading body of this city was recently assaulted.", Camille stated. "We, intelligencers, had to take it upon ourselves to keep a keen watch on the surviving members and close relatives."

"Keep a keen watch...", Vi said, sarcastically. "That what they're calling 'snooping' nowadays?"

"Vi!", Caitlyn censored, with a stern look at her, before returning to Camille. "And still, when Viktor did run away, you knew in advance, but informed the Councillor too late?"

"We were as caught off-guard as you and everyone else did.", Camille answered, coldly. "Breaking out disguised as an enforcer may seem too... obvious and naive for anyone to fall for it. But then...", she then glanced at Vi. "We all overestimate our intelligence from time to time, don't we?"

"So you run off after Viktor, right to the Academy, given you were 'keeping watch' on him.", Caitlyn continued. "And then, after you found him?"

"Not just him.", Camille answered. "There was someone else that night, in the Academy at improper hours. And clearly not Piltovan."

"And then all hell breaks loose, I bet.", Vi replied.

Camille glanced at her, for a moment. "You could say that.", she gave it back. "Of course, if your definition of 'hell breaking loose' would mean the escapee and the trenchrat invader joining-"

"Lady Camille, can we please refrain from using such terms?", Caitlyn cut off, knowing too well what could result.

Camille faced both for a second. "They joined forces against me, unbelievable as it sounds...", she then said, trying to keep her cold facade but Vi noticed the old woman clearly didn't like Caitlyn's tone. "In the end, they did manage to accomplish their aims, breaking out with their prizes."

"Against you? Just you?", Vi asked, almost snickering, eyes darting down to the mechanical legs and then back to the intelligencer's face. "Look, I might not be that hot on police procedure or whatever crap you spyfolk have-"

"Vi!", Caitlyn called again, upset.

"-but even I would have a brain to get some backup.", Vi continued, eyes locked tight at Camille.

"Mind your manners, fissure girl, before I mind them for you.", Camille warned, after a second. "At any rate, it is all irrelevant. This is our charge, now."

"Your charge?", Caitlyn asked, eyebrows raising at the explicit defiance. "By whose authority and where's the paperwork to prove it? And this is a burglary investigation, clearly within enforcer-"

"Burglary of Hextech gemstones and related materials, 'Sheriff'.", Camille raised, eyes locked into the Sheriff, the title spoken with apparent contempt. "Whose volatile nature, especially demonstrated a couple of days ago, have now made it a national security matter. And you needn't worry, this time the law will be applied accordingly."

"Yeah, I bet.", Vi said, gesturing at the blade legs. "Making it quite clear how it'll be, too."

"Stolen Hextech or not, I'm still the appointed Sheriff, Lady-", Caitlyn started.

"Acting.", Camille cut her.

"Still appointed!", Caitlyn remained firm. "And that means *I* get to decide how the law is to be applied. And for whatever reasons Viktor and the... other one at that night had to commit the burglary, they get a fair shake in *my* book."

"For the moment...", Camille said, in a clearly obvious a tone, after a second.

Vi raised her eyebrows towards Camille for a second, and then walked a step forward in her direction. "Is that me, or that just sounded like a threat?", she asked.

"A warning, Trencher.", Camille answered, coldly. "Don't go out looking for things you don't want to find... Both of you.", she then turned around to leave.

"I didn't dismiss you.", Caitlyn said.

"I'm not one of your blunt object enforcers.", Camille retorted, walking to the door.

"Well, what do you know about the other one, then?", Vi asked. "The other thief?"

Camille stopped by the door. "Nothing that you don't.", she answered, opening the door and leaving.

Vi and Caitlyn remained there, faces too serious of the threat that just gave her back on them.

"Shit.", Vi broke the silence, some seconds, shaking her head slowly. "There are arrogant bitches and there's-"

"Don't bother finishing.", Caitlyn said, turning around to the window, viewing the cityscape outside. "She clearly knows something about... them."

"Oh, you think?", Vi turned around too. "I also smelled some bullshit from her, especially where she said they 'joined forces'. We gotta get there."

Caitlyn nodded, and both she and Vi turned to leave the room. As they opened the doors and crossed into the hall of the Central Precinct, they started trailing their way to the exit below, before they were intercepted by Shelley again.

"Sheriff, about the description-", Shelley started.

"Not now, Shelley.", Caitlyn said. "Me and my partner are headed out, we might not be-"

"Uh, ma'am, you can't.", Shelley cut her, Caitlyn staring at her. "The funeral's shortly, of the Councillors. All prominent figures are mandatory presence, you included."

Vi got upset as well. "Really? Now?", she asked, jaw dropped. "Get the fuck outta here...", she shook her head.

"Vi, language!", Caitlyn censored, getting wordless as well. She didn't think it'd happen right at that moment, the funeral where the ones perished, especially her very mother, was to happen that day, and now that it was clear Ekko and the Firelights were in clear trouble now and they HAD to be made aware of that. "Now, of all moments..."

"Hey, I'll go alone.", Vi said. "It's you they want, you meet us there later."

"After yesterday?", Caitlyn said, shaking her head visibly. "No. Besides, Jayce and others will ask-"

"To hell with'em, if you heard her, she's up to something, they need us!", Vi protested.

"If I know her, you won't last long on your-", Caitlyn started.

"We can do the 15-minute routine, Sheriff.", Shelley cut in quick.

"Come again, Shelley?", Caitlyn asked, staring at her.

"The 15-minute routine.", Shelley said. "You get there, 15 minutes later I come in..."

"...tell me there's a breakthrough.", Caitlyn nodded softly, glancing at Vi. "Too important to pass out for social procedure's sake."

"Not bad...", Vi nodded, looking at Shelley. "How come you got that?"

"You forget whom I worked for?", Shelley asked. "Even Marcus couldn't stand much of these events..."

Caitlyn and Vi stared at each other. "At least, I'll get to give her a final...", the Sheriff then got lost for words.

"The description, Sheriff.", Shelley said, handing over the piece of paper to Vi and Caitlyn, in which, the moment they saw the drawing, though it wasn't as precise, their blood froze.

"Keep on hold until... later tonight.", Caitlyn ordered, the tone of concern almost made evident to Shelley. "And make it 10 minutes."

Shelley could see the looks on Caitlyn and Vi and then nodded herself, as both Sheriff and enforcer left, in rushed steps.