Chapter Seven: True Strength

The sun was starting to descend and the market was now being taken down. Even though there were still a couple of hours of sunlight, the limited angle through which the daylight could enter made the days feel shorter. However, darkness was something the people were used to, but had their ways around it as well. The lanterns hanging all around the place lit up, and the bright multicolor lights gave the Firelights' village one-of-a-kind beauty one would never find elsewhere in the Undercity.

Notwithstanding, the lights were the last thing on Vi's mind. She had been looking everywhere for Ekko, but no sign of him. This was starting to be annoying; the fleeting thought of them taking action on their own made her clench her jaw. She worried she had been unreachable for too long, and now there was a chance she had been sat out. Vi quickly shook that idea off and continued to look around. Although, she also noticed Caitlyn was nowhere to be found either…

– Oh, there you are! –a familiar squeaky voice spoke behind her.

Vi turned around, and saw a smiling Heimerdinger standing before her holding the Hextech gauntlets.

– Mister Heimerdinger –she greeted him.

– I see you've been practicing my name –he joked–. It took more materials than I foresaw, but the team was able to fix them –he handed the gauntlets over to Vi–. Although, I must say –he frowned in deep thought– the most difficult part was to remove those stains! I wonder what's in the composition of that paint…

The serious tone over that silly remark made Vi smile. She put them on to give them a try.

– Good as new. Thank you.

– You are very welcome, Vi –Heimerdinger smiled.

– Have you seen Ekko?

– Ekko? I'm afraid not. I have been working in my lab all day –Vi sighed, a concerned look on her face–. But you've got nothing to worry about. The scout team hasn't returned yet, anyways. Ekko is most likely to be overviewing the defense measures he ordered to build.

Vi had to admit that his positivism, even though a bit overboard, did have a soothing effect on her. Heimerdinger smiled, then cleared his throat and, with certain prudence, he asked:

– Have you had the chance to talk with Caitlyn?

His question caught Vi by surprise–. No, I haven't. Why? Is she okay?

Heimeringer got closer and asked Vi to match his height. She complied, curious about what he was going to say next.

– I know very well how it feels to be out of place. Caitlyn is a strong woman, but even the strongest ones need support from time to time.

Her eyes widened. The deep resonance between his words and what she had just experienced that morning was undeniable.

– Has she mentioned anything to you? –Vi asked, bewildered at the feeling of experiencing parallel realities with Caitlyn.

– No, she hasn't. But I feel she could use a friend right now.

Vi paused, thinking through what to do next. The villagers continued to pass by, going about their business. And Ekko was still nowhere to be seen.

– Do you know where she is at right now?

Heimerdinger brought up his index to his chin, thinking.

– The last time I saw her, she was on her way to the room Ekko had arranged for you two. She looked quite tired –he softened his tone–, probably dealing with more than meets the eye.

– Hmmm… She did seem a bit off this morning –Vi recalled, thinking out loud.

Vi began to wonder if it had been wise to leave Caitlyn alone in the village. The sudden remembrance of her acting in a similar way at the brothel popped up in her mind, a sense of remorse wrapping around her head. Even though this time was different: she didn't want to get rid of Caitlyn, more like she needed the space to process her emotions and recent events. However, it was true that she hadn't considered Caitlyn's needs nor did she let her know where she would be, just in case. An immediate regret assaulted her conscience, a bed of guilt spreading like a wildfire. Finding Caitlyn was the priority.

– The room is in the last house of the outdoor corridor, third level –Heimerdinger uttered unexpectedly, just as if he could read her mind–. The stairs on the North wall are the fastest route from here, in case you are considering going to check on her.

– I see you already know your way around here –Vi joked–. Thanks, Heimerdinger.

With a knowing smile under his mustache, Piltover's Founder nodded and watched the brawler take off, swift as the wind. Vi ran up the stairs and reached the last house of the outdoor corridor as indicated, but once she was in front of the door, she hesitated. Caitlyn and her hadn't talked since they had made it safe and sound to The Firelights' hideout, and Vi was well aware she hadn't been there for her during this uncertain time of confusion and tidal emotions. She was unsure of what she would find on the other side. Would Caitlyn be feeling hurt about being left behind without notice? Would she still be angry for having to stay put for longer than expected? Would she even be there at all?

A queasy sensation made her realize she was short of air before the idea of Caitlyn being gone. She took a deep breath in and gathered herself, then finally dared to raise her hand. She was about to knock on the door when it suddenly opened.

– Vi! –Caitlyn gasped, bringing her hand to her chest–. Gosh, you scared the crap out of me.

– No shit –Vi replied as startled as she was.

Caitlyn opened the door completely, and the first thing Vi noticed was the outstanding change of outfit.

– Wow.

She scanned her all the way down to her feet, then up again. Her breath was taken away at once. Although, Vi wasn't able to articulate any other words than an awkward:

– You look… good.

Caitlyn moved aside to let her in.

– I figured I'd be more discreet dressed in black than in "corruptive blue" –she said with a tease, quoting Ekko.

Vi smirked and entered, allowing the light laughter to help her release some of the nervousness that had woken up moments earlier. The room was small but cozy. Beside the door, there was a big window from which the leafy cusp of the Great Giant could be admired. A chunky heater, which was currently off, stood at the opposite side of the big window, and there was a circle rug placed right in the middle, which made the room seem slightly bigger. Parallel to each other, a twin size bed and a wide yet short wooden wardrobe took up most of the space, while another single bed hugged the wall closest to the heater.

A rusty wall lamp provided just enough light to distinguish the elements of the room. Caitlyn closed the door and turned around to face Vi, who was removing her gauntlets and leaving them on the corner, right by the window through which the multicolour lights from the lanterns outside were coming in.

– I haven't seen you in the whole day –Caitlyn said shyly–. Where have you been?

– I needed time to process… well, everything.

– Yeah –the enforcer lowered her gaze– me too.

Vi took a couple of steps and sat on the twin bed, which was closest to the door.

– Not too bad –she commented, looking around– Were you headed somewhere?

– I wanted to go check if there was any news on the team Ekko sent out –Caitlyn took a look outside the window–. It's almost dusk.

– I can answer that for you. They haven't returned yet.

Vi could see Caitlyn's jaw tensing up. She remained by the window with her arms crossed, her mind racing over a thousand thoughts. Meanwhile, the Underciter was trying to decide if this was a good moment to unveil the new plan she had come up with or not. With her elbows resting on her knees, Vi sighed and remained silent. Caitlyn shifted her attention to look at her for a moment before joining her and sitting on her right side.

– Are you OK? –she asked.

– Yeah, it's just… It's hard to accept that my sister is no longer who I thought she was.

She pressed her lips together, then released the tension in an exhalation. Caitlyn simply looked at her with care, listening close.

– While I was by myself this morning, I came across a flower garden. And I saw a rose. It's the first time I see one down here. And… I know this may sound a bit weird, but it was as if I could hear it talking to me.

– And… What did it say? –Caitlyn asked without judgment.

A gentle smile got drawn on Vi's face. With her eyes staring at the empty space in front of her, she answered:

– It showed me that what I've been fighting for all my life was to protect the ones I care about… to give Powder a better life than the one I had –she paused, her tone turning somber–. But the people who I loved the most are the ones who ended up being killed one way or another.

The enforcer didn't say anything, yet her heart was beating with empathy and compassion. Gently, Vi placed a hand on Caitlyn's, who was taken by surprise. Yet, she didn't say a word, for she saw Vi very focused on what she was saying.

– I want to apologize, Cupcake. It was never my intention to get you entangled in all of this.

Caitlyn interlaced her fingers with Vi's, her hands resting on her thigh. She took a few seconds of embracing the warm sensation of feeling at home.

– In all honesty, I believe it's me who got myself into this situation –she made a gloomy smile, her eyes focused on their intertwined hands–. I was going too deep in a case no one would talk about. I guess now I know why.

A comfortable silence fell between the two. Vi allowed herself to caress the soft skin of the enforcer's hand, and Caitlyn felt close enough to lean onto Vi's shoulder. She wanted to embrace her, but she held herself back. For now, resting her head on her shoulder already felt like a solid step towards the intimacy Caitlyn genuinely wanted with Vi.

– I've been thinking about what happened at the warehouse –Vi uttered–. I was scared I'd lose one of you… maybe both –she squeezed Caitlyn's hand–. And… I can't let that happen.

Caitlyn lifted her head from Vi's shoulder and gave the brawler a puzzled look. She had the intuition Vi was going somewhere with this; somewhere she didn't have a good feeling about. Vi took a deep breath in, ready to tell her she was going to go capture Jinx by herself. But when she turned her head to meet Caitlyn's eyes, she saw they were only a few centimeters away. She froze, and – unintentionally, she directed her gaze directly on Caitlyn's lips.

– I…

With her heart racing, she corrected her gaze immediately, but of course Caitlyn caught on the blunder and mirrored it involuntarily. The intimate closeness could be felt, as well as the opportunity to give in to each other. Caitlyn's face expression softened, her eyes looking deeply into Vi's. Seconds that felt like an eternity, together with the lingering sensation of floating in mid air, the brawler finally let her feelings take the wheel. Her eyes began closing, and right when she started to shorten the distance to kiss Caitlyn, a loud disturbance interrupted the magic.

The distinct noise of a rattled crowd could be heard clearly coming from outside the window. Both opened their eyes at once, not really knowing if to move or not. However, the crowd's roar grew in agitation; thus, the enforcer's was the first one to move, her nervous system activated.

– Something's up –Caitlyn said, her focus shifting into sniper mode.

She got up and walked towards the big window to take a look. Even then, it took a bit longer for Vi to snap out of the bubble. Shaken by that sudden stop, Vi got up as well and joined her partner.

– What's happening?

– I don't know –Caitlyn bent down to pick up the gauntlets–. Let's find out.

Vi had to think fast in order to catch them. Caitlyn had thrown the gauntlets at her unexpectedly with a knowing smile prior to reaching the doorknob. They both exited the room and leaned onto the metal bar to look down at the feet of the Great Giant, where most of the village was gathered. They were encircling three Firelight sentinels who were holding down a man on his knees. His head was covered in a hay bag and his hands were tied up on his back. Vi frowned, wondering what the hell was that about, but then she saw the female Firelight sentinel holding the clear-cut Hextech hammer she knew well.

– It can't be –her jaw dropped.

Caitlyn also gasped the moment she noticed the unmistakable blue light of Hextech beaming on the sentinel's hand, wondering what may have happened. Both women rushed down and made their way amongst the rebels, who continued to loudly harass the captive.

– What the hell is going on? –Ekko appeared from the crowd.

– Captain –Vince greeted him–. We found out where Jinx is hiding at, and on our way we've captured this Topsider spy.

– I'm not a spy! –the man raised his voice from inside the bag.

Ekko frowned, then took a closer look at him. He was wearing white and gold high-standing clothes. His dark pants were tight, and his boots were definitely not made for silent work.

– You sure don't dress like one.

– Ekko! –Vi raised her voice amongst the crowd, finally reaching the center of the circle– What's going on?

– Vi! Is that you? –the man spoke with astonishment.

Caitlyn recognized his voice immediately.

– Jayce...?

– Caitlyn?!

The enforcer turned around at once to face Ekko.

– He's not a spy, he is my friend! Please, let him go. He's no threat.

– Oh, yeah? –the female sentinel intervened– Then, what's this? –she said, referring to the hammer Hextech.

– You really wouldn't expect anyone to come to the Undercity unarmed after what happened, would you? –Jayce spoke back at her.

– Silence! –Ekko snapped.

– Ekko, Caitlyn's telling the truth –Vi go into the conversation–. I know him, too. He's on our side.

Still unconvinced, Ekko took a moment to think this through while the crowd was still watching expectantly.

– Caitlyn, are you alright? Are you hurt?

– Yeah, I'm OK. And you… you're alive! –she smiled widely, then frowned at the sentinels who were just staring with confusion– Can you untie him already?

– Wait a moment –Ekko interfered–. We don't know if…

– Jayce? Is that you?

A squeaky voice spoke behind him all of a sudden. Bewildered, Jayce reacted with truly felt joy to that unmistakable voice.

– Professor Heimerdinger! You are here, too?! But, how?

Heimerdinger had been alerted by Taric, who had accompanied him to check on the crowd noise. Ekko sighed.

– Fine… I see you all know each other –he rolled his eyes with resignation.

The Firelight leader felt he had no choice but to set the prisoner free. He lifted his head as a sign to tell his troop to do so. The female sentinel gave the Hextech hammer to Ekko prior to removing the bag from Jayce's head. The sentinels dissipated the crowd simultaneously, asking them to carry on. Certainly unhappy, the villagers obeyed, even though they seemed restless by the presence of not just one, but now two Topsiders on their territory.

– But we are keeping this somewhere safe –Ekko stated firmly, referring to his Hextech hammer.

The female sentinel took the hammer back and made her way out, followed by most of the Firelight soldiers. Only Vince and the two other sentinels who joined him on his scouting mission stuck around for the sake of curiosity.

– Thank you –Jayce said, squinting at the unenthusiastic sentinel who had just untied him while he was leaving the scene.

Jayce got up and massaged his wrists. Caitlyn rushed in and hugged him. He welcomed that hug like the dawn of a new day after months without sunlight.

– It's so good to see you –she said as the hug ended–. Is everyone else OK?

– Councilor Hoskel and Councilor Salo couldn't make it… The other councilors have some minor injuries but they will be OK.

– And… –she hesitated– my mother?

Jayce didn't expect to break the news about the state of her mother right away. He didn't want to lie to her, yet he also knew there was no soft way of saying this. He had a moment of doubt, but as he shared a look with Vi whose face also showed concern about this matter, he sighed and mentally prepared for it.

– She survived, although she's got some serious injuries. Your dad is with her at the hospital –his voice trembled a bit–. She's probably undergoing surgery by now.

– Where? –Caitlyn inquired immediately.

– Her legs. They were trapped under the rubble –he paused–. She's lucky to be alive.

– Is she going to be OK, though? –Vi asked in a soft voice, adrenaline flooding through her veins.

– I… I don't know.

The brawler felt her chest tighten as she quietly looked at Caitlyn. The space and time seemed to have compressed. For a split second, Caitlyn felt a rush of emotions – both positive and negative, at the same time. Even though Cassandra Kiramman had always been a difficult mother to deal with, Caitlyn was so happy to hear her mother was alive. On the other hand, hearing first hand that there had been casualties for a fact moved something within her. The need for justice was growing bigger and bigger, while a boiling sensation arose from inside; a sensation only Jinx was able to wake up in her. She took a deep breath in, calling in some serenity.

– Thank goodness Councilor Medarda was able to protect you all –Heimerdinger spoke, smoothly changing the mood of the conversation.

– You knew about her magic tattoos, Professor?

– We did have a conversation once. Yet, she did ask me to keep this information to myself, and so I did –he smiled.

– Why did you come to the Undercity? –Caitlyn asked with a tad of confusion.

– I came looking for you. It was odd not to see you at the site, so I went over to your house but I couldn't find you there, either. Your dad was really worried something had happened to you.

The enforcer sighed–. And he was right. I got abducted.

[Play "Love Lost" by Mattia Cupelli]

Jayce was taken by surprise on that one, thinking on how spot on her father had been indeed. Vi lowered her gaze, once more facing the reality of her sister being completely out of whack. Jayce frowned, then asked in a serious tone:

– Was it Jinx? –Caitlyn nodded– Do you know where she is now?

Vince sneered at Jayce, refusing to give him any information without Ekko's approval. He looked at his leader, who nodded back; thus, giving him permission to share what he knew openly with the group.

– She's at the plant on the East side waterfront. There's a big shimmer plant over there. The word that Silco has kicked the bucket is spreading fast, and many are leaving his side. There is a high chance the building is being unwatched.

Jayce's eyes widened, as he quickly felt the urge to get clarification on that one tiny detail about Silco.

– Jinx killed Silco when he was about to shoot at me –Vi explained.

– How come she protected you?

– Jinx is Vi's sister –Caitlyn explained.

Perplexed, Jayce needed a moment to process it all. At this point, his head was working at full steam to put all of the pieces together, realizing that the spider web involved more pieces than he had imagined at first. Meanwhile, Ekko carried on with their original plan.

– Now that we know Jinx's location, we can make a plan to capture her alive.

– No, I'll go alone.

Vi finally let it out, and the attention of the entire group turned towards her.

– What? –Caitlyn asked in disbelief.

Frowning and filled with emotion, the brawler did her best to contain the wave in order to speak clearly. Contrary to what she was used to, Vi felt it was time to open up about her change of heart in regards to their initial agreement.

– She is my only family left. I know she needs to be held accountable for her actions, but going in by force won't make her surrender. –Vi softened her tone, almost allowing her vulnerability to show up in the form of tears– I don't want her to die. And I don't want more people getting hurt.

Everyone was listening to Vi's argument, each one of them having their own inner turmoil about her caring yet reckless initiative. She dried her tears away, then continued:

– Let me go meet her alone. If it's just me, there is a higher chance she will listen.

– Vi, it's too dangerous –Caitlyn intervened, her voice giving away how much she actually cared.

– I wasn't there for her when she needed me the most. I know I can't change that, but I have to try to at least prevent her from getting killed.

Caitlyn looked at her intensely, for she felt deep resonance with her statement despite her mixed feelings.

– And who's going to prevent you from getting killed?

Vi looked at Ekko, who was staring at her with a lifted eyebrow, arms crossed. The brawler shrugged her shoulders, not really having an answer for that. Ekko grunted, letting his arms fall to his sides.

– You wanna do it your way? Fine, but don't be stupid and bring some backup with you.

– No, I'm not putting anyone else at risk.

– We weren't asking –Caitlyn said, nudging her with the shoulder–. We are coming with you.

Vi was about to protest once more when she saw the smile at the corner of Cailtyn's lips. She lifted her head up to meet Taric's eyes, who nodded energetically. When her eyes finally landed on Ekko, he had this unimpressed look on.

– The team is ready, so it'd be a waste of everyone's time not to go.

He kept his detached facade on, but his tone said otherwise – and Vi could see right through it. She smiled and closed her eyes, a warm feeling growing inside her chest. She understood that she needed her team, just as she felt the support of her pack back when she was a teenager and Vander was still alive. A flood of images went through her memory. All the good times, and not so good times she had lived with Mylo, Clogger, and her little sister were moving fast like the slides of a projector. Feeling fondness, Vi had a bittersweet smile drawn on her face.

– There's one more thing –Vince uttered, suddenly grabbing everyone's attention–. Apparently, she is not alone.

– What do you mean? –Jayce asked.

– Singed is with her.

And just like that, all the Firelights present in the conversation went pale.

To be continued…

Thank you so much for reading and sorry for the delay. It's interesting to feel how this turning point was also harder to write, for the possibilities laying ahead broaden every chapter.

Please let me know your thoughts / feels so far.

Much love, and until the next episode!