In the month since Caitlyn had woken up in the hospital after the battle, Vi hadn't left her side, and she had no interest in trying to change that. Her throat always tightened at the idea of the hurt in her partner's eyes of being asked to stay away. She also couldn't deny that every fiber of her being was anxious when she didn't have Vi within arm's reach.
Most of Caitlyn's days consisted of meeting after meeting with various city officials, trying to repair the damage that had been done to both Piltover and Zaun. It wasn't appropriate to have guests in such meetings, but she couldn't bear to leave Vi behind. No one seemed eager to ask why Vi was present, but then again, she didn't actively participate in the conversations. She'd sit quietly by Caitlyn's side, usually watching her, with nary a comment to give.
But what most couldn't see was how their hands were almost always joined underneath the table, silently reassuring one another. Caitlyn was trying to correct her own wrongdoings, sure, but she was also trying to repair decades of turmoil between the twin cities. The quiet little squeezes gave her the confidence she needed to proverbially stand up for Zaun in a way that no Piltovans had cared to do before.
Their mornings always started off the same. Vi woke up long before the sun started rising, and would be dressed before Caitlyn's alarm went off. After she had pulled herself out of bed and gotten ready for the day, she'd meet Vi in the kitchen, where a kettle would already be on the stove for Caitlyn's morning tea. She would run over the day's events as she quickly downed her tea, all while Vi listened and nodded along. It was a comfortable pattern, something they could both rely on.
"Shoola is arranging a meeting with the Academy for later today regarding the future of Hextech. Mel wants to make sure we finish deciding the final decisions around councilor requirements before she leaves for Noxus. And I still need to find time to talk to Harold about revising the Department's training, too, because I will lose my head if I have to deal with one more recruit who forgets how to behave in public." She paused to slam her tea, sighing as she set her cup down. She turned to look at Vi, fully intending on continuing the daily plans, but hesitated as she noted the little smile on Vi's face. "What's that look for?" she asked, a smile tugging at her own lips.
Vi blinked a few times, mouth slightly ajar. "I dunno, I was just listening to you."
Caitlyn laughed quietly, using her hand to prop her chin up as she continued gazing at Vi. "What's the plan for today, then?"
"A lot of boring stuff, and then you getting all hot and bothered about new recruits," she responded, now grinning.
"No, I-I was not," she spluttered, ignoring Vi's snicker. She straightened out her jacket quick before glancing back up. "Are you ready to go?"
Vi was nodding, feet thudding against the ground as she stood up. "Just waiting on you, Cupcake," she confirmed, offering a hand to help Caitlyn onto her own feet.
Their walk to the council building was uneventful and quiet, the sounds of the city just starting to wake around them. There were few physical signs of the battle remaining - everything had been cleaned up and repaired for several weeks. There was still an unnatural eeriness to the streets, as though the architecture itself remembered what had happened there.
Several officers were already in the chambers when they arrived. Caitlyn spotted Steb right away, giving him a nod. As one of the few people she trusted completely, she had offered him a position near the council, which he had politely accepted. He nodded back at her once he saw her as well, eyes continuing to inspect further newcomers in the chambers.
"Looks like Kiramman's got a new puppy," she heard a newer recruit near Steb snicker, and as Caitlyn gave him her full focus, she saw his gaze focused on Vi.
The Vi that she had known a few months ago would have walked over and knocked the man out, or at the very least threaten to. Caitlyn would have had to either hold her back or reprimand her afterwards. Now, she barely reacted, hand twitching in Caitlyn's grasp, but otherwise making no sign of having heard him.
Caitlyn, on the other hand, felt a rage wash over her. No one had any business talking about Vi like that, especially not in front of her. Her hand slipped out of Vi's grip as she smoothly walked up to the jeering man, feeling a smug sense of satisfaction to see him immediately recoil. "What's your name?"
His sneer had faded, looking up at her in fear. "El-Ellis, Commander."
"Ellis, when did you enlist?" she asked curtly, hands folding neatly behind her back. .
He swallowed heavily, eyes darting around her face as his drained of color. "After the battle."
She kept her eye trained on his, narrowing slightly. "And why did you join?"
He glanced at Steb for a moment, as though hoping to be saved. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the senior officer shifting to a rather informal stance as he watched the interaction. "M-my dad was an Enforcer when I was younger, right after the uprising. I wanted to help people, like he did."
"Then you of all people should know, Ellis, that the majority of the people in this room are already decorated officers, and were present at the battle against the Noxians." She could see his face turn ever whiter, and a little vindictive voice in the back of her head was cheering at his response. "You may not know what hell each person has been through, but you should know that holding your tongue against your colleagues is the ultimate sign of respect."
"I'm-I'm sorry, Commander, won't happen again."
"I would hope not. Contumelious comments like that will not be tolerated amongst Piltover's finest." She turned to look at Steb briefly, relieved to see the faintest of smirks on his face as he looked between the two of them. He gave her a quick nod as he straightened back to his former position.
Ellis was nodding aggressively as well, head lowered to avoid meeting her gaze again. She calmly turned away from him and returned to Vi, who had frozen in place. Those grey eyes were locked on her, wide and almost alarmed, and Caitlyn reclaimed the same twitching hand before pulling her to the table.
Vi was expected so often that a chair was sat to the right of Caitlyn's seat. It still felt unnatural for Caitlyn to be sitting where her mother should have been, and there was a heavy weight on her shoulders as she wondered if she was making the choices necessary to correct years of mistakes.
"What was that?" Vi said quietly after they sat down, the remainder of the council still making their way into the room and mingling.
"Making sure our new recruits have their wits about them," she responded, aware that her face was starting to flush. What she had done was certainly unprofessional, but she wasn't willing to let anyone try to walk over her partner. Vi had gone through enough. "I really need to make sure Harold gets some sort of behavioral session for them, or so help me, the next recruit will be terminated on the spot."
Vi was still studying her, the corner of her mouth twitching. "You didn't have to do that for me."
If they weren't inside the council chambers, surrounded by curious eyes, Caitlyn would have been much more passionate with her response. Instead, she squeezed Vi's hand firmly, giving her a warm smile. "Maybe I did it for my own amusement."
There was a little wry grin on Vi's face, just barely concealed. "Still hot and bothered, I see," she muttered.
"I am not," she shot back, a nervous laugh escaping her as Shoola stood to bring the first meeting of the day to order.