AFYE chapter 13
Powder followed Jayce as he led her through the twists and turns of the streets of Piltover, ignoring the staring of the topsiders around them. The undercity girl was aware they made for a strange sight. A large, well-dressed man leading around a little girl dressed basically in rags was sure to get a few odd looks from people as snooty as the average topsider.
Powder didn't really mind the stares, she was used to it in the undercity, but her companion didn't seem to share the same sentiment. "I'm just helping her find her sister," he explained for what must have been the millionth time to the millionth random stranger giving them a curious look. It frustrated Powder to no end. If it was just him saying it in passing, she could deal with it, but no! He had to stop for each and every one of them and give them a full explanation!
Eventually, Powder got sick of her companion wasting time and decided the best course of action was to just drag him in the direction he was previously going. "We don't have time for this! You said you knew how to find Caitlyn, so let's go!" The man Jayce was talking to gave him a short laugh and a casual 'what can you do about it' shrug before turning away to let them continue on their mission.
"Woah, hey, we'll find her. You don't need to be scared." At this Powder snorted. She wasn't scared of some prissy topsiders. No, she was scared they wouldn't find Vi.
"We don't have all day, Vi and I need to be home before sunset." Powder explained, hoping it would get Jayce to hurry up a little.
"What happens if you don't get home before sunset?" Jayce's question caused Powder to shiver. She had gotten caught outside once after dark. If Vi hadn't shown up… well, let's just say Powder didn't want it to happen again.
"Bad things." Powder hoped her vague answer would satisfy Jayce, and given his lack of follow-up questions, it had. Eventually, Powder came to a crossroads and had to stop dragging Jayce along and let him take the lead again as she didn't know what direction to go in.
"It's just up ahead." Jayce pointed at what Powder thought must have been the biggest house in Piltover. That thing was bigger than The Last Drop! Powder was about to comment on her observation of the house's size when she saw a figure walking in their direction. A figure with pink hair.
"Vi!" Powder yelled as she ran for her sister. The warning seemed to be enough for Vi to know to brace herself as she barely staggered when Powder slammed into her. "Vander was so worried! He thought you might have been outside but since you didn't say anything he wasn't sure when you would be back so he sent us to look for you and-" Powder rambled, trying to get her sister to understand just what had happened.
"Pow-pow I'm fine. The Kirammans said they sent a message that I was here. Didn't you guys get it?" Vi asked, looking over her sister with concern. Powder just shook her head.
"Not before I left." Vi narrowed her eyes slightly at her, then at Jayce.
"Powder," Vi said in a firm tone, causing Powder to feel like she was the one who messed up somehow. "Did you tell Vander you were going topside to look for me?"
"Well, I figured- it seemed like- you did it first okay?!" Powder sputtered before just blaming Vi. Her sister sighed and turned to Jayce.
"And who are you?" Jayce tried (and failed) to hide his nerves behind a smile.
"I'm Jayce Talis. I'm a friend of Caitlyn's." Vi hummed at Jayce's answer, slowly stalking closer to him.
"And how did you come to be in contact with my little sister?" Powder could hear the underlying threat in Vi's voice that Jayce better give a good explanation, and the little gulp Jayce gave showed he heard it too.
"She showed up at my front door!" Jayce took a step away from Vi, sounding a little panicked. "She said she had seen Caitlyn there before and needed to find her!" Vi froze, seemingly pondering Jayce's words before turning back to Powder.
"His front door?" Vi asked, causing Powder to look away. "Where does he live, Powder?" Vi's voice picked up some urgency. When Powder didn't answer she turned back to Jayce.
"Where do you live?" The man sputtered at the question, apparently not knowing how to answer. "It's not the twelve-story white building about a mile from here, is it? The one with the fancy balconies on every apartment?" Jayce seemed taken aback at Vi's hostility.
"Yes, it is. Why do you know-" Jayce tried to ask follow-up questions, but Vi cut him off with a wave of her hand and turned back to Powder.
"Powder, tell me you did not go back to THAT apartment?" Vi asked. Powder didn't want to answer. She had already done it and nothing bad happened. No one even recognized her.
"Go back? What do you mean 'go back'?" Jayce interjected, finally seeing something weird about the situation.
"Don't worry about it, pretty boy," was all the answer Vi gave. "We need to get moving, sunset is in less than three hours, and we need to be back at the bar before then." Powder noticed Jayce make a face when Vi said 'bar', but she was more worried about getting back and didn't have time to worry about it.
"About that…" Powder spoke up, getting Vi's attention. "Vander wanted me to be home at least an hour before sunset…" Vi just looked at her for a moment before cursing under her breath.
"Looks like we're running. Thanks for helping my sister. See you around!" Vi waved as she turned to take off at a fast-paced jog with Powder, leaving behind a thoroughly confused topsider.
In the days following Vi's embarrassing introduction to Caitlyn's parents, Vi wasn't really inclined to leave the lanes, especially since her siblings and Vander weren't very happy with her disappearing act. Mylo complained for hours about how they were running all over the undercity looking for her before Vander told him to shut up. However, the part Vi felt the worst about was when Vander told her how he thought she had run into some addicts or some other kind of trouble. The Kirammans' messenger had put him at ease until Powder didn't return and Vi was still out later than the messenger had told him she would be. He had been gearing up to find them himself, his iron gauntlets half strapped up when Vi finally returned with Powder.
Vi barely left the bar for two days, thinking Vander would feel better having her closer for a little while. But after a couple of days, the bartender all but shoved Vi out the door to 'go for a run or something' because 'your pacing is driving everyone crazy' or something like that.
Vi also sent another letter to Caitlyn, apologizing again for breaking into her house and making a fool of herself in front of Caitlyn's parents. Caitlyn replied back and said, much to Vi's surprise, her parents liked Vi and approved of having her come up again, maybe even with her siblings joining her. Vi brushed it off as weird, topsider politeness, but was glad she wasn't at least banned from the Kiramman's house and could still send letters to Caitlyn.
Soon enough, however, the letter once again became lackluster, and the two girls wanted to meet up again. Caitlyn offered to travel to the lanes, but Vi refused, at first claiming she wanted to save her friend the trip. But in truth, Vi didn't want Caitlyn to come down because the undercity had only gotten more dangerous in the short time since Caitlyn had last been there.
The undercity addicts, who were violent on the best of days, had become insatiable. Vi was pretty sure it was because a lot of them had run out of money for the good stuff and started buying from shadier sellers to get better deals and wound up getting something else. The only problem with this theory was that Vi had no idea what they were taking. She had never seen a drug affect someone the way whatever was running rampant on the street did.
Vi only encountered one of these new addicts, but it was more than enough for her. She had encountered him while on a run to get some supplies for one of Powder's projects. It was the middle of the day, yet there was this guy, high out of his mind, practically ripping apart buildings brick by brick. Vi had never seen anything like it.
It was only then that the addict turned around to look at her. Vi could swear his eyes were glowing a bright shade of pink, but that had to be a trick of the light, right? The man charged her, and Vi had no choice but to dive out of the way, only then noticing just how large the man was. If Vander could be described as a tank, this guy would be a fortress.
He must have been eight feet tall with his muscles bulging almost unnaturally from his frame. Vi barely had time to contemplate it before the man threw himself at her again, this time clipping Vi and causing her to fall to the ground. Luckily for her, she fell right in front of the sewer entrance.
With no hesitation, Vi threw herself down the pipe, knowing there was no way the addict could fit inside to follow her. Mylo relentlessly made fun of her for coming home smelling like a sewer, but he quickly shut up when Vi described what happened. After that, Vander decided that none of them would go out alone, they either had to go with him or in pairs. Vi was alright with this, even if it meant her siblings would have to escort her to and from the bridge, no doubt making fun of her along the way. It was a price Vi was willing to pay to see Caitlyn again.
The only problem was, Caitlyn was adamant that she journey to the lanes, insisting she wanted to see everyone and hang out at The Last Drop. Vi tried to explain the danger, the new rules, and even a little about her encounter, but Caitlyn just insisted they could meet her at the bridge instead, that she knew enough about the undercity that she wouldn't be in danger of getting 'mugged' again.
Vi was extremely sure Caitlyn didn't really understand the danger, but eventually, the topsider girl wore Vi down, using her weakness of not being able to say 'no' to weasel her way back into the undercity.
Needless to say, the trip from the bridge was a stressful one for Vi. Even with all her siblings, double taping her hands for protection, and (secretly) getting Powder to bring along a few toxic smoke bombs she created, Vi was still nervous. Luckily, it seemed that only her siblings noticed her fear, as Powder was distracting Caitlyn by asking about her target shooting system topside.
"Vi, chill out. it's still daytime." Claggor whispered to her after she jumped at yet another person coming out of a building. Vi bit back the response she wanted to give, that it was daytime the last time an addict attacked her and that she wasn't sure Caitlyn could escape like she had if another one attacked.
"I'm fine." Is what she said instead. Claggor looked unconvinced but slowed his pace to walk behind everyone, covering their backs. Even if Vi knew the move was just to make her feel better and wasn't because her brother thought there was any real danger, it still worked. Vi managed to relax enough to get back to the bar without Caitlyn noticing her anxiety.
"Ah, I see you made it back in one piece." Vander greeted them as they walked through the front door. He was stacking the chairs in order to clean the floors before opening.
"Hello, sir. Would you like any help with that?" Caitlyn greeted him, formal as ever.
"Please just call me Vander. And no, I'm about done so you kids go on downstairs and have fun." Vander waved them off, but not before rustling Mylo's hair, causing the boy to let out a squawk of indignation and shove him off. "Oh, and be sure to stay inside after dark! Damn addicts are getting bad."
"You won't have to worry about that," Claggor muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Vi to hear. A quick glance told her no one else had heard him and she gave her brother a shove, hoping he would get the hint to shut up about it. Claggor just threw his hand up and shook his head, following everyone else downstairs.
Vi sighed and rubbed her temples. She knew in her mind she didn't need to feel this stressed about something so small, but it was like no one told her body that and it decided stress was the correct response.
"You okay, kid?" Vander asked softly. Vi just nodded in response, giving him what she knew was a weak smile. Vander just patted her shoulder and went back to work, letting her trail after her siblings.
Vi made her way into their family room, only to find Caitlyn sitting among her siblings, looking like it was exactly where she belonged. Vi's heart soared at the sight, and she couldn't help the peace that washed over her. It reminded her of how she often felt after a more extreme job, the feeling of walking in the door… and coming home.
"Violet, are you just going to stand there or are you going to join us?" Caitlyn's words brought Vi back out of her thoughts. Caitlyn had taken to referring to Vi by her whole name, something that confused the brawler to no end (Vi was so much simpler) but it made Caitlyn happy so Vi let her do it. There was no other reason, the butterflies she got from hearing Caitlyn say her whole name had nothing to do with it. Nothing at all. Mylo tried to mess with her by calling her that once, but Vi stopped that with a headlock and an intense noggie.
"Yeah, I'm coming." As Vi took her place on the couch next to Caitlyn, she noticed her siblings giving her exaggerated, dreamy looks. The undercity girl couldn't fight the blush that crept up her neck and onto her face. She hadn't realized she had been staring enough for them all to notice.
Caitlyn didn't help the situation by creeping closer to Vi in an attempt to set up some game board Powder had probably gotten out. Her little sister always beat Vi and her brothers at these games, bad enough so that she declared it 'wasn't even fun anymore' and that playing them was 'like beating up babies'. She must have decided Caitlyn should get a chance to lose.
Vi shifted so she could move away from Caitlyn to give her some space, but the topsider girl placed her hand on Vi's knee. Whether it was for balance or just to keep Vi from moving, she wasn't sure. What the brawler was sure of was that now her face was extremely red.
Mylo barked out a laugh at her, only to poorly cover it with a cough. Luckily, Caitlyn, Powder, and Claggor didn't seem to notice.
"There, all set up. What are the rules?" Despite her predicament, Vi couldn't help but huff out a laugh. One should never ask Powder the rules of a game. Their game nights all followed the same code; the rules of the game are whatever you can convince the other players are the rules. Judging by the wide smile on Powder's face, she was about to take full advantage of Caitlyn's naivety.
As Powder explained the (frankly ridiculous and obviously made up) rules of the tile game she picked out, Caitlyn moved to sit back, in the process removing her hand from Vi's knee. The undercity girl breathed a sigh of relief, even if she missed the connection almost immediately.
Waving off a chance to compete in the tile game (Vi had already been thoroughly humiliated in this game, thank you very much) and instead made herself comfortable lounging on the couch, content to watch Powder win.
Vi threw her arm up on the back of the couch, not thinking anything of it until Caitlyn leaned back to survey the bords and practically fell into her. "So, I try to get rid of all my tiles by lining them up according to the patterns painted on them?" Caitlyn asked Powder, still leaning against Vi, apparently completely comfortable.
Powder confirmed this while snickering at them. Vi didn't appreciate how her siblings were laughing at her and Caitlyn, but the topsider girl didn't seem concerned by it, so Vi just resolved to not draw her attention to it. Caitlyn had more important things to think about, like the game she was tragically losing.
Vi had to hold back a laugh at Caitlyn's valiant efforts to win while navigating Powder's ridiculous rules, but she figured her friend was doing well as Powder was having to constantly 'remind' her of rules she 'forgot'. It wasn't until Powder laid down her last tile that Caitlyn threw up her hands in exasperation.
"This doesn't even make any sense!" she ranted, falling back into the couch - and thus, Vi – dramatically. Vi was forced to wrap her arms around Caitlyn to steady her as the topside girl gestured wildly at the game pieces.
At this, Vi's siblings finally lost their composure and started laughing openly. This seemed to make Caitlyn realize the position they were in, and she scrambled to stand up. "I'm sorry! I didn't realize I had been leaning on you! I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable and-" Vi cut her off.
"It's fine, cupcake. If I'd wanted you to move, I would have told you." Caitlyn seemed relieved at this, but Mylo's increasing laughter brought the tension back into her shoulders.
"Oh, I'm sure it was fine. What with Vi curling around you in her sleep, letting you wear her clothes, racing to your rescue, and basically cuddling you on the-" Vi jumped up, half enraged at her brother, half embarrassed about getting called out.
"Shut it! Come on, Cupcake. I can't take any more of these immature bastards." Vi directed the last comment at Mylo who made a squawking, offended sound. Then, in a move far bolder than Vi felt at the moment, she grabbed a hold of Caitlyn's hand and led her out of the family room.
"Vi, where are we going?" Vi thought about the question for a moment. She wasn't about to admit defeat so quickly and go back to the family room, the bar was probably already filled with drunks and Vi didn't want to subject Caitlyn to that, Vander's office was probably locked, so that just left one spot.
"Let's go up to the roof. The undercity is beautiful up there at night."
Jayce wasn't sure why Mrs. Kiramman had called him and all but ordered him to come to her estate for a meeting. All his official projects were progressing on time and his grades were excellent. Could she have found out about his secret project? Jayce shook his head. There was no way she found out. He kept all his research and notes in his apartment, and he kept that place locked down tight. No one could get in without him knowing.
So, Jayce decided his best course of action was to put on his best suit and accept the invitation to the Kirammans' for lunch. Part of him hoped Caitlyn would be there so he could ask about the little girl who showed up at his apartment looking for her sister, but he figured he could just ask his friend about it the next time they saw each other if she wasn't there.
"Mr. Talis, please come in." one of the servants greeted him, removing his coat and hanging it up for him. "The hosts are in the sitting room, awaiting your arrival." Jayce nodded to the man, making his way through the familiar hallways of the Kiramman mansion.
"Jayce, it's good to see you." Mrs. Kiramman greeted him as soon as he entered, gesturing for him to sit down. "I've made some jasmine tea." Jayce nodded his appreciation before taking a sip.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?" Jayce kept his speech formal, he knew Mrs. Kiramman preferred it that way.
"Well," she gestured for her husband to come sit by her. Jayce hadn't even noticed him working at a desk in the corner of the room. "We were quite curious to see if Caitlyn has told you about any of her recent escapades?" Jayce blinked a couple of times, trying to figure out what Caitlyn's mother knew. He had covered for her several times in the past few months, but he didn't want to admit to anything her parents didn't already know about and possibly get her in trouble.
"I'm afraid I don't quite understand what you mean," Jayce said, fishing for information. However, Mrs. Kiramman saw right through his ruse.
"I'm speaking of that undercity girl she's been seeing. What do you know about her?" Ah, so Caitlyn's parents knew everything. Seeing as Jayce had only encountered Vi one time, he figured it wouldn't hurt to tell them that.
"Not a lot. I only saw her once. Honestly, I spent more time with her little sister while trying to help her find Vi so they could get home in time-" Jayce's explanation was cut short by a small gasp.
"Her sister came topside alone? How old is she?" Jayce stared in confusion. Maybe they didn't know everything.
"Umm, I don't know how old she is. Maybe 10?" Jayce guessed.
"And how did you encounter her?" Jayce hesitated to answer Mrs. Kiramman's new question, but he had already slipped up and told her about Powder, he might as well just answer.
"She showed up at my apartment looking for Caitlyn. She said Vi had disappeared and she thought her sister was probably with Caitlyn. So, I led her here. We met Vi on the way." Mrs. Kiramman was giving Jayce another inquisitive look.
"And how did she find your apartment?" Jayce thought back to the weird exchange between the sisters. They had said 'go back' to his apartment, but he had never seen them before. He wasn't entirely sure how the little girl knew where his apartment was or how she knew he would be able to find Caitlyn.
"I don't know. I assume Caitlyn gave them my address for situations such as this one." Mrs. Kiramman nodded, though Jayce could tell she wasn't convinced by his blatant lie.
"When you say they had to get back in time, I assume you are referring to the sunset curfew we heard Violet mention?" Jayce nodded, though the name 'Violet' threw him for a loop.
"Yeah, Powder, Vi's little sister, seemed rather adamant about it." Jayce didn't want to think about the little girl's face when he asked her what would happen if she was late or when she explained that someone else would go looking for them. The whole thing left a sour taste in his mouth.
"We noticed that as well. Along with some troubling things, Violet told us about her family and home life." Jayce got the impression Mrs. Kiramman was hinting at something. Something Jayce had been trying to ignore since leaving Powder and Vi to go back to the undercity. "What exactly did she say about her family and this sunset curfew of theirs?"
"Ah," Jayce wracked his brain, trying to fish out all the important details. "She said Vi had disappeared, so she and her brothers were sent out to look for her. She told me that if they didn't find Vi, someone called Vander would go looking for her. I get the impression Powder wasn't fond of that outcome."
Mrs. Kiramman nodded, as though Jayce was just confirming what she already knew. "Did she say anything about what happens if they are late or give any more details about their living situation?"
"She didn't really say much else. When I asked about her being late, she just said something bad happens if they don't get home in time. She wouldn't tell me anything else." The Kirammans nodded again, more somber than before. "You don't think…" Jayce trailed off, not willing to put his worries into words.
"I'm afraid it is a concern of ours." Mrs. Kiramman said, putting down her tea. "Currently we have decided to host the undercity family here sometime in the future to see if we can confirm our suspicions, but I do believe you can assist us in our research endeavors before that happens. Until then, I believe this discussion is best taken to the dining room as it seems our lunch is ready." Jayce noticed one of the servants of the Kiramman estate standing in the doorway, a large white bandage on his face, covering a swollen nose.
"What happened to him?" Jayce asked, catching up to Mrs. Kiramman.
"Oh, that. Violet punched him in the face while trying to rescue Caitlyn from her own home." Tobias said, chuckling a bit as he walked beside his wife.
Jayce's mind blanked at the information. "What?!"
"Okay, okay. You've got me there. I can't say I've ever stolen anything." Caitlyn laughed, happily answering Vi's question about her thieving history.
"Nothing? Not any minor shoplifting?" Caitlyn shook her head. "Not anything from a friend for fun?" She shook her head again. "Not even food from your parent's pantry?" Caitlyn paused at that one. She had been guilty of sneaking candies when she was little.
"Okay, that one I did." Vi gave a smug, self-satisfied smile. "But I never had to break in to get them." She laughed along with Vi, happy the undercity girl felt so comfortable around her.
"My turn." Vi turned to her, intently paying attention for the question Caitlyn would ask. "First free run?"
Vi cringed at the question, letting Caitlyn know it would be a good story. "It was with Vander. He was trying to teach me to jump the small gaps between buildings. I managed to nick my foot on a ledge and fell face-first into a dumpster." Even if Vi looked embarrassed at the memory, she still chuckled with Caitlyn.
"Guess I've got one up on you. At least I didn't fall into the trash on my first try." Vi just scoffed at her teasing. "Your turn." The two had been exchanging questions for a little while, gazing over the rooftop at the undercity. Caitlyn could see a few of the addicts stumbling around, but they didn't have any access to the roof as it was the tallest in the area and looked impossible to climb, so she figured it was fine to be out there.
"Okay, ummm…" Vi paused for a moment, as though deeply considering her question. "First kiss?" Caitlyn was startled at the question, looking over to her companion for confirmation, but Vi seemed determined to keep her eyes fixed on the horizon. Strictly not looking at Caitlyn.
Caitlyn swallowed hard before answering. "Haven't had one." Vi, turned to her, shocked.
"Really? I figured you would be fending off suitors with a stick. Or maybe your fancy rifle." Vi joked, but Caitlyn could see the honesty behind it. She really thought that.
Caitlyn shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Well, a girl likes to be wooed first." At this, Vi's expression changed from a joking smile to something more serious.
"Oh? How does one go about wooing a girl such as Caitlyn Kiramman?" she asked, and if Caitlyn didn't know better, she would say Vi was almost… nervous. Caitlyn pushed down her nerves. Now or never.
"Well, they might show me around their neighborhood, introduce me to their family, invite me to game night," Caitlyn listed, watching Vi's reaction with interest. "Send me letters all the time, come running when they think I need help," she chuckled a little at Vi's face turning red. "Spend time with me…" Caitlyn trailed off as she realized she and Vi had gotten really close, just a few inches between them. Caitlyn was sure she could even feel Vi's breath on her cheeks.
Vi leaned even closer and Caitlyn closed her eyes, a little giddy for the kiss that would surely follow.
"AAAAAAHH!" the shout startled both girls just in time for them to dive away from an impossibly large man landing where they just sat on the rooftop. "Ugh. Ah." The man seemed unable to speak as a strange, purple substance fell from his mouth like spit. Caitlyn could see all of his veins glowing a similar color, but that wasn't the most disturbing thing about the man. No, that was his eyes. They glowed a bright pink and flicked around wildly, as though seeing things no one else could.
"RUN!" Vi cried, taking ahold of Caitlyn's hand and dragging her toward the rooftop entrance. They might have made it if the addict hadn't leapt over them in a feat of strength Caitlyn wouldn't have thought him to be capable of. "The wall!" Vi said, dragging her to the edge of the building.
With Caitlyn's very limited knowledge of wall climbing, she couldn't see a way down, and one glance at her companion showed she had come to the same conclusion.
As the addict lumbered over to them, Caitlyn tried to come up with something to get them out of this situation, but Vi's voice interrupted her ideas. "Looks like your streak of not falling into dumpsters is about to end."
Before Caitlyn could ask what Vi meant, two strong arms wrapped around her and dragged her off the edge of the roof.
The landing was rough. Even with the cushioning of the trash and Vi taking the brunt of the fall, Caitlyn could still feel the breath leave her body, making her gasp for the putrid air surrounding the dumpster.
"Move!" Even before Caitlyn had caught her breath, Vi was pulling her to her feet again and dragging her through some storm doors.
She only just managed to close the doors and latch them before something started pounding on it.
"Vi! Caitlyn! What happened?!" Claggor called, running towards them with his other siblings not far behind.
"Addict," was all Vi could get out but it was all it took for her siblings to quickly and efficiently barricade the door. It struck Caitlyn that their efficiency probably meant they had done this several times, but she was too busy trying to get her breathing under control to worry about it right then.
It didn't take long for the pounding to stop, earning a sigh of relief from everyone in the room.
The relief didn't last long as the door to the bar burst open and Vander barged through, some metal device strapped to his right arm, looking ready to murder. The snarl on his face only melting away once he confirmed it was just his kids and Caitlyn in the room and he turned to Vi, eyes soft. "What happened?"
Vi told him everything, from game night to going up to the roof, only leaving out what was happening right before they were attacked. Vander seemed incredibly upset and for a moment, making Caitlyn worried he would get angry with her or Vi, but that faded when Vander quickly discarded whatever was on his arm and gently took Vi's face in his hands, looking her over. It wasn't until her guardian dragged Vi away that Caitlyn saw she was bleeding.
Apparently, Vi nicked her head on either the dumpster or on something in the trash. Though, knowing Vi, 'nicked' could mean full-on impaled so her friend's explanation didn't exactly bring her comfort.
The thought of her friend being seriously hurt caused bile to rise in Caitlyn's throat. Vi told her how dangerous the undercity had gotten, even briefly explained how she had encountered an addict previously, but Caitlyn didn't listen. She insisted on coming down, dragging her friends out into potential danger just because she wanted to spend her time in The Last Drop instead of her own house. She and Vi got attacked because Caitlyn wanted to spend time with Vi alone. Vi had to literally drag her out of danger and had gotten hurt because of it.
It was all her fault.
And judging by the glares she was getting from Vi's siblings, they didn't exactly disagree.
It was several tense minutes before Vander and Vi came back, Caitlyn's guilt only growing when she saw the large bandage wrapped around Vi's head, a slight red stain decorating it. "It looks worse than it is," Vi spoke softly, seemingly trying to ease Caitlyn's worry. It didn't work.
"Just a small scrape. Nothing bad." Vander reassured them. "No signs of a concussion so Vi is safe to sleep. As are the rest of you." Vander gave them all a pointed glare, causing Mylo, Claggor, and Powder to scramble for their beds, Vi following slower. Giving a satisfied nod, Vander made his way back to the bar, stopping only to pat Caitlyn on the shoulder.
Caitlyn saw Vi climb into her bed and look at Caitlyn expectedly. She also noticed they had finally fixed Powder's bed, so the brawler was alone in her own bed. Even from the little girl's higher-up perch, Caitlyn could feel Powder's stare practically burning holes in the side of her head. Powder thought it was her fault Vi was hurt, and Caitlyn couldn't blame her.
Caitlyn slept alone on the couch that night.
Vi was right. It was uncomfortable.