Chapter Five – The Eyes and Ears
Vi is punching in the weekly report (an incredibly short and uneventful task) when she feels a tap on her shoulder. Torn from her thoughts, she snaps her head towards the person behind her.
It's Caitlyn.
Caitlyn is in her office. Her arms are folded over her stomach, she's standing with her coat draped over her wrists. Around her neck dangles a visitor's pass. In her hand, she holds a pen and the notebook with the Kiramman crest.
She smiles at Vi.
"Hey," Caitlyn says, her lips pull back and reveals her teeth in a simple simper.
"Caitlyn? What're you doing here?" Vi asks, a little too surprised perhaps, and gets up from her chair.
"Am I interrupting?" Caitlyn seems concerned by Vi's tone.
"No," Vi says quickly, rubbing the back of her neck. "Hey. It's good to see you," she tries to recover.
There's a very distinct contrast in their attire, it's painfully noticeable. Caitlyn is wearing a white dress shirt with puffy rolled up sleeves and a white floppy bowtie. The shirt is tucked into a high waisted skirt. A blue vest hugs her sides, decorative buttons line each breast pocket. Vi is wearing her black body armor, and a gun is strapped to her belt. Vi is dangerous and Caitlyn is clean.
"I'm here for an interview with your boss," she looks down at her notes, "Evander Warwick," she reads.
"About the Calgon case?" Vi wants to know.
Of course, it's about the fucking Calgon case. Ekko hasn't been able to rest peacefully since he was pushed over the ledge. There's still so much digging going on. So many unresolved issues. Like a murderer on the loose. That's one of the more critical issues, in Vi's opinion.
She's not sure why Caitlyn's smile falters. Maybe she thinks Vi will get angry again, just like last night. Maybe she thinks that every mention of Ekko will make Vi's hands shake and her gaze distant.
"I'm really sorry about all of this. I know it must be hard for you to-"
"Caitlyn, it's fine," Vi interrupts, and she nearly reaches out to cup Caitlyn's cheek. Vi bites the inside of her lip. "Please don't be sorry."
The urgency in Vi's voice unsettles her. Vi just wants Caitlyn to shut up. To stop talking about Ekko and either kiss her or leave. Caitlyn doesn't take the hint.
"If you need me, you know I'll always-"
"I know," Vi interrupts her again.
She doesn't have to say it. Vi doesn't want her to say it. Because no matter how horrible things get, she will never be able to unload on Caitlyn. Caitlyn is Jayce's. And Vi must find someone else who can stand listening to her problems. She has to find her own Caitlyn.
Claggor returns with a cup of coffee in both hands. He hands one over to Vi. Then he stretches his free hand out towards Caitlyn.
"Claggor Marlowe. This one's partner," he nods towards Vi.
"Caitlyn Kiramman," Caitlyn replies, smiling gently at him. Vi notices how Caitlyn doesn't use 'Talis' in her introduction. Out of habit, Caitlyn nearly curtseys when she shakes Claggor's hand. Oh Caitlyn. Why are you so heavenly? "This one's sister-in-law," Caitlyn says and nods towards Vi while smirking playfully.
Claggor almost looks shocked. It's odd to witness Caitlyn and Claggor interact. Claggor is a lot like Ekko. Ekko had the same teasing streak, the same calmness, the same brotherly demeanor, the same loving warmth encrypted in his DNA that Claggor does. Claggor knows nothing about Caitlyn. Vi would never hear the end of it if he found out about her feelings for her. She supposes the boys' contrast with the slight pessimism Ekko sometimes carried with him. Claggor is too buoyant, his ideology on life is that it can always get better. That love is an infinity that knows no bounds. Claggor loves, and he loves whole-heartedly. He loves so hard that sometimes he doesn't understand how much love can hurt.
Vi is scared that Claggor would encourage her pursuit of Caitlyn. Convince her, that it could actually happen – they could be together, and things could be different. It just can't. And Ekko knew that. Ekko had his feet planted so firmly on the ground, that there was barely any space left for the irrational nature of a basic human. She supposes that it's something he and Caitlyn had in common: they're both incredibly logical and matter-of-factly beings.
Ekko was somehow fine with Vi's feelings for Caitlyn. He knew she couldn't help it. He understood that you don't choose who you have feelings for. Claggor would want Vi to come clean. Talk to Caitlyn about it, find a solution to all of this. He'd say everything would calm down after a while.
But Vi cares too much about Jayce to do something like that to him. And most important of all, she doesn't belong in the same world as Jayce and Caitlyn. It could never work. They're just too different.
Caitlyn married her brother. Now she must live with it.
"Wait, you're Jayce's wife?" Claggor sinks a lump in his throat. It's almost hilarious to watch.
Caitlyn cocks an eyebrow and pops out her hip.
"Why is that so odd?" She wonders, a confused expression creeping upon her face.
Claggor scratches the back of his head. Poor boy.
Hadn't thought that through, had you, Claggor?
"Oh, no reason. It's just, you seem so nice, and well, Jayce is… um, Jayce is-"
"An arrogant jerk?" Vi supplies casually, crossing her arms over her chest.
Claggor puts one of his massive hands on Vi's face and pushes her away.
"Behave. I was going to say 'bossy.'"
Caitlyn laughs a little at the spectacle.
"Yes, I believe Jayce can be a little… bossy occasionally."
Vi shoves Claggor's hand out of her face.
"A little? He threatened to install an energy core in my boots and launch me from the rooftop to see if I could fly, if I didn't give him Vi's schedule."
Caitlyn leans her head back and chuckles. Claggor smiles widely at her. Vi doesn't know how to feel about the two hitting it off. She wishes Caitlyn would stop trying to invade her life any further than she already has. Claggor and The LockSmith are all Vi have left where Caitlyn hasn't set her marks. She used to have her job too, but here Caitlyn is, standing in her tiny cubicle of an office about to go interview her boss.
Caitlyn looks at her finger watch and informs them that her meeting with the chief is in a few minutes. It's the same finger watch Jayce carries – it's their wedding rings. A watch that is also a ring. It was Jayce's idea.
"It's just down the hall to your left, you can't miss it," Claggor directs, and Caitlyn smiles, nods and thanks him.
The strap of her shoulder bag slips, and the bag falls to the ground. Quickly, Vi grabs the bag to place the strap back over Caitlyn's shoulder.
"Thanks, Vi," Caitlyn says, and her cerulean eyes are so filled with the subtle joy only Caitlyn can portray – as if she cages it, and it tries to break free – that Vi for a second forgets how to breathe.
"No problem," Vi says, and drops her hand to her side again.
Vi wants to say something before she leaves. She doesn't know what to say. She just wants to make Caitlyn smile like that one more time. To let her know she isn't mad Caitlyn stopped by her cubicle, and she isn't mad about yesterday.
"You look gorgeous today, Cupcake."
The words roll off Vi's tongue before she can stop them, like a swarm of wasps pushing themselves out of their hive in primal eagerness. The word hangs in the air, taunting her like a fucking piñata she keeps missing.
Cupcake
What the actual fuck was going through Vi's head when she'd said it, she will never know. This isn't the bar where she can flirt relentlessly. Caitlyn isn't the booty call Vi doesn't recall the name of when they wake the next morning.
Caitlyn's eyes become wide. Her mouth is a thin line. Her cheeks are blushing, just like a polluted morning sky.
"Uhm, thanks, Vi," she says before turning on her heels and starts towards the chief's office.
Vi is standing with the sensation of being punched in the stomach. She's watching as Caitlyn goes, and she wishes she could have just kept her mouth shut. What a terrible, terrible thing to say to your sister-in-law.
Claggor is standing by her side, he's staring at Vi, and Vi is staring at Caitlyn's back.
"What the hell was that?" Claggor asks.
Vi tears her gaze from the rapidly distancing Caitlyn Talis Kiramman.
"Nothing," she says, while bending over to secure her boots, just to do something. "Ready to go?"
Claggor's hand is on her arm before she manages to move towards the elevator.
"Not until you tell me what the hell that was. Were you flirting with your brother's wife?"
First, Vi looks shocked. Then confused. She tries to look offended. And finally outraged.
"For heaven's sake, what are you on about? That wasn't flirting," Vi snarls.
"You told her she looked gorgeous," he persists. "You called her cupcake."
"I tell people they look gorgeous all the time," she huffs, ripping her arm from his grasp. She starts towards the elevator.
"You never tell me that I look gorgeous," Claggor says.
"Fuck, Claggor. Leave it. I wasn't flirting."
"Vi, wait-"
"I have an interrogation. Either join me or leave me alone."
Her voice is harsh. Claggor stays behind. She feels his eyes bore into the back of her head. She's annoyed, but mostly annoyed at herself. How could she even allow herself to utter something as stupid as complimenting Caitlyn's beauty? Everyone knows Caitlyn is beautiful. Why did she have to go point it out?
She sighs. It's done. It's over. It can't be undone, she might as well get this interrogation over with so she can move on with her day. Caitlyn is probably already about to interview the chief, there is nothing she can do to explain to her that what she'd said was meant entirely platonic.
She's in the elevator, using the last few seconds of silence to scold herself for such a rookie mistake. Two years. Two years she has tried to keep her shit together, and still she allows something like this to slip out of her mouth. The elevator halts. She pushes her thumb against the fingerprint scanner and the doors open.
LEVEL 110, APF INTERROGATION ROOMS. WELCOME AGENT VI STRYKER.
"Burn in hell, you stupid machine," she mutters.
Vi grabs a holo-tablet by the main hall, quickly swiping through case files until she finds the lovely acquaintance she made yesterday. Her case file reads "ROOM 110-54B: Ready for interrogation" and she proceeds down the hall. Finally, she steps inside a small room. The walls are white, and the floor is blue.
The girl is sitting on one of the chairs in the room, her wrists neatly captured in a set of cuffs. Her head hangs low, long blue hair covers her eyes. Immediately, Vi notices the girl's middle finger prosthetic. It's made of metal. That's what ripped her cheek open yesterday.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Vi says.
Vi is not actually sorry. It's just to show her that she has the upper hand. She's simply too busy to get to an interrogation on time (too busy may include: finishing her coffee, balancing her taser on her nose, tease Claggor or stare into space). They need to know they are not important. They aren't a priority. She wants them to worry she's too busy digging up dirt on them that she's at least 20 minutes late. She wants to poke into their brains, let them doubt themselves a little.
ROOM 110-54B has the most uncomfortable chairs in the building. Vi specifically chooses this room every time. The girl looks up, her piercing lush eyes meets Vi's for a second before she drops her head again and stares mindlessly at the floor. Vi is already tired of this interrogation. The girl won't give her anything – not willingly at least. Yesterday should be proof enough of that.
Vi's eye is still blue, but the swelling is gone. The girl doesn't even admire her work. Vi takes a note of that. Most would sit with smugness in their posture. Her eyes barely linger two seconds on Vi's cheek before she bows her head again. Vi finds that a little strange. The way she carried herself yesterday, the way she made herself seem so violated, that doesn't correspond to the same girl sitting in front of Vi now. She half expected a snarky comment, or at least a subtle simper as her eyes grazed upon Vi's injury.
Vi pulls out a chair from the corner of the interrogation room. She sits down in front of the girl and leans forward, placing an elbow on each of her knees.
"I hope a night in solitude has made you think twice about assaulting an APF agent," Vi says.
Vi is trying to catch her eyes, but the floor apparently appeals to her.
The girl says nothing in response. Her sapphire blue hair hovers over her eyes, but Vi catches a glint of more blue between the strands. The girl's eyes are almost the same cerulean as Caitlyn's. She's so pale one should've thought she'd never seen the light of day. Her eyes aren't as red and tired as they were yesterday. Vi accepts that she won't get anything out of her by waiting for a verbal attack.
"So, Jinx," Vi says, and for the first time the girl looks up.
She looks at Vi as if she has been betrayed.
"Am I pronouncing that right? Jinx? Like a jinx?" Vi is toying with her. "Anyway, want to tell me what a young girl like you were doing at a bodega drinking your brains out at three in the afternoon?"
The girl shakes her head. The sharpness of her cheekbones makes her cheeks seem hollow. She's skinny. Probably malnourished for a good chunk of her life, it's evident in the patches of discoloration on her skin and her bony figure. She'd probably have developed differently, stronger, if her body had gotten the nutrients needed when she was an adolescent.
"No," Jinx says quietly. "I can't tell you. Because there's nothing to tell."
Is this the same girl that knocked her elbow into Vi's skull yesterday? She's so… articulate. Yesterday it seemed as if her vocabulary was no larger than that of a haiku. Today she's calm. Vi can even detect a certain wary of her choice of words and her tone. A girlish innocence settles upon her. This is proving to be interesting. Jinx plays with the tips of her hair. Sometimes her eyes grow distant, as if she goes somewhere inside her head. Then she snaps back to reality.
Vi leans back into her chair and takes a deep breath. She puffs up her chest, squares her shoulders, just like Ekko would have done. Just like Ekko, because this was Ekko's thing. Not Vi's. She always admired Ekko whenever she watched him interrogate people. She's out of practice, which was why she didn't ask Claggor to tag along. He doesn't need to see how rusty she is.
"I allowed myself the liberty to look through your file," Vi reveals. "A hair sample can tell us pretty much everything about a person these days," she says lightly with a provocative tuck on her lips
Jinx refrains from commenting.
Vi grabs the holo tablet from her lap and starts swiping through Jinx's file again.
"You're Jinx Adelpha. You're 22 years old, blood type P9A, social security number 3-3-3-0-9-4-2-5-9-6-A, orphaned by the age of four, father's name Johan Adelpha, mother's name Em-"
"Shut up!" Jinx shouts.
She throws her fists into her thighs, her mobility restrained by the cuffs.
Vi sees the anger swell in Jinx's eyes. But they're lacking something. They're lacking sadness. All she sees is anger.
"I see mom and dad are a sore subject," Vi dares her with a quirked eyebrow.
This isn't working. Jinx clenches and unclenches her jaw while she continuously stares at the floor. Vi needs another approach. Time to get intimate. She leans forward one more time. This time, Vi closes in on Jinx. Jinx draws her legs to her chest; her heels support her on the edge of the chair.
"Look. You've obviously been through a lot," Vi begins. "Losing your parents must have been terrible. But you can't go around attacking cops. We're here to protect you; we were just doing our jobs."
And just as Vi thinks she's getting through to her, Jinx starts shaking her head. She can't help but be a little surprised. This usually works. At least it should work on young girls like Jinx, who's lost their parents and are all alone in the world. Apparently, Vi underestimated her.
"Listen, Lady," Jinx says, "I can't tell you what I was doing at the bodega yesterday. All I can say, is that hitting you in the face was an accident. I'm not stupid enough to assault a police officer."
This is unexpected. So far, this interrogation is nothing like she thought it would be. What Vi cannot decipher, is whether Jinx is lying about the assault. Though, the way Jinx phrases it does make Vi believe she truly isn't stupid enough to assault an officer.
Vi gets up and starts walking around. It gives her time to think. Jinx follows Vi with her eyes.
"It didn't feel like an accident," Vi says as she points to her eye.
"It was. I swear!" Her eyes widen with desperation.
For some reason, Vi actually believes her. It's a gut feeling. But her gut has been wrong before. She supposes she'll see where this takes her this time.
"Maybe I'd actually believe you, if you told me what you were doing at the bodega?"
Jinx drops her chin onto her kneecaps. She blows her bangs out of her eyes. There's a vague familiarity in the way Jinx is folded in on herself, kind of like Caitlyn sometimes does when Jayce starts arguing with her over stupid stuff.
"I was having a drink," Jinx insists.
"I don't believe you."
"What's not to believe? Wasn't it obvious?"
Vi hands meet behind her back. She walks around a bit more. Drags out the tension. She can't for the life of her determine why Jinx is holding back information. What's her motivation? Is it fear? Is someone going to hurt her if she breaks? Is it loyalty? Guilt? She gives Vi nothing.
"You didn't know anyone at the pub. So either you actually did just go in for a drink – which is unlikely, because your blood alcohol level was 0.00% which means you didn't have a single drop to drink – or had an errand. And by the way you stared at my partner and I as we patrolled, I'm going to be forward and assume you had an errand."
Vi is using a few hand gestures as she walks around until she stands before Jinx. She put a hand on each of her armrests and stared her dead in the eye.
"Last chance. What were you doing there?" She enunciates, gritting her teeth because her patience is about to slip.
Jinx doesn't startle easily. The absolute blasé expression on her face infuriates Vi. It isn't enough for Vi to give up. With unblinking determination, Vi holds Jinx's gaze. Jinx gulps and takes a breath.
"When did you take my blood alcohol level?"
"Stop avoiding the question."
"I'm not avoiding the question. I've already answered you."
Vi breathes in through her nostrils and runs a hand through her hair. She accidently hit her bruised eye, but she plays it cool. Vi starts circling her.
"This is a small case, Jinx," Vi says. "I can make it go away. It'll be like it never happened. I'll just report it as an accident, which it was, right?" She halts completely. "Or," Vi says like she has just gotten a bright idea. "Or we could take this to court. Get the jury involved, you know how it goes. I could claim that it in fact wasn't an accident. That your assault was targeted specifically towards the law. Who do you think they would believe? An experienced APF agent who's dedicated years of her life to protect the nation?" Vi looks her up and down, trying to make her feel small. "Or a nobody who throws around with liquor bottles in the middle of the afternoon in Downtown Arret and verbally assaults patrolling officers?
There it is. Vi sees Jinx's shoulders tense up.
"Unless you tell me something of substance right now, I'll have you escorted back to your cell, and in a few hours, you'll be locked away until you can stand before a jury. And believe me when I say this: the jury is merciless."
Jinx remains silent. This time her eyebrows furrow together. She is making a choice. Vi starts to walk towards the door. She has the tablet under her arm, and one hand on the handprint scanner on the wall.
"Good talk. I'll see you in a few weeks for your trial. Take care," and just as she's about to press her palm against the scanner, Jinx caves.
"Wait!" She yells, and Vi smiles in victory before she turns around. "I did have an errand," Jinx admits.
Slowly, Vi approaches her, but she doesn't sit down this time. She keeps her stance, pushing her shoulders back.
"Do tell," Vi says provokingly.
She's sick of Jinx's silence. She wants answers. Her shoulders drops in defeat.
"I heard there were some important people in town…."
"Go on," Vi urges her.
Jinx sighs loudly. It's obvious that she's reconsidering whether this is the wisest decision. Vi takes a step forward, subtly rushing her. She wants Jinx to talk before she changes her mind completely.
"Rumor had it that they were at the bodega yesterday," she continues. "I wanted to see if I could get a scoop."
"A scoop?" Vi asks, raising an eyebrow. Her bruised eye protests, she tries to hold back a flinch.
Jinx doesn't look at her. She's too furious. She hates Vi right now, that much is obvious.
"I sell secrets," she finally reveals. "I've always had a talent for being in the right place at the right time. When I saw you, I knew you'd just screwed up my chances. Agents don't patrol the area in the afternoon. You and your partner aren't the usual agents who patrol downtown, so you messed up the schedule."
Jinx sells secrets. That's oddly convenient when you're looking for a murderer, Vi thinks but brushes the thought away immediately.
"Who were you there to overhear?"
"I don't know. They were just rumors. But I knew for sure that whoever it was wouldn't come now that you guys were patrolling the streets."
"What was the scoop?"
Jinx unwraps herself, her feet return to the floor. Her tongue pokes the inside of her cheek.
"I don't know. All I know is that they had some dirt on the Atlack," she mumbles.
"What kind of dirt?"
"I don't know. Like I said, I'm just a fly on the wall. I don't get myself involved in their shit," Jinx says.
"What kind of dirt could they have on the Atlack?" Vi asks. She has opened a door, it's not to say how long it will remain open.
"Who doesn't have dirt on the Atlack?" Jinx huffs.
"What do you mean?"
"You hear a lot of things on the street. I wouldn't be surprised if most of it was true."
Most people aren't so audacious when speaking about the Atlack. Like Jinx, the Atlack has flies on the walls. You never know who is listening. Distrust and disloyalty to the Atlack can easily result in death. A tragic fate. And an easily avoidable one as well.
For generations, the Atlack have only worked to improve life in Piltover. They're assholes, no doubt about it. Yet, they are willing to make the necessary sacrifices it takes to get this nation to thrive. At least on a macro scale. The wars have ended, and the city is expanding. The people are safe. Of course, the healthcare system can be better. Inequality still poses a problem, but when hasn't it been a problem? Expansion is prioritized above environmental crisis. Sure, the immigration laws can be improved. Punishments are tough, but overall avoiding execution isn't so hard. There is room for improvement – definitely. There will always be room for improvement. No matter what country you're from.
So when this lightbulb turns on inside of Vi's head, she has mixed feelings about it.
An idea forms.
A truly terrible idea.
Probably the worst idea she has ever gotten, and that says a lot since her idea of fun once was to chase deadly thunderstorms in flat fields, being the peak to a lightning strike waiting to befriend her. This idea goes against everything she has worked for.
But Ekko was her best friend. The closest, dearest and most loving person she had. And she guesses it's that thought that blinds her, and clouds her judgement. The idea grows into a visualization of protecting Claggor. It can help her protect everyone she loves. Her parents, Jayce… Caitlyn.
Casually, she walks toward the door. Slowly, oh so slowly, she turns off the recordings. No one will notice. This is a tiny case. These recordings will be stored for procedural purposes, nothing else. No one will check them.
The punch was an accident.
Her public disruption was a drunken mistake.
Selling secrets isn't illegal. Frowned upon, yes, but it doesn't exactly go against any of the three laws as long as Jinx doesn't rebel against the government. Which she hasn't directly admitted to. It's all excusable.
Vi thinks they're safe.
"I'll tell you what," Vi says. She's really doing this. She's really actually doing this. Because Ekko is too important. Her family is too important. Caitlyn is too important. "I won't arrest you. On one condition."
This could put her job at risk. Everything she has worked for since she was sixteen will be for nothing if this doesn't end well. But this can be the only way to get a lead on Ekko's murderer. She has reached a dead end.
Jinx is back to staring at the floor.
Vi rubs her forehead. She has decided to trust Jinx. A stupid decision really. Really fucking stupid.
Vi Stryker, you're the stupidest person alive.
But you're stupid for the right reasons.
"What's the condition?"
This is my final chance. I can still back out….
But I won't.
Like hell I won't.
She's going to catch Ekko's murderer whether Vander likes it or not. She is going to protect this city. Protect Jayce, her big brother who has always protected her. And Caitlyn. She'll protect the both of them, her brother and his wife.
"I need you to be my eyes and ears in Downtown Arret. Contact me if you hear or see anything. I need you to look out for anything suspicious. You know the place better than anyone does, I assume. Just… be on the lookout. Tell me what's going on. I want to know if these important people come back. I want the scoop."
Vi wants to start pacing, but she can't let Jinx know how out on a limb she is. She's still in control here. She's still the agent, and Jinx the criminal.
"What's in it for me?" She asks again.
"Are you deaf? You get to not be arrested."
"Right."
"So is that a yes?"
"I suppose. One thing though."
"Yes?"
"Seriously, when did you take my blood alcohol level?"
"Oh, I didn't."
Jinx pinches the skin between her eyes and mutters something under her breath.
Vi can finally breathe again. Jinx said yes. Jinx is now her fly on the wall.
And she feels like she's suddenly one step closer to catching Ekko's murderer.
NATION: Piltover
LOCATION: Apartment compound P890 East, Jayce's apartment
YEAR: 2156
DATE: February 4th
TIME: Too damn early
EVENT: Moving day
Claggor is a smart man. Smart enough to convince Jayce that he'll be unable to help move for him today. And Vi must say, she envies that bastard. Why wasn't she smart enough to come up with some sort of excuse?
"You do know that there is a high mortality rate between siblings who do heavy lifting for each other, right? It's a well-known fact."
Caitlyn presses her lips together in an attempt to hide a smirk. Jayce pinches Vi's cheek.
"Oh, really? Is it because the older sibling gets so sick and tired of hearing his little sister complain that he accidently kills her with a stack of salad plates?" Jayce dares her with a cocked eyebrow.
"I'll give you salad plates," she mutters incoherently.
Caitlyn is enjoying herself immensely. It's almost worth breaking her back lifting kitchen utensils from the 44th floor with no elevator (because it is so conveniently broken this morning), just to see Caitlyn smiling over some familial nagging between Vi and her brother.
Vi is squeezing her way through the moving van. There's so much stuff in there. The space is getting really tight. Her foot gets wedged between a box and a dresser. She's stuck for all of two seconds, but it's enough to make her flinch and double her heartrate. There's actually panic in her eyes. Caitlyn notices. She pretends that Vi doesn't notice her noticing. Vi frees her foot and moves over the salad plates. She shoves them over a bunch of stuff and leaps over a few boxes.
"Vi, I want those salad plates in one piece! Please be careful!" Jayce shouts at her.
Vi just grunts and tells him to fuck off. After dropping off a few boxes she had stacked on shoulders, Vi starts moving towards the apartment building.
Ekko walks out just as she enters. Sweat gleams on his forehead like glitter. He stands in the doorway, so the automatic doors don't suddenly shut.
"Aren't you glad you came home for this?" Vi teases.
Ekko is just another one who has fallen victim to Jayce's persuasive (read threatening) ways. He is trying to catch his breath when Vi tries to shove past him. She's hoping that Ekko will over exhaust himself running those stairs so he can have a dreamless sleep tonight.
"Doesn't he have people for this sort of thing?" Ekko pants.
"Jayce says he doesn't trust strangers with his things," Vi mimics Jayce's voice.
"Those stairs are worse than what they put us through at the academy," Ekko whines.
They both know that nothing is worse than what they put them through at the academy. Still, it's nice to try to laugh about it. It might come one day, the laugh that is.
"Huh? What's that I hear?" Vi asks loudly.
With bubble wrap between her arm and knee, Vi cups one hand around her ear.
"What? I don't hear anything?" Ekko says. He looks around.
"What was that, Jayce? Something fell over? I'll be right there! Here, Ekko, take these!" Before he has time to object, she shoves the bubble wrap into his arms. Ekko juggles with empty boxes and bubble wrap as she runs off towards Jayce and Caitlyn. Caitlyn is sorting through a few things while Jayce is studying his checklist. It's a hot and humid day, the sweat drips from her forehead. She wipes her temple with the back of her hand.
"You know, this is wrongful usage of Piltover Police Force. I ought to write you up a ticket," Vi continues.
Jayce doesn't even register her presence. He merely ticks a few things off his list.
"Are you done complaining, you big baby?" He asks.
"No. I haven't even started," she retorts.
Jayce pokes her side and Vi threatens to break his finger. With aching muscles, Vi drops down in an armchair sitting on the sidewalk, ready to be lifted into the truck
"Vi, people are staring. Get up."
"I don't care. You try climbing 440 floors in an afternoon," Vi mutters.
"Well, I care. You're embarrassing me. And Caitlyn."
"Leave me out of this," Caitlyn protests.
"Fine. I'll only take orders from Caitlyn from now on," Vi says as she covers her face in the hollow of her elbow to shield her eyes from the sun that tries to penetrate through the smog.
"Please put her out of her misery, Cait," Jayce sighs and hands the list over to Caitlyn.
Caitlyn snickers. In all honesty, Vi is having fun too. She has missed teasing her brother. That Caitlyn is enjoying the show is merely a bonus. Caitlyn kneels down beside Vi's sweat soaked body. She clears her throat. Vi scouts through the crevice of her eye, pupils contracting with the greeting of the light.
"Vi," Caitlyn says. "I relief you of your duties."
Vi sits up. She uses the hem of her shirt to wipe her face. Caitlyn doesn't look. She stares. Then she blinks a few times and focuses on Vi's face.
"What? We're barely halfway done," Vi says.
Caitlyn shrugs, bringing up a hand to shield her eyes from the sun.
"It's your day off. It isn't fair Jayce is making you do this," Caitlyn says.
With a knowing smile on her lips, Vi falls back into the chair. Her knee ghosts Caitlyn's arm. The touch spreads goosebumps along Vi's neck.
"You're lousy at giving orders," Vi teases.
Vi observes how Caitlyn's face goes from kind to determined. Caitlyn gets to her feet and folds her arms over her chest. Vi closes her eyes, Caitlyn's figure is a silhouette created from the light of the sun.
"Agent Stryker," she begins. "This is your field commander speaking. Do you copy?"
"Copy," Vi mumbles back a little sleepy.
"Can I rely on you to do the heavy lifting?"
"What's in it for me?"
"Do you normally talk back to your field commander?" Caitlyn even sounds a little offended.
"Only when her terms are unreasonable."
"Oh yeah? And what would be a reasonable reward then?" Caitlyn quirks an eyebrow.
A kiss, she thinks.
"The breath of a fish and the sound of a cat's footsteps," Vi grumbles.
"And the roots of a mountain?" Caitlyn challenge. "You know of Fenrir?"
This catches Vi's attention. No one ever gets this reference. She'd used it for eight years at the academy, whenever she needed to be cheeky. She thought she'd been clever, but as it turns out, Caitlyn is of course even more clever.
How did she know that?
Vi doesn't read. Like, ever. But there's one story that has always stuck with her, one her dad used to read. It's the story of Fenrir, the powerful wolf.
The Gods feared Fenrir's strength so they tricked him into his chains. Chains made of the sound of a cat's footsteps, the beard of a woman, the breath of fish, a bear's sensibility and a bird's spittle. That's the reason why these things don't exist – because the Gods used it for Fenrir's chain. Anyway, Fenrir ends up biting one of the Gods' arms off. Of course, it was the part that someone got their arm bitten off that caught Vi's interest as a child. The God looked pretty badass without it.
But now… now that she's older, she feels like this story is a part of her story. That she was tricked into these chains at the academy. As if her rambunctiousness was something to be tamed in this society. She was taught that her wild flame of a spirit burned people, instead of lighting a path for them.
Caitlyn knowing this story, this weird, bizarre tale, makes her heart beat harder. She feels… understood. She feels important because Caitlyn is familiar with an important piece of her mind. It makes her want to learn about Caitlyn, too. She wants to learn her like you learn to sing a song. Know every dip and peak of the song, every pause and beat.
"Tell you what," Caitlyn smiles. "I'll read you a few stories from my mom's mythology collection. Is that reward enough?" Her eyes contains a glint of joy as she offers to share her mother's books with her.
The gesture blows on the ambers in Vi's stomach, and a fire of warmth kindles within her. It blooms to her extremities, filling her body with Caitlyn's words, with Caitlyn's gestures, with Caitlyn's care, with Caitlyn. The feeling is so overwhelming that Vi has no idea where to put it. In an attempt to control it, she smothers the flames in panic and guilt.
"Do I get to keep both my arms?" She jokes, because she needs to keep these feelings at a distance.
Caitlyn catches the joke with ease however; probably entirely unaware of the fire she lit with her Caitlyn'ness.
"Well, I can't assure anything when your brother is on a vendetta like this."
"Fine," Vi accepts, as if the offer wasn't a big deal to her.
Caitlyn holds out her hand and Vi takes it. She pulls Vi from the chair in a fluent movement. Jayce is immediately over her – all business no fun.
"Can you bring this box down next? Then we got the kitchen covered," Jayce orders.
Vi salutes him mockingly, her hand itching to slap his face, before grabbing a box from Ekko who disappears immediately again. That boy is on a mission. Vi is about to load it into the hovercraft when Caitlyn stops her. Vi notices it says "The City of Progress" on the side of the box.
"Hold on, what are these?"Caitlyn asks as she unwraps it.
"They're the 'The City of Progress' mugs," Jayce says without taking his eyes off of his list.
"We have mugs, Jayce,"Caitlyn says.
"We have room for more. And these are nice," he says with a hint of pride.
Vi knows he likes them because some of them have his face on them. Caitlyn's face is indescribable. Vi senses a fight coming, especially since Jayce acts like a selfish brat. He barely even registers that Caitlyn is upset.
"But these mugs, Jayce…. How can you have these?"
Finally, Jayce tears his eyes from his stupid list.
"They're from the progress day four years ago. We handed them out after our presentation on how we were going to optimize the sewer systems,"Jayce explains nonchalant.
"How can you celebrate the city expansion like that? Don't you know what people have sacrificed to make this happen?"
Caitlyn has a tendency to sound a little spoiled. It makes her easy pray for someone like Jayce who sometimes has a hard time looking beyond his own nose.
"Sacrificed? You make it sound like widening our city limits is a bad thing," Jayce says with a light snicker.
This actually triggers something in Caitlyn. Because, and Vi says this as a completely unbiased spectator with no prejudiced opinion, Caitlyn is about to get pissed. And rightfully so. Because who is she kidding, those mugs are a fucking insult to anyone with a conscience.
"No society is built to change so rapidly. These things have consequences!"
"Oh right. Less unemployment, more housing, better economy, how terrible the consequences!" Jayce laughs.
"Do you have any idea what this so called 'growth' has cost us?! People have lost lives!" Caitlyn is on the verge of losing her temper.
"Jeez, Caitlyn. They're just mugs. Does this really have to turn into an argument?"
"How can you be so blind?"Caitlyn doesn't even raise her voice. Vi wishes she had. She wants to smack Jayce on the nose.
The thing is, Jayce doesn't get it. There's no trauma in his past, no ghosts haunting him at night. Vi is glad Jayce haven't suffered. But it makes him ignorant. It makes it hard for him to sympathize with anyone who has actually had to endure something.
"I'm not. I'm a realist," he shrugs. "I see the opportunities this expansion has provided us. It's done. If it wasn't for all of these new constructions, I wouldn't have a job!"
The veil that is Caitlyn's composure tears off in the blink of a second. Jayce has reached into the depths of Caitlyn, and fished out what little repugnance and contempt she possesses. Caitlyn isn't the type to go off like a firecracker, but even when she does, Jayce will always be illusively superior in the art of irascibility.
"My father died so that you could have a job?!" Caitlyn shouts.
Jayce holds up his palm. That's his 'end of discussion' gesture. Oh how Vi loathes that fucking stop palm gesture shit. Jayce used to do it all the time when they were kids.
"I'm done talking about this. Vi, would you please just bring the boxes? I'm going to go get us all some food. It seems that some of us are running on low blood sugar."
Jayce is a brat sometimes. His attitude is teeth grindingly obnoxious. Jayce turns around and leaves. Caitlyn just turns around. She rests her hands upon the box of offensive fake porcelain. Her eyes searches the ground beneath her. Vi is uncertain whether Caitlyn is trying to blink away tears or if she got a bug in her eye. Vi feels a little out of place. She swings her arms back and forth. Waiting. For something. Whether she's waiting for Jayce to be far enough away to console Caitlyn, or waiting for Caitlyn to speak, she doesn't know.
"Are you ok?"Vi asks, because she realizes she doesn't care whether Jayce is in ear reach. He should hear what his ignorance does.
"I'm sorry you had to see that," Caitlyn apologizes.
Vi wants to scold her for apologizing on other people's behalf.
"Don't be. I've seen worse," Vi shrugs her shoulders.
It proves to be a challenge to catch Caitlyn's gaze.
"I know they're just mugs. But the whole thing it just... it doesn't sit right with me," she says.
Caitlyn picks up the box of mugs. She lifts one up by the handle and looks at it with a saddened expression.
"I agree," Vi says.
Surprise flickers across Caitlyn's face. She clearly didn't expect back up.
"You do?"
Her eyes widen with gratefulness. With wonder. Because Vi honestly agrees with her. She thinks the Piltover City Expansion is the worst thing to happen to this planet since the segregation. But she doesn't say that. Although she doesn't agree with the way it was done, she understands why the government did it. They want Piltover world to prosper. Even if it is in the government's own skewed way.
"Yeah. I do. Besides," Vi says as she leans a hand on the box in Caitlyn's embrace, "-like you said. They're just mugs."
In a lazy and clumsy movement, Vi slaps the box out of Caitlyn's grip. Caitlyn tries to save it, but it's too late. It falls to the ground and everything shatters.
"Oops," Vi says with the enthusiasm of billionaire winning the lottery.
Caitlyn's jaw drops. Vi thinks that's the first time Caitlyn really sees what kind of person Vi is. She's not sure whether it's a good or a bad thing. Vi just doesn't see the point in suffering through something so completely unnecessary as mugs. It's not like they had any real value – maybe to Jayce. But the minimal value that they hold to Jayce is nothing compared to the hurt they bring Caitlyn. So there wasn't really a decision to be made. The cups just had to go. One way or the other.
"Vi!" Jayce yells.
Vi looks up, casually shoving her hands in her pockets. Mostly to give Jayce a chance to step out of her reach in case she decides to punch him. Whenever Jayce's voice approaches a G10 note, as it seems to be nearing, Vi wants to close her head in a car door. Caitlyn stands stiffly before her, speechless and dumbfounded.
"I saw that! What the hell?!"Jayce yells.
He wasn't supposed to see it happen. Vi was going to break it to him later, label it as an accident. Either way, Vi was going to take the fall.
"I thought you were going to get food," Vi mutters annoyed. As if his absence was an excuse to break his things.
Jayce angrily grabs something from the moving van. He slings a bag over his shoulder, clutching it tightly to his side.
"I came back for my wallet," he explains. "You did that on purpose!"
Caitlyn clearly wants to interfere, but Vi steps in front of her.
"My hand slipped!"Vi lies.
Jayce doesn't buy it.
"You're such a brat!" he scolds.
"I suppose it must be low blood sugar," Vi spits.
That certainly did it. Jabbing him like that might be a low blow. But Vi can't stand the way he brushes Caitlyn's feelings off as if they were nothing. Jayce leaves with an offended soon as Jayce is out of earshot, Caitlyn speaks.
"You didn't have to do that,"she says quietly.
"I know," Vi says clearly. Of course, she knows she didn't have to do that. Caitlyn never asked her to. "But I don't like to see you sad, Cait. You shouldn't bring something into your home that reminds you of bad things."
Caitlyn wraps her arms tighter around herself.
"It doesn't exactly feel like my home right now," Caitlyn admits.
"Well now there's one less thing to make it feel unhomy."
"That isn't a word."
"Sure it is."
The way Caitlyn's pursed lips turn into a shy smile confirms Vi did the right thing.
"Thank you," Caitlyn says with such gratitude that Vi doesn't know what to do with herself. She's not good at 'thank you's'. They make her squirmy and self-conscious.
Caitlyn starts to unwrap herself.
"Really. Thank you."
"Anything else you want me to break while I'm at it? Jayce is already mad at me so might as well."
"I think you've done enough breaking for one day."
"Don't be such a buzzkill, Cait. Let's go smash some lamps," Vi pats another box on the truck. Killer eyes, that's what she receives. "I'm kidding!"