Ace of Spades - Shenarah (2024)

Chapter 1: Disagreements

Chapter Text

The sweat was running down her spine while she was working by the anvil around their encampment. It was nothing big, nothing big they could have leading the life they had.

“Hammering again?” Jinx jumped over one of the tree trunks laying around, and rested her chin on her knees, looking at her sister. “I told you, you needed to spice sh*t up.”

“Spice sh*t up?!” Vi turned around, facing her younger sibling with a face seeping poorly suppressed anger. “You spiced it enough blowing up the whole f*cking bank, Jinx! And my gauntlets with it!” she pointed at something that was once her pride, and now it was nothing more than just a pile of (s)crap.

“Not my fault you decided to take the dynamite head on, I thought you knew fun.” She shrugged, but Vi just boiled inside, throwing the hammer on the soil right next to the anvil. Her tattooed shoulders were glistening with sweat in last rays of sun of that day.

“You wanted to kill all those innocent people? That’s fun to you?” she snarled, clenching her fists. “Sometimes I have no idea if I should actually believe you’re my sister.”

“You know me.” Jinx shrugged, but didn’t seem bothered at all. Vi ruffled her damp fuchsia hair, and shook her head.

“I’m not sure anymore.” She admitted. “Shooting people, throwing explosives at them… hell, I am a criminal, but not a murderer!”

“How about you rise to that level already, and start having fun? Like, real fun. Boom.” She poofed with her mouth, opening her hands to mimic the explosion, but her sister just groaned, turning to the anvil. "You already started with the haircut and all, it can be a new you, you know?"

She reached to the tent, pulling two pieces of paper out of the satchel she had there. She tossed them to Jinx, crossing her hands over her chest. “Look at it. Saw them today.”

Blue haired sister snatched the paper, and obediently took a look, but got bored right after seeing what they were. She tossed it back, to the ground, and shrugged.

“Nothing new.” She scoffed, but Vi grunted with disbelief.

“Nothing new? NOTHING NEW?!” she hissed like a snake, squinting her eyes. “They raised the price on our heads, Jinx. BOTH OUR HEADS!”

Younger sister picked the posters again, looking at them with a bit more attention than before. Well, in fact, the prizes were bigger. For Vi’s head there was a bounty of 15 000 gold, and for her it was already 25 000. She didn’t seem affected, though.

“So what? The more, the better.” She smirked, co*cking her gun named Pow-Pow, taking a piece of cloth, and starting polishing it. “There would be more people to share the bullets with!”

“Are you serious right now?” Vi raised her eyebrow, not believing in what she just heard. Did her sister change that much?

“Oh, dead serious, sis.” She smirked, looking at her with sparking eyes. “As dead as those people we leave behind.”

Older sister just groaned, not quite sure what to say about that. She opened her mouth, as if she wanted to make a comment, but all she was able to give was a disappointed look telling Jinx she was not amused by the situation. She just shook her head, waved her hand, and left Jinx where she was, going into the woods to find a moment of peace. The gauntlets needed more work, but with her sibling around she feared there would be nothing she’d be able to do. Jinx could be quite… distracting.

With a deep sigh, she sat down by the river, listening to the murmuring water, putting her feet in. The current wasn’t that strong, but it was refreshing nevertheless. She rested her forearms on her thighs, and rubbed her face with hands run over by water.

It was not always like that. They started early, of course, but it seemed the only way to survive out there after their parents got caught in the crossfire of gunslingers’ wars. She was trying to take care of her sister, protect her, but she was aware it wouldn’t last long. Jinx was growing older, insisting on assisting Vi during heists… at first it was going pretty smoothly. Some punched faces, some people stunned or knocked out, but no casualties… and then something changed. She didn’t know what was that, Jinx just stopped talking to her like she used to before, going berserk on people, using her guns not only to threaten, but to kill.

The last heist they were on went horribly. Jinx not only decided to pull out the guns and started blasting on an indication of slightest movement, but also she brought dynamite with her. Tossing it to the air, igniting it with one well-aimed shot… the only thing Vi could do was to catch it with her gauntlets, and toss the whole bundle out of the building. The explosion was strong, but the gauntlets, much to Vi’s surprise, didn’t take damage that couldn’t be fixed. But what was the most important part, there weren’t more casualties than what Jinx decided to harvest while shooting. Getting back to the place and scavenging the remains of her arms was a pain in Vi’s ass, but she paid the price she would pay again, just to save some innocent people. The fact they needed money and chose to get it the illegal way didn’t mean they needed to make their way to it bloody.

“What the hell happened to you.” She sighed, shaking her head, clenching her fists. It was weird, so weird to feel like she had never really known her sister. Like at some point something clicked in her head the wrong way, and it turned everything around, making her a killing machine. And Vi didn’t want to kill. She just wanted to smash people’s faces, that was all. “I can’t leave her on her own.” She groaned, rubbing her eyes, trying to come up with anything.

Silver lining seemed out of the table. She tried to talk to Jinx already, and nothing changed. Her sister’s bloodlust was unsated, and that was Vi’s main concern. The bounty was going up and up, as she knew it would, but she didn’t expect it skyrocket that fast. The last stunt with Pow-Pow brought Jinx the raise of 10 000 gold on her head right away. It was scary to think what would happen next. Her sister was… unpredictable.

And the only way not to bring any more problems to herself was to actually… part ways. Or maybe… maybe she could talk to Jinx about it. Maybe if she gave her the condition: it’d be either killing people or being separated, her sister would actually think about it all?

Vi stood up, straightening her back with loud cracking. Her arms were still sore after the whole day of work with the hammer and tinkering with the gauntlets. She almost finished, but that ‘almost’ was way further to the end than she would want to admit. She headed back to the camp, deciding to give Jinx one last chance to reflect on the way she wanted to take.

“Jinx?” she asked when, after looking around, she found nothing. Her things were still there, but her sister’s were not. Vi swallowed. Oh god, what happened?

Before she panicked, her eyes landed on the tree trunk younger one was sitting on before. There was a piece of paper, crestfallen to the wood with a dagger.

I don’t think we can work together anymore, sis. You don’t do fun, and I’m bored by doing only what must be done to survive. I’m gonna go and live. Have a good one, and, maybe, see you on the way!

Vi crumpled the letter, tossing it to the ground with a grunt.

So Jinx actually made her decision. Fine. She was on her own now.

Chapter 2: Sheriff

Chapter Text

“Oh, Caitlyn, finally!” Cassandra went outside the house, strutting into her daughter’s direction. A tall, majestically looking young woman dismounted the horse right away, nodding to her mother with respect. “Come, come, there are matters that need to be discussed right away.”

“What’s the rush?” Caitlyn followed the woman right away, joining her father in the council building. “Did something happen?”

“A lot has happened since you were gone, my dear.” Cassandra nodded, not slowing down a bit. “The heists, the criminals around are getting out of hand. Marcus, our previous sheriff, was killed by Deckard…”

“Deckard? I thought he was captured some time ago.” she frowned, trying to recall her mother’s words. “I’m quite sure you’ve written about that in one of your letters.”

“Because he was captured, indeed.” Cassandra nodded, opening the door for the women to pass. “He broke out, and on his way shot Marcus. He was not able to recover afterwards.”

“So Piltover is vulnerable? Who is the new sheriff?” she asked, not receiving the answer from neither of her parents. “And what is so…”

“Council, my daughter has finally arrived.” Mrs. Kiramman said right away after entering the big room. Caitlyn could see people she kind of recognized, but it’s been so long she wasn’t sure if it was really them. “We can address the issues that emerged.”

“Which are…?” the young woman was confused to say the least. Her voice wasn’t that loud, since she was waiting for some answers. Any answers.

“The heist on the bank not that far from here, a dozen people dead, money stolen.” A councilor, if Caitlyn remembered correctly, Schoola, stated, looking at her, and then at the rest of the people who gathered around. “Word is, Ace and Spade are closing in on another target, and it may happen to be Piltover.”

“They wouldn’t dare.” Caitlyn frowned, looking at her mother. “With the sheriff’s office here and the force you have it…”

“There’s no sheriff since Marcus’ death.” Hoskel, the oldest councilor, said, cutting in her sentence. “No one else volunteered for the vacancy, and everyone we tried to force to take over, resigned.”

“Bloody hell.” Cait hissed, shaking her head. “Why?”

“Because they know something’s coming.” Salo rolled his eyes pretentiously as always, but she didn’t deem necessary to comment on that. After all, she didn’t even need to talk to him. He wasn’t leading the council, her mother was. “The rumor has it Ace and Spade are coming this way. We need someone who can lead the forces and ensure we’re safe.”

“And that’s where I think Caitlyn should come in.” Cassandra nodded, looking at the rest.

“She’s been absent for the past years, Mrs. Kiramman, how do you think that would work?” Councilor Bolbok gurgled with his mechanical voice. “I’m afraid she’s not that familiar with the situation anymore.”

“Spade and Ace have been the most wanted criminals on Zaunwest for a long time now. Dead or alive, they are worth a lot.” Caitlyn cleared her throat, catching the council's attention. She felt like she needed to be quick to go with the tide. Her mother never wanted her to be an officer. "As an officer, I’d be able to use the resources to plan and strengthen the security of Piltover, as well as…”

“Not as a mere officer, Miss Kiramman.” Hoskel shook his head, looking at her vigilantly. “As a new sheriff. That’s the concern we all share.”

Young Kiramman straightened her back when the information hit her. Sheriff? Her? They really wanted to give her such a high position? They really needed to be desperate. She was working for sheriffs before, though. After all, she might have had some expertise on the matter.

“I would be glad to serve Piltover as a new sheriff.” She nodded, looking Hoskel into the eye, noticing her mother slightly nodding, perhaps with approval. “If you only allow me to get familiar with the resources I’ll be having, I can make some planning towards securing the city better.”

“I like her confidence.” Schoola nodded approvingly, tapping the tabletop with her fingers. “But Ace and Spade are not to be trifled with. They hit hard, and even though it does not always seem like planned to the core, they have some very interesting improvisation skills… which almost never end up well for anyone but them.”

“There is always some weak point, councilor. And I intend to find it, if you’ll grant me the permission.”

“I don’t think we have any other option.” Salo sighed, scratching gently the back of his neck. “I guess that’s the vote of confidence right now, but maybe it will prove worth a shot. Because you can shoot, right?”

“I’m an excellent shot.” Caitlyn raised her eyebrow, looking at Salo with dignity. She never liked him, he was always a dick towards her. One of many reasons she left Piltover for so long. “There’s nothing to be concerned about on that matter, councilor.”

“Wonderful. Well, if that’s the case then, let us proceed to the voting, shall we?” Cassandra nodded, stopping Salo’s possible comments for good at this meeting. “Caitlyn Kiramman for a new sheriff of Piltover. Those in favor?” she asked, raising her hand at the same time. Salo, ostentatiously, did it as well, followed by Hoskel and Bolbok. Schoola and Medarda gave it a bit more of a thought, but eventually they both raised their hands. “So it’s settled. Miss Kiramman, the badge is yours.” Cassandra passed the sheriff’s insignia to her daughter. Caitlyn took them with a nod of gratitude.

“Thank you for your trust. I will not disappoint. And now, excuse me, there’s a lot to work on. Councilors.” She slightly bowed, and then just left the room, closing the door behind her.

“How did it go?” Tobias asked right away, and she just showed him the badge.

“I’m off to make sure Ace and Spade would land in our arrest, captured, and waiting for the trial.” She started fiercely, with a straight face, and then headed to her new office.

Chapter 3: Parting Gift

Chapter Text

"Oh for f*ck's sake!" she groaned, looking around. The previous night she was so occupied with the fact Jinx had left, she completely ignored that she couldn't find the horse around. It turned out that little sh*t of her sister just took it with her. "Should have known better." she scoffed, shaking her head.

It was never easy with Jinx. But well, it seemed like the new life was supposed to be started from scratch almost literally. Everything she had left was the sack, her broken gauntlets, and the set of tools she was using. God bless Jinx had her own, because if Vi was left with nothing, she'd clearly go on rampage. She knew she had to go either with horse stealing, or finding any sort of transport, with the driver taking her voluntarily or not. The decision has been made quite quickly - she didn’t want to give any more reasons for her bounty to go any higher, so she just took her things, packed them together, put on the cowboy hat to shield her eyes from the sun, and headed to the road nearby to find a good soul who would give her a lift. And she sure hoped there would be anyone, because going on foot wherever she needed to seemed a bit too much for the moment.

She wasn't waiting for too long, following the road in an unknown direction. She didn't know the way, she didn't have any map, but that didn't stop her.

"Hey, you lost?" she heard horses stopping next to her, feeling their hot breaths dissipating in even hotter air. She turned to see the driver, a quite a big man, looking sympathetic, and she shrugged.

"You can say that, but if you maybe had some place to spare, sir, It'd be of great help to me."

"Why of course, there's always a place for a traveler on the back of my cart." he pointed behind him, and Vi sat there, throwing her sack right next to her. "Where were you going?"

"As far as my feet were able to take me." she sighed, leaning back on the cart's side. "But with your kindness I don't need to worry of ending up somewhere in the middle of a desert alone, sir."

"It's not so safe to travel alone these days…" he spurred the horses, and the cart rolled forward through the rocky road. "You can hear all about ambushes and killing sprees."

"Yes, so I've heard." she confirmed with a nod, looking at the sky and clouds, slowly floating above her head. "Dangerous times."

"Have you heard about the bank heist? So many people killed, I can't believe someone was able to do it, a lady no less." he sighed, and Vi cleared her throat.

"Someone who does such a thing cannot name herself a lady, sir." she shrugged, scratching her forehead under the hat. "It's such a pity people can't find honest work for a living."

She was aware how hypocritical that was coming from her mouth, but at the same time she knew she couldn't say anything else. She wasn't responsible for all the deaths there, Jinx was, but… was Vi really not? Maybe she didn't kill, but she was not able to stop her sister from taking life.

"Is something troubling you?" he asked after a moment of silence, but she didn't reply, not right away. "And what's your name? I don't think I caught it."

"Violet, sir." She cleared her throat again, trying not to remember the good moments when Jinx was teasing her that 'Vi stands for violence'. "May I also know yours?"

"Braum." he smiled widely, looking back at the road. "Back to the Freljord I was used to traveling a lot with my mates of shields. Now I'm just a simple man making some deliveries. What brings you here?"

"Freljord?" her eyes widened as she connected the dots. That place was past Noxus and up from Demacia. This guy had to go a long way for something new. "That's very far. As for me… you know, just a vagabond life. Trying to pull myself together, maybe find some place to stay. You can't live all the time from hunting." she sighed, trying to sound casual, and also she couldn't just say anything that would reveal her true occupation.

It was a long time since she had started doing what she was doing with Jinx, but for some time already she was thinking about re-branching. Criminal life was fun, always full of adrenaline, challenges, spiced up with danger. But it could get overwhelming. And she knew there were times when criminals needed to lay low for a while. And she needed to do that too, once again in her life. She needed some safe space for a moment, to breathe, to take a break. To think about what to do next.

"You do seem distressed, Violet. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No, I'm okay, sir." she shook her head, not really feeling like talking about it with anyone. For f*ck’s sake, she knew this man for how long, half an hour? Okay, there were people very fast to trust others, but if one could say something about Vi, it would be for sure not that she was one of them. "But I'm thankful for your concern. It's just weariness. It'll pass."

"How long have you been on the way, then?" he gave her a side glance, and she grunted.

"Seems too long to even remember." she claimed. "But I guess it's been years by now."

"It's hard to lead a life of an outcast by choice." Braum sighed, as if he knew what he was talking about. Vi didn't comment, but she didn't lead the life of an outcast. She was a criminal, and the choice she made… was not hers, not fully. But as life went on, she needed to play her part for Jinx to have something more than just a memory of childhood she could have had.

"Where are you heading, sir?" she asked, leaving his comment without any reply.

"At the moment to the city right next to Noxus' border. It's not that far anymore, and judging from your looks, you're tough enough to find yourself some nice job there!" he started laughing cordially, and Vi smiled under her nose. It was but the notion, yet she still felt like this guy might be onto something.

"Thank you, that would be very nice." she nodded, and the rest of the road they spent in silence, broken only by Braum's whistling from time to time. Vi started dozing off, and opened her eyes the moment the cart stopped.

"We're here, Violet!" he laughed, seeing her looking around, quite confused. She had never been that far from Zaunwest. "I need to deliver those a bit further, so I guess that's where our ways part."

"How can I repay your kindness?" she asked, but he just waved his hand. "No, sir, I insist. Maybe treating you to a drink?"

"Don't bother, Violet, I am really glad to help anytime I can. I have to go, but next time we see each other, I'd be happy to hear about your new life you found here." Braum sent her a smile, and when she went out of the cart with her sack, thanking him again, he just dismissed it all with a wide smile, spurred the horses and that was the last moment she saw him.

"Good start." she scratched her head, wondering where to go. First things first - she still had some coin in her possession, so it would be a good idea to eat something… or drink. Perhaps for a new life?

She entered the saloon, and noticed no one paid attention to her. Maybe apart from the bartender standing behind the counter, lazily polishing one of the glasses.

"What can I get ya?" he asked, glancing at Vi curiously. She took out her hat, and pointed at the whisky bottle standing behind the man. He nodded, and without further questions, poured her a glass. She tossed him a coin.

"I've never seen you here before." she heard by her side when the bartender casually went to the other side of the bar. Vi looked at the person who sat next to her. A blonde, long hair, curly, wide smile, sparkling eyes. "You must be new."

"Keen eye you have." Vi nodded with a smirk, sipping her whiskey. "What brings you to the outsider, though?"

"Curiosity." she admitted straightforwardly. "So, you're another bounty hunter going after Ace and Spade?"

"Another?" Vi raised her eyebrow, looking at the person with curiosity now, not showing her heart actually pounded a bit heavier than it should. So the word was everywhere. Believing it was not was just another nail to her coffin, apparently.

"See that woman there?" she pointed discreetly with her chin to the person sitting by the corner of the saloon. Vi nodded, taking another sip, and not giving away the fact she peeked there. "That's Sevika. You must have heard of her."

"Something has gotten by, yeah." she nodded, even though she perfectly knew who that person was. Sevika, the infamous bounty hunter on whole Zaunwest. If she was there, so was the word about Vi and, probably, Jinx. Maybe she would be able to find her sister after all? She stood up, and glanced at her interlocutor with a smile. "It was nice chatting with you, milady, but my friend is probably waiting for me now. I need to go, we have a job to do." she put on her hat, pressing its edge to salute, and leaving the saloon after she downed the whiskey.

Ah f*ck, she thought, so much for a new life.

"Excuse me, you seem like a perfect person for the job." she felt someone catching her wrist.

Chapter 4: I have no proof...

Chapter Text

The walls seemed to close in on her, as Caitlyn was sitting in her office, with all the paperwork around, trying to figure out something, anything. Saying that Piltover’s security was weak was no to say anything at all. She knew it was supposed to be of poor quality, but she never expected it to be in ruins. After Marcus’ death the city crumbled to pieces, and the records told her he died several months before her coming back to the city. It was enough for her to understand the dire need of a sheriff, especially when she saw the record of people who plainly refused to take over the position.

She was not judging them, at least not too harshly. Seeing the criminal activity around, and the city being quite close to Zaun itself, she could sympathize with them - criminals were to come, plunder, and kill. But she was there to make sure they will not be successful anymore. Even though it seemed like a hard task, she was not cowering from it. She swore an oath as an officer, and she was determined to keep it. Anyway, she had to increase the amount of officers on duty every day, making sure the patrols would be done around the city. Seemed reasonable, since criminal activity around was really high, even though, for now, it was mainly about thefts, some beating up, and bar brawls. nothing major, but with Ace and Spade on the loose, she actually knew they were sitting ducks, waiting for the time bomb to explode. And it could explode any time.

She heard knocking on the door, but she didn’t raise her head to look at who came around. “You’re a sheriff for, like, a day or two, and you already ignore the citizens?” The voice was familiar, so she finally peeked at the person, feeling her face twitching in an awkward smile. Jayce Talis, her old friend from childhood, was standing in the doorframe, leaning on it casually, with his arms crossed over his chest. “And didn’t even bother to say hello to an old friend?”

“I was caught in the fire of work, Jayce.” she admitted, shrugging, but she approached him, greeting with a quite distant hug. “I can’t just be promoted to a sheriff and put visiting friends I had not seen in ages over my duty.”

“Straightforward as always.” he grimaced, not even surprised. If Caitlyn stopped being that way, he would actually start wondering what had happened to her. “Good to see some things never change.”

“Is there any sort of actual problem you came around for, or is that just a friendly hello after years of separation? If the latter, I have to make an excuse, because the amount of things that are not well in the structure of the forces are so high that I cannot spare any time for you.” She sat back behind her desk, sliding the documents from one side to another. Jayce sighed, shaking his head.

“Actually, I brought you a comeback gift, but if that’s not important enough, I can come around another time.” he chuckled, receiving a glare. “Okay, okay, I get it. Straight to the business.'' He raised his hands, showing his submissiveness at the moment, and caught something that was standing behind the door frame, so Caitlyn couldn’t see it at first. “As Hextech inventor, I managed to make this rifle for you, Cait. Thought that it may come in handy since you’re the sheriff now. Also, well, colts are passe.”

“It’s nice to know you still bother about fashion, Jayce.” The sheriff snorted, shaking her head with disbelief. "Is this rifle of yours only to look, or does it also have some practical use?"

"Are you serious? I've been working on it for months, it's a highly precise, powerful weapon… and you're mocking me right now." he realized, seeing Caitlyn slightly chuckling. She shrugged, reaching out, and Jayce handed her the rifle. "If you want to spare a minute, you can check it at the shooting range. If you still can shoot, that is."

"Last time I checked, I was never missing." she said coldly, reloading the weapon already on her way to the range behind the office. "Unlike you, Jayce. I hope you calibrated it to a person with shooting skills like mine, not like yours.."

He didn't reply, but his cheeks turned slightly pink when he was cruelly reminded about the one mistake he did with a hammer of his invention several years before. He didn't want to remember that, somehow managed to block that memory, and Caitlyn came back to Piltover, reminding him about it in the most brutal way he could imagine.

Kiramman didn't even wait for him to cope with the feelings, getting to the shooting range, and raising the rifle to aim at the target. She needed to admit the work seemed solid. Sturdy handle, well-balanced barrel, a compact targeting device. She didn't need it, that much she knew, but at the same time additional help could not harm anyone.

She pointed and shot, one bullet by one, five times, reloading after each shot. Jayce glanced at her as she came back with the target sheet, a hole only in one point: the very middle.

"One per five? You've gone down, Cait." he snorted, but she just took one of the bullets she was using, and compared it to the hole in the paper.

"Clearly you never learned." she stated. "All five went through the same hole. If you don't believe me, you can check the wall behind it."

Jayce didn't have to, sure she was right. Caitlyn was a great shooter, ever since he remembered. She was scoring the highest in competitions, winning prizes and honor. And now Piltover seemed a bit safer when he knew she took over the security.

"So, how does that feel?" he asked, trying to drag her attention somewhere else than his incompetence in shooting. She straightened her back, leaning on the rifle.

"Very good, I am positively surprised." she admitted. "Never took you for a weapon master."

"Yeah, yeah, we already established that." he rolled his eyes, but didn't take it personally. "Weight? Recoil?"

"Without a doubt, great balance." she nodded. "It's funny while it lasts, but I need to go back to work."

"Are you working on something in particular, or just the general reinforcements?" he asked, following her inside, ignoring her annoyed huff.

"There are criminals on the loose, and I can tell Piltover sooner or later will land on their target map." She stood behind her desk, leaning on her palms. "You'd do better if you decided to cooperate with me on making Piltover's security a priority for the people's sake. You're a scientist. If you can make weapons, you certainly could invent something more to help. Is that not true?"

"You're challenging me?" he frowned, scratching his chin. "Seems like nothing changed at all. Fine, I'm in. You just need to give me time."

"It's the only resource we don't have to spare." she sighed, squeezing the base of her nose. "Well then, take your time, but make it as brief as you can, would you?"

"You got it." he smiled, saluting, and leaving the precinct. Caitlyn, with a deep sigh, sat back down behind her desk, looking at the wanted posters she had on the desktop, over all the paperwork she's been doing the whole day.

Ace and Spade. The latter was a new face for her. However the former made an impression she knew her in some way. As if Caitlyn had seen her before. Some features seemed so… familiar. But how could she know a criminal? It was just not possible now, was it?

She started revising all the time she had been far away from home. Demacia, Noxus, Bilgewater… even Ionia. But she wasn't able to place the face looking at her from the poster to any face she had ever encountered. Eyes looking sharp and mischievous, dark hair, freckles spotting her cheeks and nose, the rings in her nostril and ears… it seemed like she had known it, but at the same time she didn't know where from.

Maybe actually she saw her in Bilgewater? There were a lot of unforgettable people around, and that one looked like one of them… Caitlyn's frown deepened, when her brain was trying to dig out the information, and when the face started shaping in one of the memories, she raised her head, feeling her heart beating fast and heavy.

All the walls were shaking, the windows clanging in their frames. A loud explosion was hearable, probably in a radius of several kilometers, and the sheriff didn't have time to think about the criminal's face anymore. What she feared had come faster than any of them expected.

Caitlyn caught her rifle, and barged out of the precinct.

Chapter 5: ...but I have no doubt

Chapter Text

She was sneaking around, not the way she was usually doing, but this time it required a bit more finesse before wreaking total havoc. Piltover’s bank’s treasury was actually quite rich in resources. She would be able to live like a goddess after plundering it. But the security seemed to get higher than the last time she visited the city… anyway, she was sure she would be just fine on her own. Killing guards could be a bit too much at the moment, so she decided to make it from behind…

“Vi’s always saying that sometimes you have to make the door.” she snickered, sticking the bombs to the wall. It was late in the evening already, she knew not many people would be out on the streets. There was actually no chance for anyone to see her like that. Moreover, she would probably make such a ruckus that before they’ll find her, she’d be long gone.

Few steps away, and she bit her lower lip, sneaking somewhere around the safe zone outside the blast radius.

Three, two, one…

BOOM!

The whole wall crumbled down, smoke swirling up like whips, rubble around. Jinx didn't wait for long, barging inside, knowing she had the upper hand of surprise. With loud laughter she entered through the hole, and started packing all the gold she was able to find. It seemed like Christmas, since nobody was around to stop her. Opening the vault from outside would take them some time, and sheriff and their goons were too stupid to try to catch her from behind.

"All the sh*t's mine!" she snickered, pushing a fistful after a fistful of coins into her bag. When she felt it was already full, she thought being greedy wouldn't actually do her any good. She snatched one more fistful of gold, and jumped outside, hearing people trying to open the vault door. She scoffed, shaking her head, and with a wide grin she wanted to disappear from the crime scene.

A shot aimed right in front of her stopped her quite suddenly. Jinx turned around, clenching her fingers on Pow-Pow's handle. Her eyes stopped at the silhouette towering over the vault's roof. All the legs in the world, slender figure, and a long rifle in her hands.

"I'd strongly advise you to give up all the stolen goods and yield." she said with a low, fierce voice, and a very clear posh accent. "I will not hesitate to shoot. And I never miss."

Jinx raised her eyebrow, reloading her gun. "You think so? I even bring my guns to the knife fight!"

"That's why you'll be brought to justice." Caitlyn raised her rifle, aiming at the criminal who destroyed something that held all the money in Piltover with no second thought. "Yield now, and maybe you'll face it unharmed."

Jinx didn't even hesitate. She raised Pow-Pow, but before she pulled the trigger, the silence had been torn by the loud boom of the shot. Blue haired criminal staggered, dropping the weapon with a loud hiss. Without breaking eye contact, she immediately picked the gun, and tried to shoot it, but apart from an empty clang, there was nothing coming out of it.

"You f*cked Pow-Pow!" she growled with anger. "You're gonna pay for that, hat bitch!"

"I recommend that you stand down, Spade." Caitlyn frowned, still having Jinx as her target. "Next bullet may not be that flesh friendly."

Younger woman raised her hands as if she was, indeed, yielding, bending to put the gun to the ground. The sheriff was observing her carefully, but even that was not enough. Jinx was too fast, picking the smoke bomb she had by her shoe, and throwing it right in front of her.

Kiramman shot one more time, but the amount of thick mist the bomb released was able to suffocate, and even Caitlyn, standing pretty much at vantage point, didn't have any upper hand anymore.

She jumped down right away, still cautious and ready to shoot, with her finger by the trigger of her rifle, when she entered the smoke, trying not to inhale too much of it. She barged through it, but Jinx was nowhere to be found anymore. The only thing that was left was the bag she had with her.

"Miss Caitlyn? Sheriff Kiramman!" she heard from behind, accompanied with a loud cough. She recognized the voice of one of her officers. "Sheriff?!"

"I'm here." she announced. "In one piece. I guess, though, so is Spade."

"Oh my lord, what happened?!" Cassandra Kiramman appeared at the scene with almost perfect timing. Tobias was following her. People started peeking outside more courageously than before, and Caitlyn knew that the time of real disaster was quite close. Or would be, if she missed the last shot she released.

"As expected, mother." She sighed, lowering her weapon, yet still not stopping looking for the heister, even though she was almost sure Spade was nowhere around anymore. Nowhere where she could be seen, anyway. "The criminals sniffed the opportunity. We need to do something, and we need to do it now."

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Tobias glanced at his daughter with concern, taking over his eyes, but Caitlyn just nodded, not saying anything. "Are you hurt?"

"Father, I'm not a child anymore, I'm in perfect condition. And at least now we know we have Spade in our door." she clenched her fingers on the rifle, trying not to show her frustration more openly. The smoke started dissipating, and the view cleared out. Officers were going around the hole made by the explosion, and Caitlyn caught the sack Spade had dropped. "At least there's not much she grabbed."

"How did it even happen that she was able to enter the city?" Cassandra frowned after her daughter gave the orders to secure the perimeter, and bring the builders. One of the officers got the order to wake up Jayce Talis, and bring him around as fast as he could. "Didn't we…?"

"It takes time, dear." Tobias tried to calm his wife down, since he could sense more than well that she was on the edge of exploding herself, even more than the wall did. "Cait can't reinforce the whole city within a few days, let alone on her own."

"What do you need then, Caitlyn? What can we provide, as a city, as the council?" Cassandra almost glared at her daughter, and the sheriff rubbed her eyelids and squeezed the base of her nose with a sigh of disbelief.

"First of all, I need Jayce here. He made the rifle, so there has to be a way for him to be able to equip all the officers." she cleared her throat after a moment. "Also, he may have some useful ideas. After all, he's an inventor."

"And then?"

"And then, mother, we will have to discuss the funds, the supplies, materials, and all kinds of other necessities that would make the ideas possible to turn into life." she admitted. "The council would have to be unanimous about the support. It will not be a cheap way, at all."

"At least we don't have to worry about Spade anytime soon." Tobias squeezed his wife's shoulders comfortingly, yet it was clear he was concerned about everything that happened anyway. "She wouldn't dare to come back right away."

Caitlyn, however, shook her head. "About Spade maybe not, indeed." she sighed, looking at the remains of the gas bomb she had thrown. "But I wouldn't say we can take a breath just yet."

"What do you mean? What is it that you're not telling us, Caitlyn?" Cassandra drilled her daughter with her gaze, and the sheriff cleared her throat.

"Spade was alone. Nothing tells us Ace is not waiting for an opportunity to strike and finish what her companion failed to do."

"Why didn't any of your officers pursue her, then?" Cassandra was unyielding at the very moment, but Caitlyn didn't have time for talks like those. She did what she thought was right.

"Because it would not help people at the moment. It destroyed the wall, but also set fire to the buildings nearby. We have at least two wounded people." she stated calmly, yet without a notion she would be getting any further into discussion. "And hell if I know if that bomb was only one she used…"

The distant explosions gave away that her concerns were, indeed, true. They came from different directions, so Caitlyn right away gave the orders, and then looked at her mother, as if she wanted to prove her point. "You can see yourself. I'm needed here more than I am needed chasing someone who certainly will try to walk to Piltover again. And now excuse me, duty calls."

And with that grim thought, she went back to work.

Chapter 6: Boom is the new black

Chapter Text

"f*ck this bitch…" Jinx grunted, dragging herself through the night haze. Her leg was hurting, the bullet had grazed it. And she lost all the gold! Maybe apart from the one fistful she was able to hide in her pocket.

She tossed Pow-Pow at the ground, making a small fire, and then looking at the wound she had. It wasn't deep, but she knew from experience that the shallowest wounds are the biggest annoyance. She sat down on the tree trunk, and just used some water to clean that up, grinding her teeth in pain.

"It was supposed to be easier without her!" she grunted again, moving with unease. " You can't kill people , blah, blah, blah, she's such a loser, always ready to cry." she chanted, chuckling a bit, but then grunting again. Changing positions with that graze would be a bitch. She bandaged it with a cloth, and then caught a water pouch to drink something. "I can kill whoever the hell I want! And she will not be telling me what I can or can't do!"

It wasn't long from when she decided to leave her sister on her own. When Vi told her she didn't recognize her anymore, Jinx felt pretty much rejected. It was Vi's fault! If it wasn't for her, Jinx would not be like this. She left her. Not for long, just some years, but… she didn't come around looking for her. At least Jinx didn't believe her when she claimed so.

She felt they were a good team at first. Vi was just the muscle Jinx needed to get sh*t done; going in, f*cking things up, beating people, and then Jinx was coming in, blowing stuff, taking what was there to take, and they were out. She couldn't even count how many heists were successful because they could cooperate just fine.

"Of course, she HAD TO awaken righteous sh*t in her." she spat, pouring some alcohol on the cloth, and sliding it under the bandage. It almost burned, but she withstood it, and it passed after a moment. " Don't KILL PEOPLE ." She mimicked Vi in a very mocking manner, rolling her eyes. "Innocent my ass. Bitch's no fun."

She grinded her teeth, standing up, and straightened her back, checking if walking was bearable. The ground was quite well-leveled, but any sort of branch could make the pain worse. Why the hell did she choose the forest to stay in? Was that because it was really safe, and not many people could find her, or was it because Vi had been doing that for ages, and she just learned that way?

After all this time it was hard to determine. She was just doing it, that was all. By repetition, laziness, or anything else, that didn't even matter anymore. Or maybe shouldn't.

"I'd be way better on my own than with you, Vi, you'll see that." she huffed, clearing her throat, wondering. Her leg seemed to be a bit better, allowing her to walk quite freely. She frowned.

There was a scrapyard nearby, by the very edge of the forest, where the ground started to change into a more desertish path. Maybe it would be actually kinda good way to get some resources to either repair what she had to, or to build something new?

She looked at Pow-Pow lying on the ground, and she picked it up, inspecting it. The bullet this slender bitch shot clogged the barrel, but Jinx couldn't quite understand why it didn't explode. Shouldn't it, actually? Gunpowder was, after all, a highly explosive sh*t, wasn't it?

She decided to take care of it later, she'd have to remove the bullet and check the whole mechanism, just in case. In the meantime, she should go and find something to work with. She didn't think much, just took another sack she had around, and headed towards the exit from the forest. Pow-Pow was jammed, and maybe fixable, but she knew she'd need something way more powerful than just a small three-barrelled gun. Vi might have had her gauntlets, but Jinx was sure she was able to use something that would outmatch her sister. And she was already on a very good way to do so.

After all, rangers were always superior to melee. And if Vi tried to stop her, one well aimed shot was able to take her out of Jinx's way.

Walking through the forest, she couldn't help but notice it actually posed a problem. And the problem was: did she really want to take her own sister out? Probably not. But she was aware that if there would be a need for that, she might not hesitate to shoot. After all, if Vi didn't leave, she would not have to learn how to kill in order to survive.

Life without killing seemed so easy, but Jinx realized fast enough it was not. Vi, even not being a master of subtlety herself, had the force and strength to make her way through the crowd. She was making people either step aside, or just leaving them unconscious, when they displayed a pathological need of resisting, but any way she had it, she never killed. Was it strength or weakness, Jinx had no idea. But she suspected Vi was just too soft-hearted to be able to kill anyone.

The scrapyard welcomed her with the chill of the night, and the silence of the sleep. There was no one around, but she knew she should proceed with caution; Piltover proved to her she needed to be more careful, if she wanted to be successful. Even more now, since Vi wasn’t around to take care of potential interceptors. And Jinx, however capable, was not much of a melee fighter.

She looked around, scouting the perimeter. It was quite far from Piltover already, and the sheriff didn’t even think about chasing after her, but sometimes things were not as they looked like. She could have always sent someone to pursue her, and that was something she didn’t want at all, at that moment, or at any other. Not when her gun was disabled, and she didn’t have enough money to buy another one. Hence the escapade to the scrapyard.

“Scavenging Christmas.” she chanted quietly, getting over the fence with a scoff of disbelief. It was just made to impress, not to actually guard, since the electrical wires between the poles were inactive. Or maybe she was just lucky, and the owner forgot to switch them on. Whatever the case - she could proceed without problems and delays. She started rummaging around, looking for some good scraps, so she could repair Pow-Pow, but as she looked for parts, she thought that maybe she’d be able to find something to build herself an even better weapon. She could custom her gun, that was the initial idea, but yet there was still the one though lurking somewhere in her head - what if she made something bigger, something better? Something even that sheriff would not be able to f*ck up that easily?

“f*ck you, Vi.” she scoffed, packing the chosen parts from the first pile. If she was to use one word to describe them, she’d say ‘treasures’. She had no idea who would even want to discard those kind of parts, and just leave them around, but it was really like walking into the alley with free resources, and that would be a sin not to take an advantage out of it. “You’d see I’m better off without you.”

She couldn’t deny, however, she kind of missed her. Maybe it was laziness, a simple way she had gotten used to, but she was almost sure she would come over it in no time. Maybe it took too short yet. She needed a bit more time.

“I think I’m done here.” she whispered to herself a couple of minutes later, feeling the soothing weight of all the scraps and parts she acquired. She sneaked out of the scrapyard as easily as she managed to get in. Reaching the very edge of the forest, she started running, feeling the thrill of inventing. She had always had the knack to assemble things Vi was always impressed about. Well, such a shame it was always only her. But the time for the rest of the world to see her great tech hand.

“I’ll show you. I’ll show you all not to mess with me.” she sniffed, looking in Piltover’s direction. With a satisfied, vicious smile she noticed there was still some notion of smoke around certain parts of the city. “Especially you, old world bitch.”

Chapter 7: Old no. 7 brand

Chapter Text

The time she spent in the saloon seemed like an eternity already. Sipping from one glass of whiskey for all that time seemed like such a waste, but at the same time she knew she couldn’t just smash herself legless before having the work done. And the work was about waiting for a target,following it outside the city, or anywhere, really, and then just making sure said target would understand they crossed the wrong person.

Who was that person? She wasn’t quite sure herself. Guy looked weird, tall, very thin, but his grip was exceptionally strong for someone of his posture. He just looked at her, and said: ‘you look like someone for the job’, and the moment she heard the word ‘job’, her ears were all in for listening. Job meant income, and the person looked like he didn’t really refrain from violence. She liked the looks of the possibilities… if she was right, that was.

And she was. So at the moment she was waiting for the target, it’s already been around three hours or so, but she tried to look exhausted, so nobody would poke her about anything. It wasn’t really hard to do, though, since she didn’t sleep that well, still worried sick about Jinx. Was she okay? Sevika was around Vi, at least the day before she was, so there was a possibility that if Jinx stayed somewhere else she was quite safe. That was all Violet could hope for at the moment. What was concerning for the fuchsia haired woman, was the fact she was quite close to the bounty hunter. Maybe she was not to be recognized right away, and her portrait on the wanted poster was a bit outdated, but she still had some features she could be recognized for. Covering her tattoos seemed like the most important thing to do at the moment to remain as much of an incognito as possible.

Vi raised her head the moment she heard the pendulum doors to the saloon open with loud creaking, and the wooden squeaked under someone’s weight. She sniffed, biting the mouthpiece of her smoking pipe, recognizing the person. The very same person she was supposed to shake a bit.

Not that tall, but quite a big man, wearing a very stylish attire. It was obvious the person was rich, and judging by his face… well, not giving a sh*t about other people whose status was any lower than his. And yet it happened that the person wasn’t keen on actually paying his debts. Nor fulfilling his duties for the community he decided to live in.

She was observing him very carefully, as he was walking around, ordering alcohol, taking a seat by the table with no other customers, as if he was waiting for someone. Who knew, maybe he was. And so was Vi.

She wondered what he was like in private. A good father? Raging behemoth? A pretentious snob? Maybe. But first of all, he was wanted. Or his money, that was more likely. Vi got herself another glass of whiskey, looking like she was trying to drown her sorrows in there. In some way, probably she was. But at the same time she remained attentive, observing the target just sitting around, wasting time. Was he waiting for someone?

It turned out he didn't. Time spent in the bar was scarce, and after some shots he just collected his things, heading to the exit. Vi, with caution, tailed him. When they were far enough from the main street, she slid in front of him, blocking his way.

"Excuse me, can I help you with something?" he asked, quite puzzled, when she crossed her hands over her chest, frowning.

"Actually, yes, you can." she nodded, giving him a glare cold as ice. "I've heard you still owe money to the charity you've promised to support, sir."

"What? No. Who are you, anyway?"

"Hand of reckoning, if you don't pay up." The answer was straightforward, and as menacing as it probably could be. The guy started backing off, but soon enough his back slammed the wooden wall of one of the buildings. They were in a dead end. And Vi was fully aware of that. "So, how would it be?" she grabbed her gauntlets from under her cloak, since she had them on leather strips thrown over her shoulder, and put them on with a loud clang of metal.

He swallowed, seeing her coming one step closer. The dark leather cowboy hat, red poncho she had on her shoulders, and the gauntlets were making him uneasy. He couldn't see her face, since it was hidden in the shadow of the hat's edge.

"I swear I paid all I had to." he tried to explain, but she made one more step, and the spurs by her shoes sounded with a melody that triggered shivers running down his spine.

"And I got to know you didn't. So either you're lying, or I'm being lied to." she spat on the ground, clenching her fists inside the gauntlets. "Either way, I don't like liars."

"Why me then, if that boss of yours is the one to lie?!" he whined, and Vi just shrugged, scratching her side, just for the sake of acting.

"Because he's paying, and you just happen to be here." she shrugged. "But okay, you don't want to pay, I'd take it out from your carcass."

"You wouldn't dare. People like you are just the ones to talk, never act. Trenchers." he spat, angrily, making Vi raise her eyebrow. Sudden change of heart, was that a surge of courage?

Aw, cute. It will disappear even faster than it appeared, though.

She jumped forward, throwing the first punch that landed on his face. "If I wanted your opinion, I'd beat it out if you." she growled, punching again. The loud crack and a whine told her she broke his nose all right. "Now pay up, so I don't have to knock you out. Would be a sad addition to the landscape." she hit him again. "And pretty awfully looking as well."

"How dare you!" he wanted to call for help, but one punch with Vi's forearm choked down the scream just fine. The man started coughing, but still tried to get to fuchsia's hair. She threw another punch, so he landed on the wall behind him, with a loud groan.

"Somehow I do." she shrugged, coming closer with the eerie clanging of the spurs. "Now pay up, so I don't have to kill you."

He looked at her, but after all he could feel his broken nose pulsating with pain, his mouth drowning in his own blood, and his bones dangerously brittle at the moment. It would take one more punch of those hellish gauntlets, and he'd end up either dead, or on the wheelchair for the rest of his life.

He decided it wasn't worth it. One move, he took the purse he had with him, threw it into her direction, and she caught it swiftly. He couldn't help but stand in awe for the agility she displayed despite the bulky gauntlets she had. Vi opened the pouch, glancing inside. Gold. Okay.

"How much?"

"You don't even know how much you've beaten me for?" he shivered, but she stood there, towering over him, waiting for response. "Thousand and a half."

"Good. If it's not fully the amount you said, I'll be back, and you can be sure of it." she cleared her throat, taking out her gauntlets, and putting them back over her shoulder, under her cloak. Then she pressed the front edge of her hat, saluting him, and left, not even looking back at the scene she painted red.

"Successful?" she heard the first thing as she entered the saloon. One glance, and there he was, her job giver. She nodded, throwing the purse on the table, and sitting in front of him.

"See for yourself." she encouraged him, even though there was no need for that. He spilled the coins on the tabletop, and started gathering them in stacks, counting.

"How much did he say?"

"Thousand and a half." she said without a second of hesitation. "Isn't that right?"

"It is all right." he nodded, but she could see there was something on his mind. Even though she decided not to ask. If he wanted to, he would tell. "You didn't take your share?"

"It's not mine to take the money from what I collected." Vi shrugged. "You're the one to pay me."

"Impressive." he admitted, throwing the coins back into the pouch, and sliding another one into her direction. "I like you, Violet. You get sh*t done, and don't help yourself with the loot prematurely."

"That's just one thing I don't do." she waved at the bartender to bring them drinks. "Because why. If I don't get paid, I get to smash faces. Win-win."

"Hm." he smirked, nodding in gratitude for the drinks Vi paid for. "I think I could use your services."

"You've proven you're paying, so why not." she sipped from her glass. "I think it's only fair to say I'm looking forward to more."

"Mhh, such a beautiful woman here…" she heard a drunken voice, and when she turned to its owner, she was hit by a stench that repulsed her right away.

"Such a stinky alcoholic there." she said with disgust, but right away there was another one joining that sh*thead.

"Yeah, I saw that too." he said. "I mean, you. I saw her first!"

"What are we talking about now?" she raised her eyebrow.

"Mating." one of them grinned, revealing he didn't have a full set of teeth.

"If your genes are as broken as your jaw, thanks, I'll pass." she shook her head, but seeing those two were about to insist, she just caught their heads, and slammed them together. She was sure they could see the stars right before they lost their consciousness. "So, where were we?"

"How long are you planning on staying?" he asked, peeking at the two bastards that were unconsciously laying next to their table.

"Hm, that depends." she admitted, sipping from her glass, and scratching her chin. "If there's a job, I might consider staying for longer."

"I like your thinking." he smirked, reaching out his hand. She returned the expression, shaking his hand.

"Happy to serve."

Chapter 8: On the run

Chapter Text

She was aware that having Spade on the run was not at all good. It was terrifying, especially for the people in the city. The delegation of Freljordans just arrived, a bunch of big, bulky men who seemed to be just perfect for the job of warding Piltover. Caitlyn gave them the dispositions, and they went straight to work, not even asking a thing. Sometimes she thought Freljord was a weird place… but she had never been there, so it was probably only an impression. Builders were on their way through patching up the hole in the vault, and the young Kiramman had the urge to just try to track Spade. She couldn’t have fled that far. And since Piltover was relatively safe at the moment, she could think about pursuing that chase.

Either for Spade, or just for the sake of any proof, she could do it. Without further ado, she saddled her horse, took the reins and was on her way, following the fastest way out of town. She was born and raised in Piltover. She knew all the places, she knew all the ways out, all hiding spots. But she doubted Spade would be that stupid to stay around after what she’d done. And if Caitlyn saw right, her gun was disabled after she shot it. A smile spread on her face, when she felt a buzz of pride for that.

The way that led Caitlyn to crossroads was empty. No marks, no tracks she could lean on. She scoffed, shaking her head. She should have known, criminals always have it their way… up to the moment when they made a mistake. And Spade was to make one soon, if she decided to come back to Piltover.

"Bollocks." she spat, looking around, and when she was about to turn back, she saw a narrow road leading to the forest on one end, but on another… she frowned, and then followed it. It was quite a short ride, she'd say, but at the same time she had an impression she passed through a labyrinth, landing at the scrapyard the moment the sky started gathering clouds.

Caitlyn dismounted, and approached the yard. She barely managed to do it, when someone barged outside the shack that was standing at the end of it. A man, huge, with a pipe and a wrench in his hands.

"What do you want here, you scum?!" he shouted with anger, spitting everywhere. "I won't allow anyone to steal from me again!"

"Steal? No!" she waved her hands, showing him the Sheriff's Star. "I'm the Sheriff of Piltover, and I'm investigating…" She cleared her throat. "Sir, you mentioned you've been robbed?"

"Finally someone who actually decided to take care of it, nobody else took me seriously." He scoffed, throwing the pipe away, and Caitlyn could feel a partial relief, since he was still armed with the wrench.

Since Kiramman said A, she needed to say B now. Trail could be just not connected to Spade whatsoever but what did it hurt to check on it?

"So, about the robbery." She took out a small notepad she was always carrying with her, and a pencil. "What can you tell me about it?"

"Yesterday I was sleeping, and I heard some rumbles around. Thought some animals went around. When i got out to scare those bastards out, there was nothing."

"And what did you do, sir?" she asked, observing him resting the damned wrench over his shoulder, scratching his hairy cheek.

"Checked the scraps, of course." he shrugged. "And I saw they weren't full."

Caitlyn looked around, trying not to sound awfully pretentious. "Sorry for the question, but… how exactly did you know what was missing?"

"Ya think I don't know my sh*t?" he scoffed, shaking his head. "Figures. I have a whole damned inventory, and I take care of it. I'm a businessman, not an idiot."

"That's very considerate. Could I perhaps see the inventory list? Or maybe you prepared the one with what had been stolen?"

"Sure. Come with me." he waved at her, relieving the sheriff again the moment he laid the wrench down on the floor by his front door. She followed, looking at his back, and when he proceeded to look for the list, he asked: "I've never seen you around here before. You new? Sheriff of Piltover?"

"Sort of, sir." She admitted, replying to his latter question. "I was out of the city for some time."

"Do I know you? I surely would, you seem barely out of your twenties."

"Not that barely, sir, but thanks. Caitlyn Kiramman. At your service."

"Cait? Oh my god, Cait, you've grown so much!" he burst with laughter, making her raise her eyebrow with consternation.

"Excuse me, sir…?"

"Come on, you really don't recall Jayce's father when you see him?" he grinned, and the sheriff's eyes widened with surprise.

"Oh my lord, I was sure you were somewhere in Piltover!" she chuckled nervously. "What are you doing here, outside the city, sir?"

"Having my scrapyard." he shrugged. "It's good to stay outside sometimes. Ximena is taking care of the workshop orders, and I can make some coins here. Either building things, or selling parts. Ha, there it is!" he growled with triumph, raising his hand with a paper, and then passing it to Caitlyn.

She looked at it, frowning, seeing all the parts written down. It was quite a lot, and some of them seemed… small. How the hell Mr. Talis was able to see all that?

No matter. She scratched her forehead, raising her eyes at her interlocutor.

"And you didn't see anything, sir? Completely nothing?"

"No, I just heard noises, but they weren't that loud. I woke up only because lately my sleep is lighter. But, tell me, how come you're back in Piltover, Caitlyn?"

"I just thought it would be nice to go back to where I grew up. It happened that I got caught in the middle of a conflict involving the infamous criminals of Zaunwest. I had been quite surprised when my mother was the one to actually give my candidature to the council." she admitted. "Well, but they were desperate, so I can't really blame her."

"I've heard about the explosion in the vault, is that true what people are saying?"

"Depends on what they say, but at this point I would not believe a person that says they didn't hear about it." Caitlyn sighed grimly. "Spade fled the scene, but I'm sure she's not done yet."

"Think it was her? Here?" his eyes widened, but Kiramman decided to keep it cool, not making a fire in a hole when there was no need to.

"It might have been her, as well as it might have been just some lousy thieves. Anyhow, sir, I'll investigate, no matter the culprit. I'll make sure to do everything I can to catch them." she promised, but didn't have that much faith in success. After all, if it happened not to be Spade, tracking the thieves would be… impossible, probably. Or maybe she would actually succeed?

One way or another, she needed to remember her priorities. And the priorities were easy to remember: reinforce Piltover, make it safe, catch Spade, catch Ace, and then put them to trials. End of story. But with the list she got from Mr. Talis, she was actually more prone to think it might have been Spade all along. And if that indeed was her… that meant Ace had to be somewhere around, maybe hiding in plain sight even. In any case, it was like a golden opportunity for Caitlyn - if she caught Spade, she was almost sure she’d catch Ace as well.

“I’d recommend you go to the city and ask about it, there had to be someone who saw something.” Mr. Talis looked at the sheriff vigilantly.

“Piltover? I’m afraid they didn’t, too concerned with the vault’s damage at the moment.” she admitted, but her interlocutor shook his head.

“Not Piltover, whoever did that was not able to buy the scraps by themselves… or didn’t want to. Probably…”

“Zaun.” Caitlyn sighed, shaking her head. She would prefer to avoid that place at all cost, but at the same time she was aware she couldn’t. She needed to investigate, since it could be the way to find the culprit… for all the things that’s been done to Piltover and its citizens. “Well, I guess I don’t have that much of a choice now.” she cleared her throat, reaching her hand to Talis who shook it. “Thanks for your cooperation, sir. I will keep you posted on whatever I can find.”

“Much appreciated, Caitlyn.” he smiled, nodding. “Be careful, and… well, I have the impression you’re the best choice for the sheriff. Even if it's unexpected whatsoever.”

“Thank you, sir.” she smiled as well, leaving the shack into the chilly, windy night. One stare at the sky, and she already knew it was going to rain. She needed to make haste, if she wanted to get to Zaun before the clouds ripped.

Mounting her horse she was still quite unsure if going to Zaun at this hour was even a good idea, but the trail was still hot, so she needed to risk it. Whatever the price, she needed to do something. Piltover could not be left vulnerable. Not like it was.

She spurred her horse, heading to Zaun. It was not that far from Talis’ scrapyard, so she reached it quickly. As she expected, the city was bustling in the night life, people on the streets, music from saloons, stroboscopic lights from the rodeo party blinked through the windows. Caitlyn sighed, dismounting, and leaving her horse somewhere outside the city, just in case. She never saw Piltover like that, but she didn’t really know if that was a good thing, or not. On one hand, maybe it would be nice to host some events that weren’t just shooting contests for high class people, but… Piltover was all about it. If someone wanted their share of underground, they were sure to go visit Zaun, of course on their own responsibility.

“Excuse me, can I take a minute of your time, sir?” she asked one of the guys standing nearby with a bottle of alcohol in his hand. He looked at her with palpable disgust, and then turned around, walking away. Caitlyn, however, didn’t get discouraged that easily.

She quickly realized that was actually not the best idea to go there anyway. Nobody wanted to talk to her, giving her either disgusted, funny, or mocking looks. She glanced at her reflection in one of the windows, and sighed. She looked way too well and high class for this place, and she should have been aware of that before. Nobody wanted to talk to her, and even if she started with the ‘there was a robbery…’ they didn’t give a damn. She sighed, shaking her head, deciding that she didn’t have anything else to do there. She needed to go back to Piltover, defeated this time.

Little did she know that by the corner there was Jinx, sitting on a crate, polishing one of the stolen parts, and laughing quietly at the sheriff.

Chapter 9: Hellhound

Chapter Text

“Noxian border, huh?” Sevika frowned, hearing the news someone just whispered to her ear. “You sure?”

“That’s what I heard.” her informer shrugged, scratching his nose. “Some sh*t went down since someone came around. Word is, her brawling skills are to be reckoned with, so I guess it’s possible it’s her.”

“Hm. Maybe it’s worth the shot, yeah.” she rubbed her chin, sipping her beer and exhaling a huge cloud of smoke. “Nothing’s gonna hurt, though I really wonder what the hell is she doing at that place. That’s quite far from where they were spotted the last time.”

“Don’t ask me, I’m not inside their heads.” the man shrugged again, zeroing his glass, leaning on the counter, and showing the bartender to pour him another one. “Maybe they decided to escape somewhere further where less people knew about them.”

“They’re known on the whole Zaunwest…”

“And Noxus is not a part of it.” he rolled his eyes, receiving his order, and lapping with delight. “I thought you’d know that.”

“The wanted posters are spread throughout Runeterra.” she huffed with clear irritation. “So maybe it’s you who should do his research, dude. Whatever, I’m off. If I want to catch her there, I better hurry.”

“Best of luck.” he nodded, not interested in her further endeavors. Sevika stood up, drank whatever she still had in her glass, and just like she stood, left the saloon, taking her horse and packing herself to the saddle. If she was lucky, she’d be able to kill two birds with one stone. If she was not…

But there was no reason for them to be separated, right? Sevika spurred her horse, and headed the way.

“Noxus, huh? Curious.” she snorted, leading the horse to the main road, and spurring it to gallop. She had some hours of travel ahead of her, but she couldn’t wait to see the criminal. 15 000 gold would be a huge addition to her bounty hunting fund, also, she would have another trophy to her collection. Ace was definitely something she wanted to have there.

***

“Have you seen her here?” She asked the first thing when she reached the saloon at the Noxian border. The bartender looked at the portrait carefully, trying to remember if the face was familiar for him or not, but after giving it a deeper thought, he shook his head.

“No. But we do have heists, robberies, and some beaten up people roaming around, so maybe she actually looks differently… or it’s a different person terrorizing us around.”

“Well, I guess everyone has a way to live.” Sevika shrugged, looking around, eventually ordering some whisky.

“Only the ones that would deserve that are receiving the beating, though. I don’t know much about justice, but that sh*t can be killing, apparently.”

“Did anyone die?”

“No, not that I know of.” he admitted. “I don’t think so, though.”

“Sounds like her, then.” she scratched her cheek, wondering. "Thanks."

And she left the saloon after finishing her drink. Who would have thought, first try and bull's eye at the very beginning. Luck like that was rarely seen in work like hers. Sevika, however, didn't want to just lay down on laurels, so she went out, keeping in mind she might not find Ace around yet.

She heard loud cracking, wood breaking, and a grunt. With a frown, she approached the small street by the saloon, and she raised her eyebrow. Seriously? It shouldn't be that easy.

A person, medium height, short, fuchsia hair, didn't really resemble Ace from the portrait, but Sevika could say it was her. The way she was throwing punches, the way she was carrying herself around… and the gauntlets. Definitively the gauntlets. It had to be her.

"Where's your sister, Ace?" she asked quietly, standing on the way out, blocking it. Ace punched the guy, took what was his, and she was supposed to take, and then gave a side glance to whoever the f*ck was talking to her.

Seeing Sevika, she froze for a split of a second. What the hell was she doing there? Wasn't she… supposed to be somewhere else? Vi didn't see her around since the day her boss accosted her offering a job.

Well, probably her luck has runneth dry.

"Aren't you the bounty hunter?" she raised her eyebrow, throwing the beaten guy to the ground, paying no mind to his groan. He was still conscious, but as Sevika could see, barely. "You tell me."

"Quit the act, I know you're together."

"You have outdated information." Vi spat on the ground, kicking the guy goodbye, and then charging at the bounty hunter. She stormed past her, but Sevika caught her by the poncho, stopping the motion.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked mockingly. "I don't set free birds that I caught into my cage."

"I ain't your bird, and I ain't in a cage." Fuchsia haired woman rolled her eyes, yanking her cape off Sevika's hands. She wanted to punch her, but the bounty hunter was taller, older, and probably more experienced. She caught her arms in steel grip under her armpit, blocking any sort of movement.

"You sure? Seems so to me." she smirked, headbutting Vi straight in her nose. Fuchsia grunted, but managed to get out of the hold by kicking her perpetrator with her knee kicking Sevika's groin. Next punch followed straight to her solar plexus.

"Bitch…!" she panted, seeing Vi jumping back, and raising up her arms, fists set, guarding her face. Her nose was bleeding, blood streaming down her face. Vi snorted a clog, spitting it to the ground, and then charged at her opponent.

Sevika was ready to block the upcoming punch, but she wasn't ready that Vi wouldn't charge to attack.

She put her whole strength to stagger Sevika, and she managed, surprising her. The bounty hunter, trying to keep her balance, needed to turn to the side, and Ace took the chance it gave her, pushing herself out off the wall, grabbing the corner of the building, and using the impetus to just throw herself on the way. When Sevika finally caught what the hell happened, she sprinted out of the alley, but Vi was already gone.

She didn't give up just yet, knowing what way that vermin went. And she was determined to chase her.

Vi managed to hop on one of the porches, propelling herself up, catching the beam by the roof of the building, and then pulling herself up onto it. Crouched, slowly, yet steadily she proceeded further, jumping over another house, and then just sliding down the pillar by its side. Backdoor of the saloon was open wide, but she knew it wasn't the best place to barge in. The smaller window to its basem*nt, though, seemed quite appealing.

Hearing loud and heavy steps, she knew someone was running. Sevika or not, she wasn't going to risk it. She dived into the window, blessing the fact it was opened, and then crouched among the whisky barrels, putting on her hat. The surroundings were dark, so was the hat, so she was almost sure that even if someone peeked in, they would not be able to see her inside.

"Black trousers, red poncho, pink hair, have you seen her around?" she heard an angry voice that accosted someone outside. Vi had no courage to peek through the window when Sevika was that close.

"No, there was no one like that." someone replied, and there was an angry grunt. "Why are you looking for her? Did she steal something of yours?"

"That's Ace, a wanted criminal. She fled."

Ah, sh*t, she's been burned at the place then.

"Wonderful, Sevika, you're gonna pay for that." she growled quietly, drawling the words through her teeth.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" The voice's owner seemed concerned, but Vi could tell the bounty hunter just waved her hand, dismissing it all at once.

"Never better. I want to catch her, but if you haven't seen her…"

"Wasn't she always with the other one? Spade?"

"Yeah, so they can be somewhere, planning a heist right now." Sevika was angry, irritated, because she wanted to end this conversation as fast as she could to continue her pursuit. "Is there any place you can hide in?"

Vi froze. Oh sh*t, no, no, no. Please, no.

"Around here? Not that much. Maybe some… oh, this window is open. So maybe there?" he pointed at the basem*nt's door, and Sevika raised her eyebrow with a smirk. So after all, Ace wasn't as smart as she wanted the bounty hunter to believe.

f*ck. f*ck, f*ck, f*ck, holy f*ck, f*ckity f*ck, Vi thought, looking around, trying to actually find a way out. Sevika asked the guy to guard the window, so, just in case Vi was there, she couldn't just flee unseen. That required finesse.

The only f*cking thing Vi never had.

She could hear ruckus on the upper floor when Sevika entered the saloon, and she was aware she didn't have much time left. It was either to be captured, or be killed… or maybe she should kill herself?

She shook her head, not really convinced if the last option was a good one, so she decided to not pursue it. One look around, and she saw an empty barrel.

"Better sh*t than nothing." she rolled her eyes, packing herself inside, catching the lid, and putting it on the very moment the door opened with a creak, and two pairs of shoes tapped on the wooden floor. Vi held her breath when she heard them close.

She wasn't usually the one to hide, but she felt by the grip that Sevika was way stronger than her. Also, she had a mechanical arm, and that was already an upper hand (pun not intended). Ace needed to be cautious.

"You saw her sneaking in here?" the voice must have belonged to the owner or the bartender.

"No, but that was the only way she could hide, actually. At least from my calculations." Sevika replied, and Vi rolled her eyes.

Yeah, everything was calculated, but boy, was she bad at math. She covered her mouth hearing them standing nearby the barrel she was curled up in.

"So you're a bounty hunter?" he asked, and Sevika nodded. "You say the fuchsia haired gal is Ace? I wouldn't know."

"That's why I'm around to spread awareness, and capture her."

And claim the prize, Vi thought with a frown, but just clenched her jaws, trying to be as silent as possible. She felt her gauntlets painfully stabbing her ribs, but she couldn't move. The barrel was quite crowded as it was.

"Why aren't you after her sister, though? It's still a bigger prize to get." he stated, and Vi raised her eyebrow. What? I mean, sure, Jinx was worth more than her, but… what the actual f*ck?

"Ace and Spade are a well-known duo of criminals. They must have…"

"They're not. Haven't you seen the newspapers?" The guy reached out for an example, and showed it to Sevika. "She's been seen in Piltover, wreaking havoc and exploding walls."

"They separated? Interesting." she mumbled, scratching the back of her neck. "Well, I guess then it would be easier to actually pursue Spade. After all, the prize for her head is higher. And, as far as I saw, she's far more reckless than Ace. So, Piltover, you say?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Can I take a look around?" she asked, and when granted the permission, she just started moving around. Vi clenched her eyelids, praying for Sevika not to discover her. "How about the barrels?

"They're full of whisky. You want me to open them?"

Oh f*ck, please, no.

"Only a few, can you?" she nodded, and he shrugged, taking out a knife to help the lids to lift. Vi swallowed, feeling cold sweat on her back. Lord and savior, she was so f*cking busted, she wanted to cry.

Sevika and the guy started opening the barrels, and each one was full of alcohol. Vi could feel the smell, since the one she was in was also strongly smelling of it. Now she felt nauseous, trying to swallow the stomach back where it was before.

"What about this one?" Sevika's voice was so clear that Ace knew she was standing right next to the one she hid in. Her heart started beating faster, but she was ready; if she needed to face that one, she would.

Dead she wouldn't be able to find Jinx, though. f*ck all of this sh*t. Vi felt the nausea going way overboard, and a moment later she needed to press her hand harder to her mouth, not to splash it around. Her eyes were full of tears when she was fighting for every breath, since her nose was blocked by blood.

"Probably someone just moved it." he shrugged, kicking the barrel to see if it was full or not. In the moment it tilted, Vi had to catch the walls so as not to get discovered, but she couldn't keep the content of her mouth, throwing up on the barrel's bottom. "Yeah, whiskey." he stated, hearing the splash inside. "You want me to open that one too?"

"Nah, we checked the majority, and you know how it is with criminals. They are sleazy, and know how to escape. I'd call it, and since you gave me a new perspective, tomorrow I'll be on my way to Piltover." She straightened her back. "You have any free room for the night?"

"Of course, follow me." he said, waving his hand at her, and she did as asked.

Vi waited for the footsteps to go distant enough to feel safe, and then she waited a bit more till the moment she heard Sevika calling off the guy guarding the window. Ace got out of the barrel, checking her clothes, and huffing silently when she realized she puked over her own shoes. Such a disgrace and shame. And for what? To find a sister who decided to leave her on her own volition?

Apparently.

Vi sneaked out of the window when she saw the perimeter was clear. She got to her hideout first thing, and then packed her sack. She had to be ready to go after Sevika in the morning. Jinx maybe chose to leave her, but she still had the 35 000 gold bounty on her head. Vi didn't want her to hang on the gallows… at least not alone. And to have that, she needed to find her.

And she could use Sevika for that. Tracking people wasn't her strong suit, but Vi knew the bounty hunter knew her drill. After all, she found her by Noxus. And almost got her.

She readied her stuff, deciding to do one more thing this night, before going. She needed to clean her shoes. And, preferably, her face as well. Blood everywhere wasn't a really good sign, if she happened to meet anyone.

Chapter 10: Not too far

Chapter Text

Caitlyn arrived at Piltover as the dawn was cracking up the sky, hoping no one would spot her coming around that late (or should she say ‘early’?). She didn’t stop by the office, but she headed to her house right away. What was her surprise when she saw that Cassandra and Tobias were sitting in the living room, all nervous, probably waiting for her. She’s been proven right the moment when they stood up as she entered.

“Where have you been? We’ve been worried sick!” Mrs. Kiramman frowned, clearly unamused by her daughter’s doings. Caitlyn rolled her eyes, and shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest.

“By Zaun, investigating.” she stated. “I’m sorry, but I think I need a shower…”

"Caitlyn, I did not offer your candidature for the sheriff for you to go roaming outside the city for god knows how long…!" Cassandra seemed outraged almost, but Tobias laid his hand on her shoulders.

"Then why did you do that, mom?" Caitlyn frowned. "Because last time I checked, you weren't keen on me being an officer at all. What happened that you've decided to just change your mind?"

“Darlings, please, there’s no need to…” he started, but Cassandra was far from listening to him.

“No need to? She’s a sheriff, and she gets lost for the whole night to venture somewhere… Zaun no less! It’s dangerous, and why the heck were you there in the first place? There’s enough work for a sheriff here, in Piltover, as it is!”

“Yes, and who the hell said what I was doing was not connected?” Caitlyn squinted her eyes, clearly irritated. “I was investigating, since it happened that Mr. Talis’ scrapyard has been robbed after Spade fled the scene here. So it might be connected.”

“It might be connected!” Cassandra raised her arms to the ceiling, rolling her eyes. “People in Piltover have concerns over the broken wall of the vault, and you’re chasing empty trails of something that ‘might be connected’! Caitlyn, do you even listen to yourself? Darling, you need to step up as a sheriff, since…”

“...since you vouched for me?” She almost snarled, giving Mrs. Kiramman a challenging look. Tobias wanted to barge in, but he wasn’t able to. Trying to get between two fighting women of Kiramman’s family was like trying to go on the first line of battle wearing just a linen shirt when enemies were armed with explosives. “Very convenient for you, mother, to control my work, and me. Congratulations.” she hissed like a broken pipe.

“This is NOT what I meant, Caitlyn!”

“Well, I think that’s exactly what you meant!” she just didn’t think smashing a break would be a good idea. She just went full in. “You were all the time so against me being an officer, against me leaving the city, and just now you changed your mind?” she asked, and it hit her. She clenched her fists. “You did that only to be sure to have me around, didn’t you? Because you knew you’d be able to control me, since the sheriff’s department serves directly the council!”

“Caitlyn…”

“No.” she interrupted with anger, looking as well at her father, who covered his face with his hand in a gesture of defeat. “I don’t want to listen to your explanations, I know what they would be, and I know they would be nowhere near true. I’m needed at work, and I won’t be stopped by your scowling, because you want me to be a decoration to the office rather than an officer itself. If you wanted me to pose as a bloody ficus, you could have found yourself another candidate for the sheriff. I will not sit back and give orders, waiting for results. I will bring the results to the table whether you like it, or not.” she was panting. Cassandra was left speechless. “And now excuse me, I have work to do. I stopped by only to change. Have a good day.”

And she left her parents downstairs, while proceeding upstairs to her room, changing her clothes, and getting a bit refreshed. She couldn't understand what her mother wanted her to do, rebuild the whole wall by herself? She wasn't a constructor, there were people for that, they would do it way better, and they didn't need her around to just stare and look neatly. With a loud sigh she gathered all the data she collected, getting out, completely ignoring Cassandra’s attempts to stop her. She was tired after the night out, but that was her fault. And that was nothing a strong coffee could not resolve.

Ten minutes later she knocked on Jayce's door, and young Talis opened it, a bit surprised to see his friend at this time of the morning.

“Not too early for friendly visits?” he asked, looking at his watch, but she just shrugged, proceeding inside the building.

“It’s not a friendly visit, Jayce.”

“Okay, now, what happened?” he oogled her from head to toes, trying to find something that would tell him she was okay, but he couldn’t. Caitlyn didn't look like herself at all.

"I need coffee. And we need to talk. Investigation."

"Have you even slept?" he asked, leading the way to the kitchen where he was making himself some coffee already. "You look awful."

"Well, thank you for a compliment, friend ." she scoffed. "Doesn't matter if I slept or not. I have something you need to take a look at."

"What is it?" he glanced at her curiously, and she pulled out the list that his own father gave her. "Aaaand why is that written by my dad?"

"Because those items were stolen from your scrapyard, Jayce." she sighed, thanking him for the beverage. She took a big gulp right away, ignoring the fact it was hot as hell itself. "And I have my suspicions about who might have stolen them, but… where's your mother?" she mitigated herself right away, not really keen on talking about those kinds of things with potential witnesses. Jayce, however, waved his hand.

"She's out doing errands. You caught me on my way to the lab. You can speak freely, what is it?"

"Is it possible to build a weapon with those parts?" she asked, warming her hands with the hot mug. Jayce studied the list carefully again, and he scratched his temple.

"Well, yes, it's possible, but it would be a bit… unstable." he admitted. "You think… you think it might have been Spade who stole it?"

"Timing would fit." Caitlyn shrugged, sighing, and looking at her coffee. "But, of course, I've been scowled already for not supervising the fixing of our vault."

"Let me guess, your mom?"

"Is it that obvious?" she looked at him, but his eyes were enough for an answer. "I guess it is."

"You know she's worried about you."

"I didn't come back here for her to be worried. Nor am I a sheriff so she can always have me around, to be sure I'm not anywhere else, Jayce." she groaned, covering her face with her palms. "She's so… irritating."

"Well, such is the charm of mothers, I'd say." he snorted. "She'll come around eventually."

"I'd want to believe that, but as for now I can only suspect she had her own aim in why she allowed me to be the sheriff. I don't think she even thought about Spade coming around. And now it's not only her, but also the possibility of Ace being here as well, and that…"

"You want to catch them both, don't you?" he tilted his head, drilling her with his eyes. Caitlyn nodded, confirming. "You know that can be dangerous?"

"Them around can be more dangerous than that." She cut the topic. "They'll be brought to justice, with or without me involved. But I wouldn't be involved only if I'm dead."

"Cait, you can't possibly be serious." Jayce's eyes widened with concern. "You can't just…"

"Die for a cause?" she shrugged, finishing her coffee, and standing up. "Why, yes, that's what Marcus had done, innit? Well, thank you for your insight, Jayce, and for the drink, I'm probably already needed at the precinct. Have a good day."

"Caitlyn, you're insane, if you think…"

"Insane would be reporting about it to the council." she said grimly. "Insane would be convincing my mother that I'm not to be removed, because she made a decision in desperation. Insane, Jayce, would be letting Spade and Ace just storm Piltover while vulnerable, because the sheriff was too much under her parent's shoe to do anything. And if the road to the gallows for them leads over my dead body? I'll do whatever I can to protect the city I've been given under my wing."

"You sound like a madman." he sighed, but Kiramman just scoffed with her hand already on the doorknob.

"You should hear Spade then.”

Chapter 11: Searing Edge

Chapter Text

Sevika was really a hound, Vi had to give her that. She wasn't even an hour in Zaun, and she already pinged Jinx, waiting for her in a place nobody would think she would be. Ace, even though she saw her, was keeping her distance, she didn't want to just feed herself to the bounty hunter. Not before she saw Jinx. Not before she talked to her.

She ordered herself a beer, taking the tankard, and sitting by the corner of the saloon, looking outside with her hat deep on her forehead, and the alcohol running down her pipes. Sevika was still in range of her sight, but Vi was sure that she could flee her vision any moment. And she needed to make sure not to let her. It was a miracle the bounty hunter hadn't seen her so far, even though Ace had followed her from Noxus till Zaun.

Or maybe she had seen her, but prepared some sort of trap? At this point Vi couldn't be sure anymore. Sevika seemed like a prowling huntress ready for anything, adapting for every circ*mstance she might encounter. And Ace had the impression she was the game Sevika was hunting. She didn't like it one bit.

How was she supposed to even act right now? Just go after her, tail her, and when the bounty hunter catches her sister… what then? Kill Sevika? Try to kidnap Jinx and flee? She was the one to leave, nothing was telling Vi she would even want to go back to the way things were… if that was even possible anymore. After all Jinx had… changed.

But haven't they all? Their lives were constantly changing, why would another one be something bad, though?

Her thoughts were interrupted with the motion on the side. Vi swallowed the rest of her beer, left a tip on the table, next to the tankard, and then she left the saloon, containing a loud belch that decided to leave her stomach the moment she stood up. She slid into the shadows, following Sevika.

The hellhound seemed sure of the direction she was going in, so Vi decided to stay behind, not catch any attention, but still be ready to attack if needed. Before Sevika disappeared by the edge of the forest, Ace put on her gauntlets, praying for it not to be needed to use them. If she needed something right now, the brawl with someone like that bounty hunter wasn't it.

She slid into the forest, seeing Sevika's silhouette almost right away. She frowned, but followed, cautiously, so no stray branch would give her position away.

"What the f*ck…?" she mumbled, getting deeper and deeper into the forest, with every minute being more and more sure she was going straight into some sort of ambush. She heard guns co*cking, and slapped her back to the closest tree trunk she had around.

"There you are. I knew I'd find you hiding somewhere like a coward." she heard her voice, and she closed her eyes for a brief moment. Was it really over? Was she…?

"Look who we have here." Jinx snickered, and Vi could hear a.loud metal clang, as if her sister took something that was way heavier than her usual three barrelled gun. Oh sh*t, did she…? "If I'm a coward, what would that make of you?"

"A captor." Sevika shrugged, looking at Spade with barely any enthusiasm. Her hand was steady, as she held the gun aimed at Jinx's head. "So choose: you go with me alive, or die."

The guns had been reloaded, and Vi couldn't say for sure who did it. Probably both of them.

"You really think you'd be lucky enough not to end up like a strainer?" Jinx chuckled hysterically, looking at Sevika with her eyes open wide. "Think again."

"I can kill you right now, fine, the prize would be slightly lower, but you wouldn't escape. Small fee for certainty, don't you think?" The bounty hunter was fierce, sure of her skills and capabilities.

Vi tilted her head from behind the tree, seeing Sevika's back, and Jinx backing off a bit. Ace clenched her teeth, feeling her adrenaline levels rising in a wave, and when the bounty hunter's finger moved to the trigger, she jumped forward, slamming her back with her gauntlets.

The gun rolled into the bedding, and Sevika staggered, reaching her hands not to land on her face. She looked at Vi right away, so did Jinx, aiming at her with and that did not look like the weapon Ace had seen her using before. It was bigger, bulkier, and… seemed way more lethal than Pow-Pow.

"Leave her alone." she snarled, raising her guard, covering the lower part of her face, looking at Sevika with anger.

"I knew I would find you somewhere around." she spat, standing up with a vicious smile. "Not as creative as you thought you were, huh?"

"Leave her alone." she growled even harsher, with her voice low, coming from her very bowels.

"Or what?"

"Or you'll have to go through me first."

Sevika burst into laughter, shaking her head, as if she was more than amused. "My pleasure. More money for me. You're gonna regret this."

"Sure." Vi charged at her again, but this time Sevika was ready for it, catching her hands right away, blocking the possibility to strike again. Ace clenched her teeth, dodging the attempt to headbutt her again, and wondering what was this person's thing with that sh*t even.

She had been thrown to the ground, and she started coughing, as the dust and dry soil had gotten up her airways. She saw a chance, took a fistful of dirt, and threw it into Sevika's face when she got the chance. She yelled with pain when it hit her eyes, and Vi charged at her, hitting her stomach with her head. But the bounty hunter was not as easy to get as the fuchsia haired woman thought she would.

With a loud clang of metal she opened her hand, so Vi could see her mechanical arm shimmering in the dark. She rolled back, dodging the attack of the blade that emerged from Sevika's palm,, but the time she wasted for that was enough for her opponent to actually clean her eyes, roughly, but making them usable again.

Jinx, in the meantime, seeing the turmoil, decided to take her chances and escape. She took her guns, and the sack with parts she was working with lately, trying to sneak out. She was almost out of Sevika's sight, when she heard a hoarse scream tearing the silence of the evening. Birds flapped their wings, fleeing from their hideouts as the loud noise scared them. Spade stopped, turning around, and her heart stopped for a moment.

"No…" she whispered, seeing the bounty hunter had her sister. She was clenching her hand on Vi's throat, and the blade went through her side. Vi whimpered, but was still trying to yank out of the chokehold. Even in the last rays of sunlight Jinx could see the slight shimmer of blood on her sister's clothes.

She was sure Vi could take Sevika, giving her time and space to flee. Wasn't that the idea? To come to the rescue, help her, and then…?

"Vi!" she yelled, lowering her new gun's barrels, and aiming at Sevika. "Leave my f*cking sister alone! Only I can shoot her!"

And she pulled the trigger. Sevika, seeing that, since the first scream alarmed her, rolled to the side, letting go of Vi's neck. Ace rolled to the other side, feeling her side exploding in pain, and her clothes getting wet with blood as the blade left her flesh. She didn't have time. She could hear Sevika catching, and knocking out Jinx. There was nothing she could do but die for her sister right now.

She staggered, trying to stand up, and when she tripped, she felt like she was falling. She confirmed that the moment she slammed the bottom of some hole she didn't even see. A rain of leaves covered her body, and she didn't move when she heard footsteps.

There was one thought in her head at this moment: 'pick your battles'. That one surely was lost.

Sevika's angry noises were hearable pretty well from where she was, but it was already dark, so she probably couldn't see anything well. Adding the dirt treatment Vi gave her, the fuchsia haired woman was sure the bounty hunter was partially blind at the moment. She clenched her teeth, pressing her hand to the wound. She could feel the blood dripping through her fingers, but she couldn't move not to attract the attention of the predator.

"I will find you, bitch, and then you'll pay." she heard a snarl from the bounty hunter, and then the footsteps made their distance. A loud, harsh slap announced she tried to wake Jinx up the hard way. Vi didn't hear any talk, but a moment later the silence in her ears was screaming.

She couldn't. She couldn't leave Jinx. Not after she saved her life, even if that life was supposed to be short and borrowed at the moment. She needed to follow.

With a groan, she propped herself out of the hole, clenching her teeth with pain. She saw silhouettes, so she stood up, staggering, and then leaned on a tree trunk to maintain the balance. It was supposed to be slow, but she needed to keep on moving. She needed to follow them as far as the blood loss would allow her to.

Fortunately, Jinx wasn't that cooperative, slowing Sevika down a notch. She was already tied, at least her hands, and the bounty hunter didn't have a horse yet. They stopped at some parcel with a small house on it, and something that looked like a big barn.

Vi crouched behind the fence, pressing her hand, now without the gauntlet, to her side. She needed medical attention if she wanted to live, and she needed it now. Fast. Or anything that could stop the bleeding. Whatever that would be.

She didn't pay attention to Sevika, seeing she was talking with some guy that gave them the sign to wait for him, and he disappeared in the house. Vi, in the meantime, found the hole in the fence, getting inside, seeing it was a blacksmith's workshop. They had to have a forge, and judging for the evening not feeling that chilly around, she needed to check if it was working. If yes, then, maybe, she was saved.

And it was. Knowing she didn't have much time, Vi tripped, making her way to the fire, and taking one of the brands from it. She raised her shirt, and clenched her teeth. It didn't look good, at all. What she was about to do wasn't the best, either, but she needed to be up and running. She could stand pain, but she couldn't fight while losing blood.

So she branded her wound, clenching her teeth to the point she thought they would crack and break. Her skin sizzled under the hot iron, but she waited for it to be surely sealed. Both sides. And then she threw the brand back to the fire, feeling pain that made her knees shake so hard, she couldn't move for a solid couple of seconds, misting her mind, driving her mad.

Her breath was short and shallow, but she couldn't stop. Not when she knew the blacksmith could come back any minute… and Sevika with her sister disappear at the same time.

She got out of the building to see her sister and her captor preparing to depart. And she needed to tail them. The pain was still killing her, but at least she wasn't bleeding anymore. The only thing she could pray for was for Sevika to find some spot for the night with a river nearby. Cold water should ease the pain at least a bit. But she needed to be close to Jinx. There was still hope she hadn't gone mad, not fully.

Before she was able to move further, she needed to take a moment, since her stomach refused to keep its contents in. The pain was too much, and Vi couldn't do anything with that. Cold sweat started dripping from her face the very moment she forced herself to move, not to lose the sight of Jinx.

And so the trip began.

Chapter 12: Some sort of contract

Chapter Text

The pain was killing her, fat sweat drops were constantly falling from her temple, wetting her poncho, but Vi knew she needed to go further. As long as it took to be close to Sevika's next camp, she could have the chance to take her out while she was sleeping. When she pinpointed them, she finally was able to sit down behind one of the trees, far enough not to be seen, but close enough to hear what they were talking about. Even though Ace didn't really think there was anything they actually could discuss over.

"So, you want to just sell me for a prize?" Jinx said, tilting on the tree trunk she was sitting in, waving her legs as if she was a small girl. Sevika rolled her eyes.

"You know how sh*t works, Spade. No need for me to tell you that all over again." she snarled, throwing some wood to the fire she made. "And it'd be better for you to shut up. Dead you're still worth a lot."

"But less." she chanted, rocking to the sides, like she had fun. "So it's better for you not to kill me."

"Would you just shut up?" The bounty hunter was in no mood to talk, but Jinx didn't seem to give a sh*t.

"How about we make a deal, huh?" the blue haired woman leaned forward, resting her forearms on her knees, and viciously smiling. "Because I can tell you're a gal fancying sum good ol' deal."

Sevika let irritated groan out, turning back to her prisoner. "And what can someone like you possibly offer someone like me?" she asked mockingly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh, there are… things." She tried to build the tension, but the bounty hunter saw right through it.

"Surprise me, then." she shrugged, waiting. "And let me be clear on that, before you start: you have one chance. One. So it better be good, or you're just going to the first sheriff's office I find."

Jinx huffed, shaking her head, and rolling her eyes. "Such an impatient and ogre-ish attitude you have. Well, since you're not the fun kinda person, almost like my sister, here it is: how about we start working together?"

Sevika glanced at her to check if she was serious, and when she saw that Spade, indeed, was, she burst into laughter so strong and sudden, even Vi hidden behind one of the trees experienced a mini heart attack. "That's good." she snorted, shaking her head with disbelief. "Whew, I need to give it to you, that was a good one."

"You didn't even let me finish." Jinx seemed bored more than annoyed, looking at her nails. "Look, I can help you find my sister. You'd get the bounty for her AND for me, so it's already more."

"Where's the catch?" the bounty hunter raised her eyebrow, and her captive cleared her throat.

"Nowhere, actually. At least I don't think there is. You spare my life now."

"I don't trust you, and that's too good to be just that." Sevika was not the one to be trifled with. "You allow me to get full bounty for two alive people, helping me to find the other, and I only have to spare your life? Hardly believable. Try harder, you're a criminal who shoots people like ducks, without a second thought." she clicked her tongue, and Spade rolled her eyes, now annoyed.

"Sheesh, you really are just a brute without a brain." she grunted, rubbing her face with her palm, raising the other one as well, since they were tied together. "Look. You get the bounty. Money. Yeah? And then I just escape from the prison. I know how to do it, I've done it before. I make some mess, gather some new bounty on my head. Then you 'catch' me…" she marked the quotation mark in the air "...and get the bounty again. Cycle of infinite income."

"If we believe the odds would be favorable and you'd escape the prison." Sevika was still pretty skeptical. "Nah, I don't buy it. Why would you want to even do that?"

"Because Zaunwest can have only one most wanted criminal, and maybe I don't want to share it with my sister." she shrugged.

"Because…?"

"Reasons." Jinx glanced at her nails again, not doing anything else.

"Your sister is probably dead by now." she didn't really believe someone with that kind of wound could actually go around and not bleed out at some point, but she also was aware criminals were like co*ckroaches. They never really died.

Not from those kinds of wounds, anyway.

"She's around, I know it. She's always around. She wants to bring me back to the way things were, and she doesn't even give a sh*t why they changed. She's not dead, I'd known if she was. She's gonna find me. But you need to let her." she scratched her chin, biting her lower lip, thoughtful. "If you want in, that is."

"Let's say I'm interested." Sevika now glanced at her captive, wondering if making a deal with someone like that was even a good idea. On the other hand… "But just so you remember: one false move, and you're going down. I know how to kill people, I've done it too." she growled.

Spade raised her hands, as if she wanted to manifest her innocence that didn't exist anyway. "Sure, sure, why would I betray someone who spared my life anyway?"

"Because you're a Jinx." Vi whispered to herself, hearing them sealing the deal with a handshake.

So it was supposed to work like this. They joined forces to bring her down… and then leave her for the gallows, while going around and committing frauds.

"You know that after your last action in Piltover its sheriff is chasing you, though?" Sevika asked, and Ace froze, listening. She was about to leave, but hearing that she had an impression she could miss some plans. That she didn't want to.

"Yeah, well, I kinda don't give a sh*t? She wasn't able to shoot me when she had me right in front of her f*cking rifle, I don't think she's good fir anything." Jinx shrugged, looking into the sky, rocking to the sides, and making circles with her long braids. "But I guess she can be a pain in the ass. I can kill her, would be more money for you, I'd get the fun… or I can just kill the whole council. Who would try to chase me then?"

"The whole f*cking Zaunwest?" Sevika raised her eyebrow, but Spade just waved her hand.

"Fine. Sheriff it is for now. Just untie me and let me work on my powie." she chirped, but Vi wasn't listening anymore. Her sister wanted to be the murderer. She enjoyed it. Fine.

But killing a sheriff? That would make them kill her on sight. She couldn't allow that, even if Jinx thought Vi was her enemy. She needed to warn that sheriff, whoever they were…

But how was a wanted criminal supposed to do it? She swallowed.

Whatever , she thought, making her way through the forest, head pounding with adrenaline. She didn't feel her side painting anymore, feeling like she had to do something. And she was supposed to be the criminal?! I need to find my gauntlets first.

Chapter 13: Dear Sheriff Letter

Chapter Text

Dear Sheriff of Piltover,

There's a plot that is supposed to take your life. Spade and Sevika are on the run, wanting to go for your head. If you value your life, the stability and security of your city, stay within its walls, and sharp. Their weapons are deadly, and their aim can be a bit off, but can deal damage to the people you've sworn to protect. Be careful, for they can strike any time now.

Vi looked at the letter she just wrote, and grimaced. It could be so much better, but she had never been that good with words. Neither was Jinx, and there was nobody to teach them how to be more proficient in using them. She knew there was no time to spare, so thinking about the right wording was out of the table. She sealed the letter, put the "Piltover's Sheriff" on it, and then caught the first messenger she saw in the city.

"'scuse me, sir." she accosted him while he was packing some deliveries into his bag. "Any chance you're going anywhere around Piltover?"

"Actually, yes. What do you need?" he asked, looking at her from his horse's back. Vi reached out her hand with the sealed letter.

"I need this urgently delivered to the sheriff's hands only." she took a pouch with gold coins, tossing it to him. He caught it, opened, to see if she didn't think about scamming him, and then nodded. "Can I count on you, then?"

"It will take me some time, but you can be sure it'll be in the sheriff's hands today." he promised, spurring his horse. "Pardon me, but with this delivery in hand, I need to make haste."

"I hope you'll make it before it's too late." she sighed, going to the closest store, buying herself a bottle of whisky, and then being on her way to the place she called her shelter at the time.

The messenger knew how not to overextend his horse's capability to deliver, so he managed to get to Piltover in five hours. He knocked on the sheriff's office's door, and proceeded inside, finding Caitlyn by her desk, sunken in the paperwork. Even so, she seemed quite satisfied with it.

"What's the matter, sir?" she raised her eyes at him for a short while, and then went back to her things right away. "If there's a problem in the city, you can report it to one of the officers on duty."

"I have the delivery to make to the sheriff's hands only." he announced, taking the letter Vi gave him, and put it on Caitlyn's desk. "I am sorry, sheriff, I'll be on my way."

She was puzzled, but, at the same time, curious. Without hesitation she opened the envelope and read the letter. Frown on her face was getting deeper with every word she read. Plot on her head? Spade and Sevika? What did the bounty hunter have to do with the most wanted criminal in Zaunwest? And why wasn't there any notion about Ace?

She scratched her neck, getting out of the office, sighing with relief when she saw the messenger still around, giving his horse a bit of a break.

"Excuse me, sir? Could we have a word?"

"Is there something wrong with the delivery?" he asked, straightening his back right away. He couldn't f*ck up a letter now, could he?

"No, no, I just have a question about its sender. Can you, perhaps, describe them to me?"

"Uh… I guess?" he scratched his chin. "Woman. Shorter than you. Short, pink hair, freckles. Tanned, but still quite light skin. Seemed buff. Does that mean anything to you?"

"No, no, I don't recall that person. Could you tell me where your pickup was?"

"Past Zaun, five hours from here."

"Thank you, sir." Caitlyn nodded, heading back to her office, but the messenger stopped her for a moment.

"Sheriff? She didn't seem like someone who was stationed there. I mean, maybe she's from around there, maybe even from Zaun, but… didn't make the impression to live there anymore."

"That's actually quite helpful, sir, thank you again." She smiled at him, and then went back to her office. In the moment she was about to enter, she thought it would not harm anyone to just check the perimeter. Her deputies could take care of the city while she was gone.

She took her horse, her rifle, and put on her hat, spurring the animal almost to gallop. The dust of the road was the only thing she left behind while getting out of Piltover, heading towards Zaun. Her mother never wanted to allow her to go there, but Caitlyn herself wasn't really keen on doing that. All she heard about that city just seemed like the very definition of a crime den. Corruption seeping from everywhere, dirty contracts, alliances… everything that could be wrong with that place, probably was. And Caitlyn never liked lawlessness. That's why she ended up as a sheriff of Piltover. The bastion of law in Zaunwest.

The road led her to the abandoned village, and she would most likely just pass by, paying no mind to it, if it wasn't for the fact she saw footprints that looked recent enough to catch her attention. This place was abandoned for as long as she could remember, and the trail was leading between the decaying buildings.

She dismounted, taking her horse somewhere deeper into the village, leaving it tied to one beam that looked more sturdy than the others. With a quiet clang and click she opened her rifle, readying it for any sort of situation, and following the footprints. They were vanishing on the main square, now empty, filled only with dead silence, dust rolling over the remains of cobblestones, and rustle of dry grass spikes. Caitlyn frowned, clenching her hands on her rifle. What was happening here? Was that…?

sh*t, was that an ambush? She was so stupid, really! How could she even think this was a good idea?! Strange letter, who knows where from, seemed like a perfect lure, and she played right into it! She wanted to go back to her horse right away, while there was still time, when she heard laughter.

"Oh sh*t, Sevika! Look! We're lucky today!"

Sevika? And that… that was Spade. Caitlyn raised her rifle, aiming at the wanted criminal.

"Drop your guns, Spade, you're going with me!" Caitlyn yelled, moving a bit behind any sort of cover she could find. "Piltover would be happy to have you on the gallows!"

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the sheriff herself." Sevika chuckled menacingly, clenching and opening her mechanical hand. "Now come on, you know better than us she's worth more than I'd earn for a year of honest work. And she can be worth even more."

"I just need to kill you!" Jinx grinned, lowering her weapon, aiming at Caitlyn. With a corner of her eye the sheriff saw a smudge of pink somewhere around the buildings, but she wasn't sure it was not a hallucination.

In the moment Spade opened fire, and the bullets started ricocheting between the walls of the dead village, Caitlyn dived among the buildings, shielding herself from the rain of missiles. She had never been there before, so finding a way of escape seemed not that easy, and the voices were closer and closer. Spade and Sevika must have known this village already.

The sheriff was about to jump into some heap of ruins, but she felt someone's arm wrapping around her waist, and a hand covering her mouth. She wanted to move, bite, but the arms were too strong for her to be able to free herself. With a firm pull, the person dragged her into one of the buildings, and almost threw her down the stairs, pinning to the wall, with their hand still over her mouth.

It was somewhat dim, but at the same time she was still able to see that one. Short fuchsia hair, shorter than her, muscled body… that had to be the one who sent her the letter. Or at least Caitlyn wanted to believe that, after all it seemed too easy to be true. The woman looked out of the small rectangle window of the basem*nt, and the sheriff found herself staring at her bust. She swallowed, feeling a little blush spreading on her cheekbones, but she did not say anything.

"Come out, come out wherever you are!" she heard Spade's chanting. "You're safe, guns don't kill people! I mean, unless you shoot them. Then they kill everything!"

Oh god, was she that unhinged? Caitlyn felt the pressure of that person's hand on her mouth getting a bit heavier, as if she felt the sheriff wanted to say something. It was enough of a hint for her not to let even a groan out.

"Bitch's gone, Jinx." Sevika's pissed voice sounded a bit more distant, but approaching nevertheless. "She's nowhere to be found."

"Bullsh*t! She has to be here, it's not possible to get the f*ck out that fast!"

"I checked. I couldn't find her."

"And you say you're a bounty hunter? You couldn't find a f*cking dreadnought if it knocked to your door." Jinx grinded her teeth, and Caitlyn rolled her eyes. "What are we going to do now? After I look around, that is."

"We just go back to the camp, and plan how to do it right, Spade." The bounty hunter clearly was unamused by her companion's behavior, but discussing with Jinx was like going into a kicking battle with a horse; pointless. "And better do this now before she decides to bring here the whole army of her goons."

"Yo, but that's a shooting range!" Jinx's eyes widened and sparkled, but Sevika extinguished that emotion right away.

"That's called anarchy, and right now we cannot let it happen." she stated fiercely. "So go, look around, and if you don't find her before ten minutes are up, that means she managed to get out."

"Fine, let it be your way." blue haired rolled her eyes, shrugging. "But I want to shoot sh*t. Any sh*t."

"Could be arranged. Come on."

Caitlyn was waiting with the person that supposedly saved her, but at the same time she had no idea who that was, nor what she wanted from her. Was it because she wanted her for a ransom? What the…?

Her eyes slid down that woman's body, and she saw the tattoos of cogwheels and piping going through her arms, getting lost somewhere under her shirt. She frowned, recognizing that pattern. Oh sh*t.

The person scanned the perimeter, and when she decided it was already safe enough, she released Caitlyn's mouth, crouching in front of her.

"Are you hurt? Everything's…" she started, but the next word had been squeezed out of her chest along with the breath as her back slammed the ground after receiving a very strong kick into her chest. She started coughing, trying to prop on her elbow. "What the f*ck…?"

She froze in the moment she looked into the dark depth of Caitlyn's rifle's barrel. The barrel that was aiming for a clean headshot. She swallowed, seeing the sheriff carefully standing up, not leaving her head without the hunter's mark.

"Finally, I found you, Ace." she growled, and Vi already knew that sometimes she could run, but she couldn't hide.

So it was all over.

Chapter 14: Kill me if you want

Chapter Text

Hell of a night both of them seemed to face. Caitlyn straddled Vi turning her face down, handcuffing her wrists on her back.

"You have the right to remain silent. Everything you'd say can be used against you." she said almost menacingly, but Vi didn't say a word. After all, she already knew the procedure. It wasn't her first time. And that happened hours before.

Now she was in Piltover's precinct, observing the stars through a barred window, cuffed to the table. The sheriff was walking around the room like a prowling tigress, trying to realize she had what she wanted; Ace had been captured. 15 000 gold was saved, because the law enforcement managed to catch her before any bounty hunter did.

Caitlyn was observing Vi sitting still, with her eyes fixed on the table, following its cracks and scratches. She was silent. Even though questions had been asked, she didn't say anything. As if she decided to use the right that was hers to hold on to.

The sheriff felt uneasy. She captured a criminal… not just a criminal, she captured THE criminal, the one among two most wanted at the moment… and yet she felt something wasn't right. Why did she want to help her? Why did she hold her still when Spade and Sevika were roaming around, clearly pursuing her? Why would she part ways with her partner in crime? Why did all of that feel wrong?!

She looked at her inmate. Slouched, fists clenched, she was clearly uncomfortable. Fuchsia colored hair, with one side shaved, was covering her face from above, so Caitlyn couldn't see her well. "Ace." she said, and the woman raised her head to look at her. The sheriff could see ice blue eyes, filled with pain and exhaustion, Ace's face was covered in a fair amount of freckles, dust, and dirt from crumbling walls of the village she must have been stationed in for some time before Caitlyn took her in. She looked so familiar, why was that?! "First of all, are you okay?" she asked, seeing Vi's face twitching with pain in the moment she just moved a bit on the chair.

She didn't answer. Her side was still paining as hell from the cauterization, and as the adrenaline started to lower, she felt it more and more. Her face was turning paler with every minute, but seeing that Kiramman wasn't keen on asking another question before receiving an answer to the first one, she grunted. "I'm fine. Can we get it over with already?"

She saved this person's ass. She helped her in the moment she didn't need to, risking her own safety as well, knowing how Jinx rolled now, even if only from the rumors.

But she should have known better. No matter what she'd do, at any given time, she'd always be the wanted criminal first. Nothing more, nothing less. And that was not going to change, ever.

Caitlyn sighed, crossing her arms over her chest, and when Vi raised her eyes on her once more, this time fiercely, emanating with coldness, she finally recognized her. "Matilda?"

"Uh?" Fuchsia haired woman raised her eyebrow, and then it hit her. She knew this one. They've met before. "Oh f*ck, you're gotta be kidding me."

"It's you, am I right?" Caitlyn pushed, but Vi just nodded, not saying a word. She couldn't believe what just happened.

None of them could.

Bilgewater. Years before. Some sloppy brothel in one of the docks. Caitlyn was conducting some investigation back there, helping the authorities. She went into that sleazy building, trying to keep a straight face. Among all the prostitutes she found only one she could actually look at without inner feeling of disgust. Long, dark hair, freckles, and a mischievous smile, along with the very light blue, icy eyes were something that allured her somehow.

There was nothing between them. Kiramman was just talking, and 'Matilda' only provided the services of the company. She wasn't insisting, she wasn't pushy. She was just listening and talking with Caitlyn, as she wanted to, being nice, kind and even friendly… it was clashing with the opposite of the abrasive, repulsive, and almost hostile attitude of a weary animal the inmate was having at the moment.

"It was you, all the time? Ace?"

"Does that even matter?" Vi shrugged, regretting it immediately, but when Caitlyn wanted to ask about it, she glared at her in a way she refrained right away. "I'm not here to discuss the services I was providing in Bilgewater. Brothels are not illegal. So get to the point, and then throw me where I belong."

"Why did you help me?" she asked with a sigh, seeing that she would not get any information that was not directly connected to the case.

"Because I didn't want my sister to go down the well even more than she already did?" she rolled her eyes, as if that was obvious. Caitlyn frowned.

"Sister?" she was surprised, clearly. Nobody ever said anything of Ace having a sister.

"Spade? Hello? You're seriously a sheriff, or you're just put here to make the enforcement look better than all the fancy male assholes around?" Vi scoffed, shaking her head. "Because it's hardly believable you wouldn't know."

"I was just confirming." Kiramman's face was flat, since she didn't want to show her interlocutor her surprise. She always thought Ace and Spade were only partners in crime. She would never think they were sisters, at least not by looking at them just for a moment. And probably not basing only on the portraits of the criminals she had on the posters. "Well, that still does not explain what you were doing there."

"Sitting ducks, hoping you'd show more self-preservation than pursuing the trail the messenger might have left behind." Vi averted her gaze, looking through the window again. "But yet, you didn't. Congratulations, cupcake, you could have died."

She was supposed to sound bored, maybe even mocking, but all she sounded like was exhausted.

"But the knightess in shining armor took care of it, didn't she?" Caitlyn raised her eyebrow. "Or whatever you think you are, waving those…" she pointed at Vi's gauntlets laying under the wall, confiscated. "...around, Matilda ."

"Name's Vi." she said, rubbing her forehead with a soft clanging of the chains. "Not Matilda."

"Ace it is, then." Kiramman shrugged, turning to the window, and standing in front of it, blocking Vi the view. "So, would you start talking now, Ace?"

"I already told you. I didn't want my sister to dig herself a new low. She has a bounty as high as it is, and she doesn't need a million more, because she shut down a sheriff." fuchsia haired woman scoffed, shaking her head. "That's all, it doesn't really have anything more to it."

"Why did you hide from her? If you're sisters, shouldn't you be together? You were pursued at the same time. Why stop cooperating now?"

Vi remained silent, looking to the side, giving a clear hint she was not to talk about it.

"Look, Ace, it is all fun and games, but you need to understand something. You're a wanted criminal. So is she. There's no way I will not pursue her. But when I capture her, yes, when, not if, I will throw her in one cell with you, whether you like it or not."

"That would probably make one less for the gallows, then." Vi shrugged, fixing her eyes back at the tabletop, this time picking an unusual interest in the iron circle she had been chained to. "Good for you, sheriff."

Caitlyn couldn't notice the stinging tone she used when saying the last word. "Fine. Was that you to send me the letter with a warning?"

Vi didn't reply, and Kiramman sighed, feeling like maybe she should try something else to finally get somewhere.

“Look, I know you don’t want to talk, because you think we are…”

“You don’t know anything about me.” she muttered, not even looking at Caitlyn. The sheriff, though, still tried to actually get to her somehow. After all that was her best shot. She needed to know things.

And, apparently telling her she was aware of Zaun-Piltover differences was not the way.

"Why were you hiding there?"

"Because I didn't want to stay in the same place as Sevika." she shrugged, playing with the chain, bonking it to the ring with a quiet, hollow clanging.

"Why?"

"Uh, because she's a bounty hunter, duh?" She raised her eyebrow. "You noticed that I'm a wanted criminal. You’re a sheriff, maybe you should connect the dots."

"Why is Spade with her, then?" Caitlyn decided to actively ignore the venomous sting the inmate was trying to inflict. However hard she tried, though, she couldn’t ignore it fully, but she didn’t say anything.

"They have an agreement." Vi raised her sight at the sheriff, looking into her ocean eyes with a steady and fierce gaze. "Sevika is making sure Jin… Spade's bounty gets higher without her being captured, turns her in, and gets the money. Spade then escapes, gets bountied again, and that's the cycle."

"What does that have to do with me, then?"

Vi groaned, rubbing her eyelids, clenching them to the point she saw colorful splashes in the darkness.

"For f*ck's sake, cupcake…"

"Sheriff." Caitlyn said so coldly, Vi could feel the chill on the back of her neck. She shrugged.

"Yeah, whatever, man. Killing a sheriff is, like, the ultimate? She kills you, gets a sh*tton of bounty, Sevika can swim in gold. Keep up, wouldya?" she rolled her eyes.

"Why were you hiding, then? If she's not pursuing you, I mean."

"Who the f*ck said she's not?" Vi raised her eyebrows, nervously tapping the tabletop. "If Sevika turned me in, she'd get the prize for Spade, and for me. More gold. I don't think you'd understand, after all you don't look much like a scrapper."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, look at yourself. Fine clothes, ironed, high quality. All legs, all the confidence." she eyed her interlocutor who didn't even twitch, at least not visibly. "Piltover's a capital that doesn't need any financial help. People here are happy, rich, and snobish. Not like the trenchers from around Zaun, aren't they?" she scoffed, seeing a bit of consternation on Caitlyn's face. "Well, I guess you know everything I could tell you. So, would you show me the pit I'm spending the night in?"

"Not only one night." Caitlyn huffed, unchaining Vi, and leading her to the cell, closing the bars behind the inmate.

Fuchsia haired woman looked around, but the cell was exactly what she expected. One bunk, a bucket, and a blanket. Nothing special. Nothing she didn't come to know. She sat on the cold wooden floor, facing the small barred window, looking outside.

The stars were shining bright that night, and Vi was wondering if Jinx, wherever she was, saw them the same way she did. But she doubted that. Jinx was the one to make the shooting stars, right now, flaring the sky with fire and pain. She changed. And she changed for the worse. She moved carefully, feeling the stinging pain in her side. She squeezed that place, and pain radiated through her whole body. She hissed quietly, watching out not to do it too loud. She could feel sweat drops on her forehead, as if she had a fever. Her back shivered, and she swallowed, feeling her mouth dry. But she said nothing, just pressed a fist to the floor, waiting for the shivers to pass.

Caitlyn sat behind her desk, and raised her eyes to look at the new inmate. Ace was completely different from what Kiramman imagined she'd be. She was supposed to be a feral, dangerous criminal, and yet… yet there was something Caitlyn could not place well. It seemed like sorrow, pain even… she behaved like she was done with everything, like she had never known a better life. A better way to make money than to actually get it illegally. Maybe that was one of the problems?

She shook her head, dismissing the thought. She didn't trust Ace. As an inmate, she would probably say anything to just bleach herself more, facing the situation she was in. She thought she would go to the gallows, but Caitlyn knew the truth. For what she was charged with, heists and just some beating, she would not be sentenced to death. Her sister, though, would, since she killed mercilessly. And there were usually some witnesses to confirm it.

But she did save her. She didn't seem to want to get anything in exchange. She didn't haggle for a lower sentence, she didn't even mention it. All she said was that she wanted to protect her sister.

Kiramman scratched her collarbone, looking again at Ace. She didn't use the bunk, she just sat on the floor, as if she was done with everything, and she didn't care. She was in pain, obviously, but Caitlyn had no idea why. And Ace didn't seem like a person who would say anything to ease it.

"I guess it is what it is." she sighed, taking a form, and filling it with the report of capture.

Chapter 15: Dark Saints, All Gallows

Chapter Text

Caitlyn had to admit it was more than unexpected to see how Ace was behaving in her cell. For someone of her reputation, sheriff Kiramman would expect slurs thrown right and left, spitting, comments far away from appropriate, maybe even some thrashing around inside the cell itself, but…

She was everything but that. She was calm, quiet, docile, even. Spent the whole night on the floor, not on the bunk, as if it was too comfy for her back used to the roughness of soil underneath it. She didn't pretend she was unbothered, she simply seemed not to give a damn. She didn't make an impression of an infamous criminal at all.

"You know, Ace, your situation is not the best right now?" she asked, leaning at the door frame to the cellblock, looking at Vi who was still lying on the floor, with her hands inside her jacket's pockets, staring at the dark ceiling over her head. Her eyes didn't even move.

Her shoulders did, though, as she shrugged wearily. "If you want to take me to the gallows, be my guest." she spoke clearly yet quietly. "Not that I really give a sh*t anymore."

"That's new. Why such a change of heart now?"

“Have you ever thought about just being free? Bet you don’t have to, you don’t know else. But I’ve never really been free. Nothing’s gonna change, so why even bother with trying? Getting out of all the sh*t I’m here for and I’ve done is impossible. It’s better to just go the f*ck away and die.”

“Grim.” she admitted, rubbing the back of her neck. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“My sister is the most wanted criminal in whole Zaunwest, and I am her partner in crime. Her crimes are also mine. Responsibility or sh*t, whatever." she shrugged. "Whatever I'd try to do, nothing would be enough to make up for what was done already, so what's the point? Anyway, it's better to just make your peace. I mean, mine."

"You do know you're not charged for the same things as she is, though? You will not be charged with murders, Ace." Kiramman crossed her arms over her chest, and Vi just shrugged again, swallowing the hiss of pain. "Why did you get separated anyway?"

"Let's say a difference of opinions." the fuchsia haired woman coughed, with her eyes still fixed at the ceiling. "She happened to enjoy different things than I do."

"You mean killing? I never happened to hear about any dead victim after your, hm, 'intervention', if I can call it like that."

"That too." Vi sighed, rolling her eyes. "I don't enjoy killing. In fact, I don't really enjoy living like that. I mean, sure, heists, beating the sh*t out of people's fine by me, but going full rampage, and ending up with a bodycount? Thanks, hard pass."

"Why were you with her for so long, then? You know your bounty is so high because of your participation in…"

"She's my sister. You have siblings?" she turned her head to look at Caitlyn for a split of a second, and then she scoffed. "No, you don't, I can see that. You have both parents too, don't you?"

"Yes." Kiramman didn't see a reason in denying the truth. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"You'll never know how it is to take care of someone that counts on you, while you can't count on anybody else." she looked at the ceiling again, as if she was seeing something interesting there. "But seriously? I'm just tired of it. Tired of this life I've led for so long. If I'm going to go to the gallows? Fine. Make it fast, and then I can finally find some peace. If."

Caitlyn frowned, when it hit her, that this inmate was different from the others she encountered. So different from the braggy, viciously smiling, overconfident sh*ts those cells hosted. Ace really seemed like a good person compared to them. And Kiramman knew she was not.

But what she said concerned her. Was Ace okay? It sounded like she wasn't, but… how was the sheriff supposed to ask about it? Should she, even? Because she had the impression it wouldn't be the best idea.

"Don't bother." she interrupted Caitlyn's thoughts, catching her attention again. "I don't give a sh*t, really. I just wanted to find my sister, but she doesn't want me back. Sevika would not get money for my head, since it's you who captured me, and Jinx… Jinx probably doesn't care anymore anyway."

"What do you want me to say?" Kiramman glanced at Vi, but she didn't look back at her. The only thing she did was to shrug.

"Nothing. I am in no position to want anything from you. Or anyone, really. If you just stay in Piltover, you should be safe enough for them not to kill you. If you're lucky, maybe you'll manage to kill Jinx."

"You mean Spade?"

"Call her whatever you want, not my thing." She dismissed it. "I said what I was supposed to. So, when should I expect the execution? You know, to know how much time I have to think about my last wish?"

"You're not going to the gallows, Ace." Caitlyn sighed, shaking her head and squeezing the base of her nose. "You haven't done anything that some solid years in prison wouldn't make for."

"Aw, that's a bummer. And I thought it would be easier." she clicked her tongue, as if she was really disappointed. The problem was, Kiramman was not able to say if that was an act, or a genuine feeling, and that was making her uneasy.

"It was you who sent me the letter, wasn't it?" she asked, but Vi turned her face to the wall. "Come on, that's not a hard question. Simple 'yes' or 'no' would do."

"What of it, though?" she huffed, clenching her fists. The sheriff couldn't see it anyway. "Does that even matter?"

"Perhaps." she admitted, but Vi just burst into cold, dry laughter.

"If that's one of the things that's supposed to make my punishment lighter, then no, I didn't. You can leave the topic now, cupcake."

"Sheriff." Caitlyn's voice was unamused, but she withstood the urge to snarl. "And no, it does not work like that. Also, I want to know the truth. So?"

"Then again: does that really matter? Because I don't think so."

"It does to me, Ace." Kiramman insisted, and Vi rolled her eyes, releasing the air with an annoyed huff. She looked at her interlocutor with clear irritation.

"Yeah, maybe." she said reluctantly, and Caitlyn felt her chest lighter. So she was right. It had to be her.

But why the hell did a criminal want to…?

Yes, yes, because she didn't want her sister to go lower into the murdering pit. But it somehow seemed not whole like that. But that question was for another time, if there was any.

"Is there anything I can do for you, so you'd want to cooperate more, Ace?" she asked out if the whack, wondering why she did that.

"Don't call me 'Ace'." Vi said right away, yet still with this weary tone she had. "Name's Vi. Or you can call me 'inmate', I don't care."

"Why?"

"You need a reason for that too? Ah f*ck, forget then."

"Everyone knows Ace. Nobody knows Vi."

"Ah, congratulations, master of obviousness." she mocked, clicking her tongue again, still not moving from the floor. The thing was, it was helping her with the side pain. "Something else you'd like to know?"

"Just why don't you like the name Zaunwest has for you."

"Because what I have for Zaunwest is not what I gave it." she growled, turning on her side, showing Caitlyn her back. The sheriff could see Vi curling up, and she knew the conversation was over, but it sparked an idea in her head.

"Well, inmate, have it your way, then." she sighed, turning around. "Just so you know, there are other wardens next door, so if you thrash anything, they will intervene."

She said that only for the sake of saying it. Vi didn't reply, she didn't even move. Kiramman saw her curled up so hard, there was barely any space between her stomach, knees, and chin.

The sheriff swallowed quietly, feeling somehow off, but she knew where she was supposed to go then. Even if she didn't like the idea that much, given the situation that emerged between her and her future interlocutors, she was aware that without them, she would not be able to even think about offering something like that. She needed permission.

So she left the cellblock, heading to her father's office. She didn't want to talk to Cassandra, and she was aware she was with the council at the moment.

Chapter 16: In what mad world...

Chapter Text

"Cait, I haven't expected you here, is everything all right?" Tobias asked, concerned, seeing his daughter getting into his office. He stood up and approached her right away, as if he wanted to check up on her.

She just nodded, but then shrugged. "I'm okay, but I'm not really sure… it's hard to tell, Pops." she admitted, and he pointed to the chair, so she could sit down and collect her thoughts.

Caitlyn took the seat, scratching her thighs, wondering what to say. She was clearly uneasy, something her father wasn't used to seeing at all. Usually she was all confident, radiating it with every cell of her body. Her upbringing and the status they had allowed her to learn how to take advantage of that sort of attitude. And now it seemed to be gone, somehow.

"I can see something's wrong, dear. But you need to tell me, so I can help you." Tobias admitted, and his daughter sighed heavily, nodding with defeat.

"I caught Ace the other night." she said quietly, and her father's eyes widened with surprise and pride.

"That's great news!" he grinned, but his smile faded almost right away, seeing Caitlyn wasn't even happy. "There's more to it than just that, isn't there?"

She nodded, looking at him almost with pain in her eyes. There was also confusion there. For the first time in her life she didn't know what to think about the inmate. About a criminal, wanted, no less.

"I thought she'd be… different." she admitted, and Tobias frowned, hearing it. He tilted his head, observing his daughter.

"Different how?"

Caitlyn wondered for a moment. "Vulgar. Violent. Obscene maybe even. Just plainly rotten to the core." she sighed. "And she's… she seems to be everything but that, she's just… a human. With the needs or desires of a normal person. She's not… she doesn't seem like a monster to me, dad." she sighed, correcting herself. After all, how could she know Ace wasn't going for acting? They knew the drill.

And Caitlyn was almost sure that one knew how to play better than well.

Tobias nodded, scratching his thick beard. "What happened that you saw that in her?"

"Dad, I always see a human first, even if the criminal is not." she huffed, rolling her eyes. "Don't be like mom, please. She just…"

"She needed to do something to distort your normal perception of a person who's been committing crimes their whole life, Caitlyn. But you just need to find that thing."

"She… actually saved my life." she admitted quietly, but when she saw Tobias' eyes looking at her vigilantly, with a sigh she started telling him the story. The letter, the warning, keeping Caitlyn still, so she wouldn't give away their position.

She told him everything, finishing with the interrogation from the night. "She didn't even try to negotiate with me, dad. She doesn't seem to care about the punishment. She just… she just seems like someone who wants to help her family."

"Maybe she does. But… what's your intuition saying about Ace's intentions? Do you believe it, or…?"

"I have no idea." she sighed, leaning forward, resting her elbows on her father's desk. "I'd like to believe her, but…"

"But?"

"But something's telling me it's not something I should do. She's a criminal after all…" she stated, wondering for a second. "But I really don't know. She saved my life, and I really don't buy the whole thing about just wanting to help her sister. But what else… what other reason could she possibly have?"

"She's a criminal, Caitlyn." Tobias looked at her with soft eyes. The one thing among all others he actually really appreciated about his daughter was her sense of justice. And the need to see good in people, even if they sometimes failed to show any. But young Kiramman wasn't delusional. She knew where the line was between being lost and being completely unhelpable. "She might have some reasons you can't imagine."

"Question is, do I even want to." she sighed, shaking her head. Tobias sent her a concerned gaze.

"Caitlyn, even though her plans remain unknown, and may not be vicious, I have an impression you didn't come here to just discuss your catch's intentions, am I right?" He read her just perfectly, and the sheriff nodded.

"I think… she's the best shot I can have to find Spade." she admitted, deciding to just go straightforward to the case. "But I can't have her behind bars. If she agreed to cooperate as my… assistant…"

"Darling, you're aware that what you're saying is nearly insane?" he asked, and she nodded. "You can't…"

"Dad, let me finish." She interrupted, and Tobias sighed, but said nothing further, allowing her to proceed. "She's ready to go to the gallows right away, no questions asked. I think she wants to find Spade as much as we do… for different reasons, obviously… but she's just tired of trying on her own. Nevertheless, I have an impression that if I could offer her something, she'd help."

"And what's telling you she would even consider your offer?" he scratched his nose, leaning forward. "Don't get me wrong, sweetie, but you can't possibly trust someone like her… or not even, you can't trust anyone to just sell you their family."

"Dad, I…" she interrupted, wondering for a second. "She didn't seem pleased with the idea of innocent people being slaughtered for no reason. And Spade is doing exactly that."

"So what do you propose?"

"Let me offer her the opportunity to work for me… or with me. Amnesty… or partial one, just so she knows there's a reason for all that madness. And in return she will have to help me find Spade."

"What if she agrees?"

"I'll disclaim she'll be shot on sight if she tries to betray me in any way." she said, feeling awfully by doing so, but she was aware that might be her only insurance for her father considering the idea.

And that wasn't even the hard part. Her mother was.

Tobias frowned, flicking through some papers, and then looked at his daughter, concerned. "You know she did not commit crimes that are supposed to lead her to the gallows, right?"

"Of course." Caitlyn confirmed with a nod. "But Ace does not seem to grasp it, even if I told her that. I can tell she's not okay, since the call for the hanging seems to be strong. But I really think she can be the best shot we can have in finding Spade."

"What if she refuses, though?"

"Then she stays behind bars, waiting to be transferred to Stillwater, and I go for the chase the hard way." she shrugged. "I just don't see the reason why I wouldn't try when I have a chance."

"Let's say I can see your point, Cait." he nodded eventually, rubbing his chin. "But…"

"What is this meeting, and why wasn't I invited?" Cassandra's voice was the last Caitlyn wanted to hear at the moment, but she knew she would have to face her mother at some point anyway. Maybe better earlier than later? "Is everything all right, Caitlyn?"

"I caught Ace during the night." she said, and her mother's eyes widened.

"Wonderful! Was Spade with her? Did you catch her too?"

"No, but I think there are quite unexpected circ*mstances I encountered." she admitted. Cassandra glowered at her, hating the suspense, so the sheriff sighed, explaining the situation. "It seems they stand opposites now." she finished, observing her mother. She stood up, giving her the seat she was occupying for the past few minutes, and now Caitlyn was walking around her father's office, seeing her mother's face getting owned by surprise, disgust, and then disbelief. In that order.

"Not a chance." the councilman said, shaking her head when she heard her daughter's idea. "She's a wanted criminal, and her place is on the gallows. With all the killed people…"

"There's no record of her commiting any murder, mother." Caitlyn crossed her arms over her chest, looking at Cassandra disbelievingly. "All she was wanted for were the heists and beatings. It's just another service in Stillwater. I don't even think it would be a long one."

"The victims…"

"Were Spade's." the sheriff interrupted her mother, trying to appeal to her common sense. "Ace never killed anyone. And I can feel she could help."

"No. No, no, and once again: no!" Cassandra was fierce, and also furious. She didn't make Caitlyn a sheriff for her to come up with ideas like those! She was supposed to serve people by protecting them, not by making criminals her assistants! "That's a wanted criminal. I expect her to be on her way to Stillwater once she tells you where to find Spade."

"It's not that easy, Spade is moving…"

"I don't want to hear another word about that!" Cassandra burst, shaking her head, and slamming the desktop with her hand. "You're the sheriff, and you're supposed to serve people. You should have reported to any of the councilmen the exact moment Ace had been thrown to the cell in your precinct. You neglected it, and…"

"I am the sheriff, and I am the one responsible for the inmates, mother." Caitlyn's voice was harsh, dry, and unwelcoming. "I'm to protect people, not to be the council's lapdog. And I do my job right. I will catch Spade, whatever the case, but if I see an opening, I intend to make it easier. Also, if I'm to believe what Ace said, Sevika, even though not being wanted herself, is working with Spade now. And that makes her a criminal as well."

"And what, you want to use that… stray to just be your partner, so you can bring them all to justice?" the older Kiramman's woman scoffed mockingly, shaking her head. "Don't be ridiculous."

"It's a bait, Cassandra." Tobias got between them, trying to prevent an open war in his own office. Why the hell Kiramman's puss* wielders had to be so temperamental?! "Caitlyn wants to use Ace as bait for Spade."

"It's not that hard to get, innit?" The sheriff decided to play into her father's idea, even though she knew it was not what she intended.

"What would she gain if she did that, then?" Cassandra was still suspicious, and none of her interlocutors actually were surprised.

"Promise of partial amnesty, and then serving time in Stillwater anyway." Tobias pushed the idea further. Caitlyn sent him a concerned and unamused gaze, but his eyes told her to play into it, if she wanted to be able to have things her way. "Doesn't seem that bad, darling, does it?"

"She's a criminal." the councilman huffed, crossing her arms over her chest, and Caitlyn had to really try not to roll her eyes. "And she cannot be trusted."

"I don't want to start a family with her, mother." she hissed, grimacing. "I'm trying to clean the Zaunwest. To do my job."

"But at what cost?"

"Whatever it takes." the sheriff squinted her eyes, shaking her head. "I just need a green light to know if I have your back. If she tries anything, I'll shoot her right where she stands. And you both know I can handle my weapons."

Cassandra frowned, but one look at her daughter told her she wasn't in the mood to step back or down. A peek on her husband's face and she was aware he was convinced Caitlyn could manage that stunt.

"Fine." she said without any enthusiasm or approval even. "But if anything happens, she's going down by a bullet. No second thoughts."

"I wouldn't even have the first ones." Caitlyn nodded, leaving the room, not bothering to even say 'goodbye'. She went straight to her parent's house, going upstairs to her own room.

Laying down on the bed, she was wondering how to actually talk to Ace to make the offer considerable for her, but she felt weary. Lately all the sh*t with her mother going on was making her more exhausted than she thought it was worth. But she knew it would be like that the moment Cassandra lost control over the sheriff's decisions.

Okay, maybe the sheriff was still supposed to report to the council. But they could not be dependent on them all the time. She needed to be self-sufficient. And she was determined to prove she could.

Laying down on her bed, the moment she closed her eyes, she saw the ones that belonged to Ace. Icy, cold, full of pain and suffering. Weary and exhausted, as if their owner had somehow given up, making her peace with whatever might have come at her.

They were so different from the eyes she saw when she first got to know Matilda. They were sparkling, having a mischievous spark in them. Cunning and perceptive, Caitlyn couldn't take her eyes off of those in Bilgewater… and the ones she encountered after capturing Ace were just… so sad. She couldn't bear to look into them for longer than two minutes without averting her gaze. She was feeling the sorrow and suffering seeping through them.

With a loud sigh, she realized she wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. Maybe she should do something decent at least, and try to talk to Ace like with a person she once was. She seemed more of a person than her previous prisoners and criminals she encountered.

She left the house, thanking whatever was above that her parents didn't come back yet. Her feet, however, didn't take her to the precinct right away.

Chapter 17: Care for a cupcake?

Chapter Text

The precinct was already empty when she got in. Guards were either sleeping, or at their houses, and the ones that were left, patrolled the streets. Caitlyn sighed, putting things she brought by her desk, and then she approached the cellblock.

Right away she saw something was off. Vi was sitting on the floor, but that didn't really surprise her. What concerned her, though, was the fact that Ace was sitting slouched more than before. And she was still sitting, even though it was past one a.m. already. She was facing the corner, and Caitlyn could see her hands rubbing at each other, as if Vi was nervous.

She sighed, opening the bars, but the inmate didn't react in any way beside tensing her back. As if she was waiting for something. Something that was not supposed to come. Kiramman leaned towards the door frame, and asked: "Why aren't you sleeping?"

"Can't." Vi shrugged with one shoulder only, but the move was careful, and if Caitlyn had not had such a keen eye, she might have missed it.

"You've been imprisoned before." the sheriff stated more than asked, and in response she got a sigh as well.

"Should I call someone to give you a trophy for stating the obvious?" she snarked. "Of course I was, how could I not?"

Caitlyn shook her head, and then scratched her throat gently. She needed to do it. But at the same time as she felt the weird urge to talk to Vi, she also was scared. Concerned. Or maybe it was something else she couldn't quite figure out.

"Please, can you stand up and follow me to talk?" she asked eventually, waiting for some snarky or hostile response, but she got none of those. Vi stood up, catching the bars not to stagger, and nodded. Her short hair waved, and Caitlyn had to put a lot of willpower into pushing the insistent smile out of her face. It was no longer needed, though, when the fuchsia haired woman reached out her hands, with her wrists up, clearly waiting for the sheriff to handcuff her again, Kiramman shook her head. "No, Ace, not this time."

"Why do you allow me to go around unchained, but don't give a f*ck about the name?" she asked, looking at her interlocutor. She couldn't see much though; it was too dark.

Caitlyn praised the darkness, since Vi couldn't see the blush spreading through her face. "Sorry, I'm still getting used to it…"

"Inmate. Just call me 'inmate'. This way you don't have to throw Aces left and right, and you can still have the top-bottom business relationship." she shrugged, and Caitlyn felt her neck burning. Oh lord, why?!

She didn't reply, but she led Vi to her office, and sat behind the desk, now clean, since she tidied up the paperwork, finally. She pointed her companion to the armchair that was standing in front of it, but Vi took one of the simple chairs standing around, turned it with its back to her chest, and straddled it, making Caitlyn swallow even harder. She slid a bit closer to the desk, resting her forearms on it.

When she moved like that, the light from the oil lamp illuminated her face, making Caitlyn's eyes widen with fear. Vi didn't look like Kiramman had left her before. Her face was covered in bruises, but her wrapped knuckles seemed clean. Ripped left side of her upper lip, along with her eyebrow, both wounds bleeding. She had blood smeared under her nose, what looked like she tried to wipe it from there, but she didn't quite succeed.

"Oh my god, what happened?" The sheriff asked, looking at Vi with concern.

"Nothing." she shrugged.

"If it was nothing, you would not look like someone decided to teach you a lesson." she claimed, but the fuchsia haired woman just shrugged, not answering. "So? Don't dodge. What happened?"

"Just a normal inmate life." Vi scoffed with a shrug. "Don't bother, I really don't mind. In fact, I’m quite used to it."

Caitlyn froze. Vi wasn't looking like it when she was leaving her there in the morning. That meant those were her people to do that to her. She could feel her blood boil inside her, when she saw how indifferent towards it the inmate was. As if she had been through it before. Nothing gave her officers the right to beat up an inmate. Nothing.

But she didn't comment on that, seeing that Vi was not comfortable mentioning it anymore. But the sheriff noted in her head to talk to those people, and preferably give them a piece of her mind. That was the least she could do. Criminal or not, Vi still had her rights. And for a wanted person she really was behaving decently, so Caitlyn was sure the fuchsia haired woman didn't even move from her place on the floor.

For the first time in her life Sheriff Kiramman felt compassionate and sorry for a prisoner. She reached out her hand for the kettle she had by her desk, and looked at Vi.

"Tea?" she asked, but Ace just gave her a tired glance, shrugging slightly. Caitlyn could see she was cold, despite the poncho, so she just poured it into the metal mug, sliding it in her direction.

Vi looked at it suspiciously, as if the sheriff added something into the beverage, so Caitlyn poured herself as well, and then sipped, followed by observant icy eyes. When nothing happened, she hesitated, but then pulled the mug closer, warming her hands with it. She sipped, feeling a bit better. She was still in pain, with the beating, and the cauterization from before, she was still not at her best, feeling feverish, and probably looking like it as well.

Vi was cautious, not really knowing what Caitlyn wanted from her. She never encountered an officer who would be nice to her, and Kiramman seemed to be like one of those. It was either a class act, where she was just giving the orders to her people to beat her up, and then pretend she was the good one, or she was genuine in her ways. But why was she like that?

Why was someone like that a sheriff?

"You're burning." Caitlyn reached out her hand, and before she hesitated, she checked the inmate's forehead. "You have a fever…"

"Yeah, side effects of cauterization, can we get to the point?" she asked, moving back, so she wouldn't feel the touch aymore.

Somehow experiencing that stung Caitlyn without a reason.

"Drink the tea, please." she sounded genuinely concerned about her, and Ace had no idea how she should approach it. "It should help, at least a bit."

"Why do you even care?" she glanced at the sheriff suspiciously, but all she saw were deep ocean blue eyes filled with worry. The worry that should not be there at all. Not for her, at least. "Because I won't believe for a minute it's because of the goodness of your heart."

"I… well, there's something I can offer you… Vi." she sighed. That name in her mouth tasted oddly. Like… like an inmate was a person, a normal person, with life, with something to fight for before going the criminal way. "And for that you need to be…"

"Usable?" she raised her eyebrow, scoffing, but then she sipped the tea. "Figures. So, what is it?"

"Can we talk first? Here, help yourself." She slid a box with cupcakes to her, but Vi didn't move. She took one then, putting it on the table, close to her mug, but Ace was just looking at it. Caitlyn tilted her head, puzzled. "Is everything all right?"

Ace hesitated, and then she slid the cupcake closer to Kiramman. "It's an expensive treat. I'm an inmate. There's no need to waste something like that for something like me."

"What do you mean?" she asked, wondering if that small sweet could be the opening to the conversation with less hostility or aloofness.

Vi shook her head, picking the strains from her hand wraps, not looking at Caitlyn. Then she shrugged.

Kiramman was waiting patiently, giving her all the time she needed. There was something in this person that made her think she wasn't all that bad. Maybe that was the talk from the other day?

"Doesn't matter. What do you want to talk about?"

"You and your sister." she admitted, looking at Vi who was still observing the pastry, as if she was afraid it would flee if she only averted her gaze.

"Be precise."

"You were partners. What happened you're not anymore?"

"I already told you. She liked killing, me not that much. So we split."

"Just like that?" Caitlyn raised her eyebrow, but Vi shrugged, and then she shook her head.

"Nah. But that's not something of your concern."

"She left you?"

"I don't know who left whom. Doesn't matter anymore anyway." she sipped the tea again, and Kiramman rubbed her chin.

"You mentioned cauterisation. What happened?" she tried from a different angle.

"Why do you care?" Vi asked, looking at her suspiciously. Caitlyn sighed.

"I'm a sheriff. I care about people in general. All of people. Zaun, Piltover, doesn't matter. So?"

"Sevika happened." she shrugged. "Her and her f*cking blade when I thought there was a chance for Jinx to go back from that sh*tty path she took. Well, we can see how it worked out." her hand absentmindedly ventured to her side, and the sheriff could only suspect how it looked, or how it could feel.

"Can I take a look?"

"No." Vi's voice was cold as ice. Caitlyn immediately backed off, feeling the feral hostility that filled the space between them. She didn't want to risk it, after all she somehow managed to get to the inmate a bit more than before.

"Okay." she calmed her down, giving a clear hint she wasn't going to do anything.

"She wanted bloodshed. She's unsated, and she wants blood." she admitted after a moment of silence. "And I couldn't do sh*t to make it different. Better."

"It's not your responsibility to do so, Vi."

"She's my sister. She's all I've ever had." the fuchsia haired woman almost snarled. "There's always been the two of us. And then something unchangeably cracked. I f*cked it up, so it's my responsibility she's mad. It's my fault she is killing people. Her kills are my kills, and I have the blood of those people on my hands as much as she does. But I don't expect you to understand."

"I probably won't." Caitlyn admitted, nodding. "But there's one thing we can actually do. We can find your sister, and end her bloodlust."

"We?" Vi raised her pained eyes at her interlocutor, as if she thought she heard wrong. "What the f*ck you mean by 'we'?"

"Exactly that." she intertwined her fingers, laying her hands on the tabletop. "If you'd help me find and capture Spade, you'd be granted a partial amnesty."

"That means I won't go to the gallows?"

"You wouldn't anyway, Vi." Caitlyn rubbed her forehead, looking at her interlocutor quite curiously. She really was fixated on her death penalty. "Despite what you feel responsible for, you're taken accountable only for the deeds you have done. And that's a prison sentence, not death."

She couldn't say for sure if Ace was actually disappointed by the thought, or maybe a bit hopeful.

"So you basically want me to betray my sister, and…?"

"Not betray her." Kiramman shook her head. Oh god, she really thought it would be easier. "Just help us… me… capture her."

"And then see her hang? I can't believe you actually asked about that." Vi frowned, standing up. "Allow me to go back to my cell. You can send whoever you want to beat the sh*t outta me, so I can get on with my night."

"Vi, please." Caitlyn groaned lightly, trying to still have her nerves where they were supposed to be. "Just…"

"I'll think about it, that fine with you?" she asked suddenly, and Kiramman glanced at her with disbelief, trying to find in her face something that would tell her she was not serious.

There was nothing.

"Of course." she nodded, feeling a bit of hope again. Ace nodded as well, and she was almost going back to the cell, when she hesitated.

"Can I…?" she pointed quite shyly at the cupcake, and Caitlyn smiled with relief.

"Of course, it's for you. Enjoy it."

"You shouldn't treat inmates like this, cupcake." Vi said, taking the pastry, and looking at it, thoughtful. "We don't deserve kindness."

"Everyone does. Not everyone wants it to be displayed to them, and that's a difference. Are you one of those people?" she glanced at her vigilantly, and the fuchsia shrugged.

"Nobody ever was kind to me. It's weird. But I'm still a criminal."

"Not that much if you agree on the deal." Caitlyn admitted, but Vi shook her head with a crooked, bitter smile.

"Believe me, cupcake, once a criminal, always a criminal. Beware who you trust." she stated, and after those, quite ominous, words, she went straight back to her cell, closing the bars behind her herself.

Caitlyn was left alone in her office, with a clear sight of Vi who just put the cupcake on the floor, sat down, covering it with her body, and just stared at it, as if she couldn't believe someone didn't want to treat her like a vermin.

And Vi felt her heart pounding, knowing for sure what decision she would make.

Chapter 18: ...would I trust...

Chapter Text

"You heard? Something blew again, not that far from here." That was the first thing Vi had heard in the very morning, right after she woke up. "Five dead people."

She frowned, not opening her eyes yet, pretending to still be asleep. Was it possible it was Jinx? So close? Was she… no, that couldn't be it, and Vi knew she shouldn't keep her hopes high. Her sister probably hasn't even bothered to even think about Ace's whereabouts or her state… if she was still thinking she was even alive. After all, the last moment they saw each other was when Sevika pierced Vi's side with that damned mechanical arm.

But Vi still had the impression Jinx didn't forget about her. They both were like co*ckroaches, named like that, along with strays, trenchers, and a bunch of other nouns. Jinx knew Vi was more resilient than anyone could think she was. And even more resilient than she looked.

"Supposedly that was Spade. Someone saw her, but I won't believe it until I see it myself." the other officer shrugged, and that was the moment the inmate froze, trying to casually eavesdrop.

"Had a good night?" she heard Caitlyn's voice, and she twitched, feeling her side stinging, but she clenched her jaws, containing the grimace. "How's your fever?"

"I'll do it." she said, standing up a bit wobbly, but then turning to the sheriff, to see her face. She plainly ignored the question Kiramman asked.

"Excuse me?" she raised her eyebrow. "I was asking about your…"

"Don't pretend you give a sh*t." the fuchsia haired woman rolled her eyes, looking at her interlocutor with poorly hidden anger. She couldn't control her emotions along with pain at the same time. "Spade. I'll do it. I'll help you. But under one condition.” Vi glanced at her, wondering if Caitlyn would even consider it.

“You’re kind of not in position to make demands, don’t you think?” She raised her eyebrow, but Ace just rolled her eyes, leaning forward, resting her forearms, along with her body weight, on the bars.

“You’ll give it a thought, or not?” she drawled, and the sheriff sighed, deciding that hearing her out would not hurt anyone. She opened the cell, taking the inmate to her office, and then sitting behind her desk.

Vi, even though pointed at the chair, didn't take the seat. She felt unsafe at this place. She had been beaten already, and last night after Kiramman left was no different. Seemed like people didn't really like inmates.

Figures.

Caitlyn, however, saw her face again. She frowned, intertwining her hands. "Vi, what happened? Your face…"

"Better than my ribs." she shrugged, dismissing it right away, but she wiped the rest of blood from under her nose. She could feel fresh scabs on her mouth and eyebrow, the ones that sealed during the day, were opened in the night, again. Whatever, she could live with it. "So, business…"

"Who did that to you?"

"Oh, I don't know, let me think." she scratched her chin theatrically, gazing at the window, and then glowered at Caitlyn with dead eyes. "How about some officers?"

"I asked about a culprit in particular."

"And you really think I know who decided to sell me a kick in the face in the middle of the night?" Vi raised her eyebrow, snorting mockingly. "Funny, cupcake. Very funny."

Caitlyn sighed, shaking her head with disbelief. She was aware talking with Ace wouldn't be neither easy, nor pleasant, but this was far from what she had imagined. Abrasiveness of her interlocutor's was almost repulsive.

And that ridiculous nickname!

“So?” she didn’t want to let it go, since it was one of her subordinates that was lashing out on a person they had no right to do so. Even if said person was a criminal.

“I ain’t no snitch, sheriff .” Vi grimaced, and Caitlyn couldn’t do much but give up.

“Fine." she sighed, drilling Vi with her vigilant ocean eyes. "Your condition, then. What is it supposed to be?”

The fuchsia haired woman straightened her back, but even so her neck was still low, as if she was preparing for some sort of brawl almost constantly. Caitlyn noticed she had never looked at her interlocutor like a normal person. She was always sending side glances, as if she was challenging everyone to something.

“You’ll give me one chance. One. To talk to her. To try to make her understand that what she’s doing is wrong.”

“You really believe she can listen to you?” Kiramman glanced at her with surprise, but Vi averted her gaze.

“It’s not about what I believe. It’s what I feel I should do.” she admitted, still having in mind the moment when Jinx saved her from death by Sevika's hands. “So?”

Caitlyn huffed, shaking her head with disbelief she even considered it. And that she actually was about to say yes. “One chance. Not two, not three, not…”

“Oh, for f*ck’s sake, did I stutter? Don’t make this difficult, cupcake.”

“Stop calling me that, my name is Caitlyn.” she huffed again, but didn't seem that offended by the nickname anymore.

“Oh, but you're so sweetly innocent, like a cupcake." she snorted mockingly. Her expression changed right after. "Then again: so?”

“Fine. One chance. Only one. If she doesn’t listen…”

“It wouldn’t be my problem nor my responsibility anymore.” Vi shrugged, not looking at her interlocutor.

“Why would you want to talk to her anyway?”

“Because I want to give her a choice.” she said, with her gaze stuck at the barred window of Caityn’s office. “We didn’t have any when we were kids. So I want her to be able to choose the side on her own.”

“That’s…” Kiramman started, but she refrained from saying anything. She just sighed, standing up and reaching out her hand. “Well, I guess then we have a deal.”

Vi glanced at her hand quite suspiciously, but then she thought she had nothing to lose, so she shook it. Her grip was firm, strong, but not brute. That surprised Caitlyn, since she thought Ace would be as brute as it came.

“Well… how do you think we can catch her?”

“Just leave her be, she will come eventually.” she shrugged, looking at her confiscated gauntlets, and pointing at them with her chin. “Those might have come in handy, if they were usable.”

“What’s wrong with them?” Caitlyn raised her eyebrow, and Vi rolled her eyes. That would not be an easy cooperation, and she was aware of that. But all she had to do was to endure.

Yeah, she could do that.

“They’ve experienced so many beatings and explosions they barely hold together anymore.” She cleared her throat. “Point me to the forge or a workshop and I can make them work again.”

“You?” Kiramman couldn’t hide the suspicion. Ace? Tinkering? Hardly believable.

“And who else? I know best how they work and why. I made them myself.”

That caught the sheriff off guard.

“What…?”

“Oh, of course, you think we pay other people to make sh*t for us? You call us trenchers, not without a reason, cupcake.” she said with a grimace. “Point me to the forge, if you will. Or am I still a prisoner, so you perhaps want to give it to someone who can’t do sh*t with them?”

Caitlyn huffed, clearly annoyed, rubbing her temple. Of course she could give those gauntlets to, for example, Jayce, but she was sure if he saw it, he would probably say something about their crude construction. It was better to make Ace repair them herself.

She stood up, waving at her “partner” at the time, and Vi followed her, taking the gauntlets as if they weighed nothing. Caitlyn didn’t comment, but couldn’t help but notice Ace’s muscles. She remembered the moment she confiscated the gauntlets. One at the time was enough to make her sweat. She was wondering then who the hell was able to even transport those, leave alone use them… and now she had a living proof it was doable. It was both amazing and terrifying at the same time.

They left the office, followed by the eyes of all officers who were still inside. One of them discreetly spat under Vi’s feet, but she just sent him a death glare, so he stepped back before she made use of her gauntlets, destroying them in the process. Caitlyn led the way to one of the forging workshops, showing Vi the machinery. Ace shook her head, taking out her toolkit she snatched from the sheriff's office, and then took out her poncho, rolling her sleeves up. Caitlyn swallowed, seeing the tattoos she saw when she captured her. At that moment when she still thought Vi was a different person. A ruthless criminal with no conscience or morals.

“Caitlyn?” she heard Tobias’ surprised voice when she was observing Vi working on her gauntlets with goggles on. Her face was already dirty and shimmering with metal dust, but there was something… appealing to it. “What are you… oh.” he swallowed, looking in the same direction as his daughter.

“Hello, dad.” young Kiramman nodded, looking at him briefly. “I’m making sure nothing bad comes out of this. Or at least I want to believe it.”

“Are you sure it’s safe to allow her here…?”

She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. She needed to keep a straight face and front as if she believed what she was doing was right. The problem was, she was not. Seeing Vi and her attitude was making her wonder if it could bring anything good with every minute. But she seemed to have no other choice.

“Dad, I can’t keep her imprisoned if she’s to help me with Spade.” she admitted.

“Do you trust her?”

“No, I already told you that.” she groaned, looking at her father disbelievingly. “I don’t trust criminals. She just got… let’s say a vote of confidence. If she proves she can be trusted, then maybe… no, I don’t think I will either.” she shrugged.

“She seems capable.” he admitted, peeking at Vi who was now making other parts on the anvil. Sweat running down her neck and spine, shining on her forehead.

“She’s the best shot we have.” Caitlyn nodded with a deep sigh. “She can be the ticket to all places I cannot enter, since she knows them. She knows how they work, from the backroom.”

“I see.” Tobias nodded, thoughtful. “But it’s still somehow… worrying me.”

“You’re not the only one, dad.” she scratched her chin. “I need to stay sharp and have my eyes all around. I can’t trust her, after all she’s a criminal.”

“Sounds like something your mother would say.”

Caitlyn glanced at him, puzzled. Did he just…? Why did it seem like he was more prone to trust Ace than she was? And she wasn’t even that against it. Deep down in her heart she knew it, and she was just playing so nobody would actually see it.

At the same time she was aware she couldn’t just do that. Ace was, after all, a criminal. Whatever impression she made, it could be just an illusion.

“I don’t think I follow?” she frowned, looking at her father quizzically. He sighed, with his gaze still fixed at Vi hammering down the hot metal pieces.

"Cassandra always has… a very particular opinion about certain people." he admitted after a moment of hesitation. "I can understand it, but I do not share it."

"Can you be, perhaps, less mysterious? I really don't know what you're trying to tell me, dad."

Tobias sighed with a slight smile, giving his daughter a side glance. "There was something you saw in her that told you you could trust her, Cait." he scratched his beard, wondering, moving his eyes back at Vi. "Otherwise you'd not come all the way you did to get the permission to get Ace out of the cell. And if you trusted she could be of any use, you have to also trust she would not betray you when the time is dire."

She frowned, rubbing her chin. There was something to what her father said. She needed to trust Vi could be an asset, to be trusted, and able to make the right choice. And yet she couldn't say for sure if she was ready to admit she wasn't keen on treating her like the criminal she was.

"I just want to believe it." she sighed, admitting something she didn't really want to. "She's…"

"A criminal. That we know, Caitlyn." Tobias nodded, drawing her attention to him again, since the sheriff sunk in thoughts seeing Vi's muscles tensing with every move of the hammer she was holding. The clang of metal was echoing in the workshop, but she didn't mind.

It seemed like there were very few things she minded when it came to Vi. Huh, who would have thought?

"What do you expect from me, dad?" she asked openly, looking at Tobias, and crossing her arms over her chest. "Because I'm kind of confused, if I'm to be honest."

"I expect you to judge your choices right. To act upon them, and not allow anyone's opinion to shift your decisions." he admitted, still somehow mysteriously. "You need to remember that maybe Cassandra is the head of the council, but you're the sheriff. And in terms of keeping the order in law here, you have the first word."

"I will try." Caitlyn cleared her throat, peeking at her father. "I just… I wonder if I made the right choice."

"And what are your thoughts?" Tobias encouraged her with a nod, and sheriff Kiramman sighed, shrugging reluctantly.

"I think she's really the best shot we have. She knows sh*t. Most importantly, she knows Spade. And she doesn't want her to kill… she doesn't want to kill herself. That can be the bright side of this whole situation… if it's any true, of course."

"What is making you think it may not?"

"I…" she interrupted, but there was nothing she could possibly think of that would be a good answer. She had no argument on that one, actually. "She's a criminal, I guess that's all. Her file states firmly she was only beating people up, not killing them."

"Was there any indication she may have a change of heart?"

"I… I don't think so." Caitlyn shook her head, frowning hard, and rubbing her temple. "There are numerous witnesses that testified she was the one to tell Spade not to kill. Whether Spade listened or not, that was out of Ace's hand."

"So?"

"I guess the best thing I can do is give her the vote of confidence, as I said before." she grunted, squeezing the base of her nose. "I can't see any other way or option."

"Oh my god, Cait, there's Ace in the workshop… is that how it's supposed to be…?" Jayce froze, seeing a person he only knew from the wanted posters, even though she looked differently. He swallowed, looking at Caitlyn with unease. "Shouldn't you… you know… arrest her?"

"Well, she had been arrested for the past few days." Kiramman nodded comfortingly, looking at her old friend with a calming gaze. "Don't worry, Jayce, she's just fixing her gauntlets. I intend to find and capture Spade with her help."

"You really think it could help?" Talis asked, looking at Caitlyn with unease, but she shrugged.

However, the one to answer was, actually, Vi.

"What could help is for you all to remember I'm still here, and my hearing is not dead." she growled, still looking at the pieces she was forging. It was already the last one, so she was almost ready to proceed to the workbench.

"Okay, now, Caitlyn, what the hell does she have that any other person doesn't to help you with Spade?" Talis hissed, looking at the sheriff with disbelief.

"My sunny personality." Vi scoffed, spilling all the parts on the workbench, catching one of the welding machines, and then sliding her goggles back over her eyes. She didn't even pretend not to hear what they were saying. The fact she was occupied with something else didn't temper her perception.

Jayce raised his eyebrows, giving Caitlyn a glance that was supposed to hint that he didn't understand her motivation. The sheriff, though, shrugged, not really giving a damn. He didn't need to understand.

Vi started assembling the pieces, and the process actually caught Talis' attention. He came closer, observing her.

"How do you know they would even work?" he asked eventually, not being able to refrain from it.

Vi didn't even raise her gaze at him, still working. She just shrugged. "I just do."

"Maybe if you put that piece…" he started, but the moment he reached out his hand, she slapped it firmly, glaring at him with the ice of her irises.

"How about you build your own, pretty boy?" she asked, taking the piece he mentioned, putting it exactly where she wanted it. "It ain't no fancy sh*t like your trinkets. It's supposed to work on people's faces."

"I see." he mumbled, stepping back, but still under no small impression of her performance. It was not something he would build, but with her confidence and, no doubt, skill, she could make something working. "What happened to them, though? Too many faces beaten?"

"Aren't you too curious, dude." she squinted her eyes, resting her forearms on the workbench. Caitlyn tried not to look, but she couldn't just take her eyes off of Ace. The skin shining with sweat, all the metallic dust on her face, covering the freckles, shimmering in her fuchsia hair…

"I'm just wondering, since you were supposed to make them 'work on people's faces'." he shrugged, and she raised her eyebrow.

"Fair enough." she admitted. "Nah, fine with faces, not that fine with explosions."

"Explosions?" Jayce seemed surprised, but Vi was done talking.

"Are you like, staring at me because you don't have anything else to do? I can get cupcake here…" she pointed at Caitlyn who didn't comment on it, but her face was covered with a slight blush. "...since she's supposed to 'keep an eye on me', so I don't go full rampage for any f*cking reason you can think of, but you?"

"How about me supervising if you don't blow up my family's forge?"

"Oh, another rich kid, wonderful." Vi rolled her eyes with a mocking scoff. "For your information, I ain't my sister. I don't blow stuff up."

"Jayce, I think we should be on our way." Tobias saw that Vi was getting somehow angry, and he wanted to avoid an open conflict. "Cait, please, keep an eye on her…"

"I know, dad." The sheriff sighed, rubbing her temple. When her friend and parent left, she glanced at Ace. "Do you really need to be like this?"

"What? Making people mind their own business? Yeah, real bummer." The fuchsia haired woman shrugged, putting other pieces together. "I'm not barging into his sextech, and I don't want him to get into my sh*t."

"Wait, you know about hextech?" Caitlyn seemed surprised, but Vi just grunted, welding the pieces.

"And who the f*ck doesn't? City of progress my ass." she scoffed, and then she moved the goggles on her forehead, revealing two clean circles around her eyes. Kiramman smiled, but she swallowed the snort. She didn't want to risk it.

The sheriff wanted to say something, but they heard gunshots outside. Caitlyn glanced at Vi who just slid her hands inside the gauntlets, amazing her companion who knew how heavy they were.

"I guess there's no time to chat, sheriff ." she snorted mockingly. Caitlyn sighed, shaking her head, but not catching the bait.

Chapter 19: Enforcer's trial

Chapter Text

They both sprinted out of the workshop, looking around. People were hiding, but someone pointed Caitlyn at the saloon. Its doors were still moving, so someone needed to actually enter it recently. Vi clenched her hands on the cylinders inside her gauntlets, for better grip, adjusting the strips she had by her wrists.

"Well, you have a chance now to prove you're to be trusted…" Caitlyn sighed, reloading her rifle. Ace scoffed mockingly.

"I don't have to prove anything to anyone. If you lack the trust, that's your problem." she straightened her back, moved her hands as if she had nothing on them, and then looked at Caitlyn. "Get to some vantage point. Imma lure them out."

"And how exactly…?" she started, but Vi just plainly barged inside the saloon. Kiramman sighed, shaking her head with disbelief. Of course. Of course it couldn't be easy with that one, could it?!

Without hesitation, though, she decided to go to the vantage point as Vi suggested. She really wondered, though, how this person was willing to get those brats out, since she was just inside. She crouched on the roof, preparing for any circ*mstance.

Vi, in the meantime, stormed inside the saloon, seeing a group of idiots with guns, two with knives, and a few without anything but supposedly intimidating faces. Nothing she had not seen before in her life, so their 'tough glares' had no impact on her. She scoffed.

"Yo, f*ckers!" she spat on the floor. "New order in town."

They didn't know if to laugh, or just plainly ignore her, but there was something menacing in what she had on her hands. They turned to her, pointing their guns, knives, and raising their fists.

"Let's see." one of them said, co*cking his gun. Vi saw people around, not many, but whoever was there, was already hidden behind any sort of cover. Those bitches came there for loot, not for lives.

Barely comforting.

She jumped forward, rolling on the floor, so the bullets didn't reach her. First punch was thrown to a guy that had a knife. His armed hand went up with the hit, but even so he did not drop the weapon. Vi, with her teeth gritted, slammed his head with the gauntlet, smacked two next people's heads together, making them dizzy, but she saw they were no mere bums.

They've been into fights before. She didn't need to stop herself, it seemed. And she didn't even feel the need to anymore.

She just barged among them like a vault breaker, using her relentless force to push them out of the counter. They needed to move so as not to get completely smashed by her gauntlets. When she herded them like sheep, she then pushed them all outside, throwing herself with her arms wide open through the saloon's door. She didn't know if Caitlyn even listened to her, but she gave no sh*t.

She started punching them, trying to do it as fast as she could, and always stand too close to the shooters for them to be able to shoot. She heard a gunshot in the moment she had to take care of one of the brawlers.

A clang of metal and angry hiss was enough for her to know it was Kiramman shooting. Vi caught one of the little sh*ts in the steel grip of her gauntlets, and then she tossed him to one of the walls. He grunted the moment Ace saw Caitlyn's silhouette towering over them from the rooftop. Kneeling on one of her knees, with her rifle pointed at her target.

Vi swallowed. There was something majestic in the way she was wielding the weapon.

Shaking off the awe of the moment she was not supposed to feel, she dodged a punch, and gave her own to the attacker. A guy with a knife wanted to stab her, but a moment later there was another gunshot, and he dropped his blade. However, his fist reached Vi's face with a force she could have expected from someone who didn't bend under the hit of her gauntlets.

"Urgh, f*ck." she grunted, feeling blood in her mouth. She spat on the road, raising her hands to guard her face. Ekko, her childhood friend, would have a lot of giggles about the fact she had never learned not to block with it.

She smashed all the people she could, knocking unconscious the disarmed ones, eventually. Some of their desperate hits landed on her, but she paid no mind to that. After all, it was not the first beating she ever got. She was used to mild bruises covering her body all the time.

Vi spat once more, getting rid of the blood, raising her head to see Caitlyn quite graciously sliding down the wall, landig with dignity, and straightening her back, still holding the rifle. She approached, looking at the pile of unconscious cadavers Ace left with her help.

"Well done, I really thought you're going to kill them." she admitted, and the charm of the admiration left as fast as it appeared. Vi squinted her eyes, frowning.

"Good to know you don't give a sh*t about what I'm saying." she growled. "I don't kill people. I just f*ck'em up."

"Well, you can't really blame me not to trust…." she started, but that moment Vi saw a movement behind her. Without hesitation, she charged there, and seeing the blink of the barrel, she stuck her back to Caitlyn's, raising her gauntlets.

"Watch out!"

The bullet struck right into her gauntlets, grazing them heavily, ricocheting from one of the parts. Vi felt the hot slash on her face, but when she charged to strike, Caitlyn shot the revolver out of this guy's hands. Ace had a clean way to just get to him, and knock him down. Not even five minutes later, she took two of the idiots on her shoulders, and two by their collars to drag them to the cell on the precinct.

"What?" she asked, seeing that Kiramman was looking at her vigilantly. The sheriff swallowed, wondering if she should ask, but with a sigh she decided it couldn't hurt.

"Why did you do that?"

Vi shrugged, which was not that easy, considering the fact she was loaded like a mule. "Without you I have less chances to talk to Jinx."

And she dragged the criminals to the cell. Caitlyn, with help of other officers, managed to lock up the rest.

"You're bleeding." she noticed, when Vi threw her gauntlets to the floor of Kiramman's office.

Ace raised her eyebrow, and then she wiped out the blood that gathered from the fresh wound on her cheekbone. "Yeah, sh*t happens. Good you're in one piece."

"Excuse me?" Caitlyn couldn't believe she heard something like that. Almost as if Vi cared about her.

"Can you imagine how fast your mother would throw me to Stillwater if you got wounded?" she asked, grimacing. She still felt blood gathering in the slash. "Scratch is a low price for freedom, at least for now."

"Let me at least take care of it." Kiramman offered, but Vi just rolled her eyes.

"I'm fine." she almost growled, but something in the sheriff's face told her she would not give up that easily.

And she was right.

"You're under my command now, Vi." she frowned, opening one of the drawers in her desk, and taking something out of it. "And as your superior officer I am supposed to take care of you. Unless you want to pay a visit to the medic."

"For f*ck’s sake." Ace groaned, seeing the steel spark in the ocean eyes of the sheriff. She sat down on the chair Caitlyn showed her, and observed her, not without displeasure all over her face, as Caitlyn took the first aid kit to clean her wound. "You do that to all of those bitches here?"

"They usually don't get wounded like this." Kiramman admitted, soaking a gauze in alcohol, and then tapping Vi's cheekbone. Ace hissed, suddenly yanking. "Come on, you have a past, you had to go through that before."

"Bold of you to assume anyone cared." she growled, when Caitlyn caught her chin to immobilize her head for the time being. Vi could see her focused gaze, her serious face, almost clenched lips. A small frown that she probably tried to get rid of.

"What do you mean?"

"And what do you think?" she released herself from the grasp in one swift move, ignoring the burning the alcohol caused, and wiping anything that was there with the back of her hand.

She left the smudges of dirt around anyway, since she was still dusty after the workshop constructing session. Caitlyn sighed with disbelief, but she didn't answer, her glare giving Vi a hint she was waiting for her to say something.

"We don't have medical care. Stillwater doesn't have it either." she shrugged eventually. "Everything seals and heals on its own, cupcake."

"Sheriff."

"Yeah, that." she waved her hand, standing up, and straightening her back. Caitlyn tried not to look.

"You didn't have even the basic kit…?"

"Jesus, were you raised under a rock or what?" Vi huffed, plainly annoyed. "No, we didn't. You got smashed, you got to live with that. Water, if, was your best friend. Stop asking stupid questions, it gives away you have no idea how it is to live outside this f*cking flithy rich city."

She wanted to leave the room, but Kiramman stopped her. "Where are you going?"

"It's late, sheriff . I want to hit the sack." she rolled her eyes. "Back to my cell. I won't ask for anything to clean myself with, your peeps would probably bring me acid instead of water."

"Cell? No, that's out of the table." Caitlyn shook her head fiercely. "You can't go back there."

"And where am I supposed to go? For f*ck’s sake, I don't have any place to stay, and I ain't got no money to pay for a room." she snarled, but that did not discourage her interlocutor.

"I have an idea." she admitted. "But, before I take you there… here. You've earned it today, I guess." she slid something towards Vi through the tabletop. She could see a piece of metal with some emblem.

Piltover's emblem. Surrounding Zaun's.

"The f*ck is that." Ace took the piece of metal, and looked at it, but without much interest. She saw it was attached to the leather cover. "Ah, sh*t, you can't be serious."

"But I am." Caitlyn nodded. "Welcome to the enforcers, Vi."

"Are you f*cking kidding me?" she raised her eyebrow, tossing the badge back where she took it from. "I ain't no enforcer. And I'm not gonna do it. Your peeps gave me a beating while I was in the cell, nothing's guaranteeing me they won't do that again."

"You seem scared of another brawl." Caitlyn noticed, but Vi slammed the desktop with her fists, looking at Kiramman with anger.

"Look, I don't give a sh*t if I'm beaten, bent, broken, or whatever sh*t you wanna name it. I'm used to it, but human's body can only take so much. If I'm not able to move, I'm not gonna be able to talk to my sister. And that's not the case, ain't it." she snarled, clenching her fists.

Caitlyn couldn't say she was wrong. Interestingly enough, though, Vi didn't mention beating up a cop, which would also be the case.

"It's either you take that badge, or you don't get that chance whatsoever." she claimed, feeling like that was her last resort. "The other option is to go back to the cell, and then to Stillwater with first transport. You won't be able to talk to your sister, leave alone even seeing her. Is that what you want?"

Vi was angry. Kiramman got her cornered, and she couldn't do anything with that. Sink or swim, bitch.

This time she decided to swim. But only this time.

She took the badge, pushing it deep into her pocket. Caitlyn nodded, but Vi said nothing. She also ignored the hand that was reached towards her to greet her as an enforcer.

"Where do you wanna show me?" she asked, completely ignoring anything Kiramman would want to say or do. She was pissed off enough as it was. "I wanna finally not have to talk to people about things I don't give a f*ck about."

With a sigh the sheriff stood up, and waved her hand. There was no way she would be able to work with that one without any problems. And there was another one: she needed to convince Cassandra her decision was right, so the council would sign the amnesty, even if partial.

"Follow me." she stated, leading the way out of the precinct. "And better prepare, because tomorrow you'd be filling the paperwork about this particular event."

"Figures." she scoffed, looking around as they were walking through the city that was slowly falling asleep.

"Well, here." Caitlyn sighed, standing in front of a big gate, and Vi's eyes widened when she saw where they were. It was hard not to know what that place was.

"Are you f*cking kidding me, sheriff ." Vi drawled, but Kiramman was completely serious.

"This way you can have some conveniences, and I can keep an eye on you. Small price, isn't it?" she asked, opening the gate.

Vi couldn't believe it. That son of a bitch wanted her to live in Kiramman's mansion. A criminal under one roof with a f*cking sheriff and a head of a council who would probably just toss her to the lions if she could.

"Sure." she scoffed sarcastically. "That'll be fun."

Chapter 20: Not to Jinx it, but

Chapter Text

Sitting in one of the saloons in Demacia wasn’t particularly the most perfect idea she could have thought about, but hearing the rumors about Spade being around Piltover ensured her that people were either stupid, or just blind. Hiding in plain sight was always something he was doing, and succeeding in. Vi not that much, though.

“Something new?” Sevika asked, bringing them two glasses and a bottle of whisky. “I can see it on your face.”

“Yeah, Spade was seen around Piltover.” she snickered, tinkering with something really small that Sevika couldn’t even see properly. She raised her eyebrow while taking a sip of her drink.

“Piltover? That’s kinda far.”

“And people are stupid.” Jinx shrugged, moving some parts, and grunting. “Ah, f*ck, I cannot do it here, for f*ck’s sake!”

“Then go somewhere else.” Sevika shrugged, observing her. “It’s not like you’re tied to me or sh*t.”

“Yeah, but I try to escape and I die.” Jinx huffed, and the bounty hunter smiled with satisfaction. She was glad Spade understood the terms.

"Indeed." she confirmed with a nod. "Or do you want me to accompany you anyway?"

"Naw, thanks, I'll pass." she rolled her eyes, standing up, taking all her toys, and just going out of the saloon, snatching Sevika's bottle. The bounty hunter grimaced, but decided not to make an ordeal about it, so she bought another one. With the bounty on Spade's head, soon enough she'd be able to buy herself a whole saloon filled with the finest whisky of the Zaunwest.

She didn't mind Jinx around, since she saw the potential of making the bounty higher. Spade didn't need to be around her all the time, it was actually way better she was not while commiting crimes. Nobody could actually connect those two together, and that was the insurance Sevika was quite happy to have.

Jinx, in the meantime, just went somewhere where she could work in peace, without all those people around, like that saloon. Too many people, too many distractions. Someone might have tried to peek at her work. She didn't want it to happen. She needed an explosive that would blast hard enough to destroy those fancy gauntlets her sister had put together years ago. Even if Jinx wasn't really keen on brawling, and she saw it kind of not fun at all, she needed to admit that Vi was doing splendidly with the enhancements of iron.

So the plan was to deprive her of something she wouldn't be able to play without. And as far as she was aware, there was no way to blast them, because she tried. She tried and failed, even though several times the attempts weren't even on purpose.

"You read yesterday's newspaper?" she heard a distant voice, but she could still eavesdrop. Sitting in a remote area, yet still close to the town, somehow, granted her the possibility. And what was better to learn about what was happening around than rumors?

After all she knew people were idiots thinking she was in Piltover exactly because of rumors around. So she decided to give it a shot.

"Yeah, Piltover really doesn't have anything better to do than recruit a damn criminal to their service." the other voice seemed annoyed, even if nothing of that was actually affecting him at all.

But it did affect Jinx, who clenched her fingers on the wrench she was holding, listening closer. Criminals recruited in Piltover? No, this couldn't be. Vi would not be that stupid!

"Who's that, though, any guesses?"

"I wouldn't know." the guy seemed like shrugging at the moment. "But if I was to bet, I'd say it could be Ace. After all Pilties have their problem with Spade, don't they?"

"Maybe." the voice was thoughtful. Jinx dropped the screwdriwer on the grass, and tilted to maybe see the people who were talking. She managed, from behind the bushes, to notice they were wearing quite fine clothes. Probably they were from 'elites' of the city. And that could mean one thing: they knew what they were talking about.

Even if they were hypothesizing, there could be a grain of truth into what they were saying. Spade had to admit that it was not comforting at all. And she refused to believe it could be Vi, even if her brain was telling her it was most likely her.

"You think that would actually help them? You know, after all it's a convict anyway. How can she even be trusted to cooperate?"

"No idea. Sheriff sad though, that she was satisfied with the service so far, and everything seems like the partnership would actually pay off." he shrugged, and Jinx frowned.

No. No, no, no. No, that couldn't be true. Vi could not… maybe that was not Vi? She recalled the last time she heard about her, and she realized, not without dread, that she's been seen by Zaun. From Zaun to Piltover wasn't that long of a road… and oh sh*t, the fact that the Sheriff just vanished into thin air when they almost got her with Sevika just made sense to her.

That had to be Vi. There was no other way, they were both Zaun's urchins, they knew places in the city and outside of it. Every ruin, every rock. Only Vi would be able to hide from Jinx, she was sure of that.

She couldn't believe her sister would betray her like that. They could stand opposites, but, for f*ck’s sake, not on the opposite sides of the barricade! Vi had always loathed the law officers, not more than Jinx, but always. Whereas Spade was playing tag with them, playing tricks and pranks, Vi was staying as far from them as she could.

She grunted, picking all her tools, pushing them into her bag, and then just going away from those two guys. "How I'm able to work now? She f*cking destroyed everything!" she muttered angrily, shaking her head. When she reached a forest area, she stopped, leaning her back on the tree. "No, no, no, that can't be true! Vi, you son of a bitch!"

She closed her eyes, seeing flashes of colors, some flashes of memories from before. The moments with Vi they spent together, all the care she got, moments with Vander, their foster father… Vi coming back beaten, bruised, bleeding more often than not… all the warm colors of safety had been covered by the scarlet of pure rage. She felt betrayed. Vi, the only person that sje thought cared about her, even though they parted ways, turned out to be a traitor who, like a flag, changed the side when she saw an opportunity.

"How could you." she drawled, feeling agry tears popping in her eyes. "I trusted you!"

She left her, because Vi said she didn't know her anymore. But she was sure her sister would not something like that. They were supposed to be sisters… why did Ace decide to help some filthy rich Pilties sh*ts to catch her…?

"Oh sh*t." she froze, realizing that there was something more about it. "You didn't."

If Vi changed the team, she had to have some profit for her. If she worked for the sheriff… then the profit could be one: being pardoned. Jinx couldn't believe Vi dug herself a new low… at the same time jeopardizing her deal with Sevika! How could she help her catch Ace and claim the bounty if there was NO BOUNTY anymore? Everything would go to trash, and Sevika would just deliver her as she stood, without second thought. And then Jinx would have to escape on her own…

Nothing was telling her Sevika would be even interested in the deal anymore. After all having all the bounty on her head so far would make her live like a queen right away, and for a long time.

"I won't allow you to f*ck me up like that!" she gritted her teeth, taking a shell of one of her grenades, filling it with scraps, nails, and some explosive powder. She didn't need to level it. She wanted to f*ck something up.

"What are you doing?" Sevika's voice caught her by surprise. "Weren't you supposed to work on…?"

"Plans changed." Jinx snarled, loading another grenade, catching her machine gun she recently finished, and then she looked at Sevika. "We're going back to Piltover. I can f*ck the sheriff right where she stands. And on the way I wanna blow something up. You know, my bounty up."

"What about Ace?"

"Oh, she's in Piltover, I'm sure." she snickered, successfully hiding her unease. Sevika didn't need to know Vi was in her way not to be wanted anymore.

If it was, indeed, her.

"Fine. Lead." the bounty hunter shrugged. They never had a lot with them, so Jinx just took a guy from a cart, shot him right in the face, feeling splashes of his blood on her own cheeks. She threw his carcass under the wheels, and when Sevika joined her up, she just spurred the horses, stealing the cart, going away from the city.

"That would be, like, another 10 on your head, you're aware?" she asked, peeking at her 'hostage'.

"Wait for it, because I really need to blow sh*t up." she snorted, slapping the horses so they ran faster.

Sevika didn't ask, she didn't say anything either. She could only wonder what the hell happened… but what was the point in trying to reason with a madman?

"I'll show you, you betraying bitch." Jinx snarled quietly. The bounty hunter didn't hear her, since the environment was too loud to allow it. "You're gonna regret that. And that rich bitch, too."

Chapter 21: ...someone like you

Chapter Text

He approached the bars and smirked. It was already dark, and she should have been asleep. Nothing was as refreshing as a kick to the face to wake her up. He managed to pinpoint the lock, and was about to open the door, when the switch clicked, and the whole room had been flushed by the light.

"What…?" He turned around to see a person standing there on her very long, very attractive legs. He swallowed. "Sheriff…?"

"Were you looking for something you wouldn't find, Champ?" Caitlyn asked, looking at him not without displeasure.

"I… no, I was just checking if the inmates were… doing well. If they didn't need anything."

She raised her eyebrow, her eyes full of disbelief. How could he lie so openly to his superior? "That's why you're armed?" she asked instead of chastising him right away.

"Those are criminals, sheriff. I just have the means necessary to survive in any circ*mstances…"

"Oh, I understand, that's why you have the baton ready and zapping?" she smirked viciously, seeing his forehead glistening with sweat right away. He wanted to say something, but she shook her head, waving her hand. "My office. Now."

And she entered the room, switching off the light in the cell block. The one called Champ followed her without much enthusiasm, but, after all, that was his superior, so he had to obey anyway.

And well, he had been caught red-handed.

"Sit." she pointed at the chair. "And explain yourself."

"I just did, ma'am." he swallowed, seeing the steelish sparks in her ocean eyes. He always thought she was an attractive woman, but knowing what family she came from was kind of closing any possibilities for him to pursue. Even if he was successful, which he doubted, Cassandra Kiramman would shoot him right on the spot.

"Who were you looking for there?" she asked, giving him a last chance. If he didn't take it, it would be on him.

"I wanted to check if the inmates were okay. The night is kinda cold, sheriff."

"It was an empty cell, officer." she said as coldly as ice was.

"It was dark." he tried, he really tried to come up with something, anything, that would help him in that sh*tty situation.

"Why didn't you switch on the light then?"

"I didn't want to wake them up, in case they were sleeping." he admitted, and Caitlyn shook her head, rubbing her temple. The whole precinct was almost buzzing with the sounds of snoring. Even the light didn't bother these brats.

"I see." she raised her eyebrow. "What exactly did you want to offer them in case they were not asleep?"

"Blankets?" He asked more than stated, and that has proven to Caitlyn she was right all along.

"And all you did take with you was… this baton?" she pointed at his weapon that buzzed weakly, and then just switched off. "I understand electricity can bring warmth, but that's not exactly a blanket, you're aware?"

"I just…"

"Okay, officer, quit the games. It's late, and I don't have time nor will to play tag with you, or anyone else. What were you doing by the cell where Ace was kept till her release?" She cut the squirming around without purpose or dignity, glaring at him with unchained anger, but there was something in her eyes that told him she wouldn't scold him for his intentions. "Because it seemed to me like you wanted to give her a lesson of sorts. You can speak freely, officer, after all they're all… criminals, aren't they?"

He straightened on his chair, gaining a surge of courage from her last words. "Yes, I did want to. She's the one who had been terrorizing Zaunwest for such a long time, unpunished. She deserved what she was getting."

"I reckon the bruises on her face the other day were also your doing?"

"Indeed." he pushed his chest forward, as if he was really proud of that. "She didn't see it coming, as we didn't when she was plundering the money, and killing people while doing so."

Caitlyn frowned, reaching out for one of the folders laying around. She opened it, and started studying. "How long are you on duty?"

"Third year, ma'am. I've been serving under sheriff Marcus till he died." he cleared his throat, as if he wanted to share a minute of silence for the fallen comrade. Kiramman wasn't in the mood to do such a thing, especially not with someone like him.

"Three years of service, officer." she closed the folder with a loud slap, and glowered at him, radiating anger. "Three years. And you still did not learn that you're not the one to bring justice to criminals."

"Excuse me?" He seemed confused and surprised at the same time. The sheriff made an impression she wouldn't judge him, and now she was… "That's a criminal. She had killed innocent people! How can you even think about defending her, sheriff?!"

"She has not killed anyone, officer." Caitlyn stated calmly, yet her eyes were as stormy as ever. "The harvest was Spade's. And if you put Spade's deeds on Ace's account, you're nowhere near just, as you'd want to appear." she frowned. "You admitted you were harassing her in the cell the days before, and that is unacceptable. You do not title yourself as an enforcer, and beat people down. No matter their guilt."

"I don't…"

"Enough." she almost snarled, intertwining her fingers. They were itching to slap him in the face, but Kiramman knew it was not the way. At least not her way. "Nothing, I repeat: NOTHING gives you the right to judge people, criminals or not. If they are captured, they go to the cell, and they're still human beings. They have their rights. And you, as an enforcer, should know that."

"So she gets to kill and rob people, and I cannot even slap her, so she knows her place?!"

"She knows her place better than you do, it seems." she said lowly, making him feel shivers going down his spine. "And you should be happy she hasn't struck back at you. You'd probably be fighting for your life in the infirmary as we speak." she scoffed, shaking her head, but so did he. Caitlyn raised her eyes at him right away, and he stopped immediately. "What you did was to violate basic human rights of safety. She was here to await her transportation to Stillwater, and you had beaten her more than once. It should not happen, ever. What you did makes you no better than any of those criminals you've sworn to protect this city from."

"What the…?" he tried to barge into her speech, but she didn't allow him to. She found the culprit. She needed to punish him.

"Please, give back your badge, baton, and handcuffs, Champ." she stated as calmly as she could, having the anger raging inside her at the moment. He looked at her with surprise and disbelief mixing on his face.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what I said. You're fired. Give back all the property of the precinct, since you're no longer representing the institution of sheriff." she said fiercely. "And then leave before I arrest you for what you did."

"You're insane." he tossed his badge to her desk, but she did not even twitch when it landed and almost hit her in recoil. "You're going to regret this!"

"Regret more than I already do?" she scoffed, throwing all the things he gave back to her drawer. "Of course not. And now, please, leave by the front door, I don't have much time left to spare for petty arguments."

"You're…"

"Going to regret, yes, Champ." she rolled her eyes, standing up. He absentmindedly made a step back when she did, and it was clear he wasn't happy about that. He spat on the floor, and then he left the precinct, slamming the door behind him.

Caitlyn sighed. Of course, she should have seen it coming. He was always a bit too close to Vi's cell, always a bit too snarky and mean while making comments about her. Kiramman was sure that her decision would be for the better. After all, they had a new officer now, at least partially. Maybe the exchange would pay off.

She was praying for it to actually be so.

* * *

The time was passing, and she was still not able to believe she was offered to live where the very elite of the town was. She couldn't even sleep on the bed, she never did, using the floor instead. It was not even as hard as the ground she was used to sleeping on, but the bed was too soft for her. Her poncho was her blanket, and she wasn't even using the pillows. Her sack of wonders that she was using for tinkering with her gauntlets was enough.

And the gauntlets themselves. Lying around, near the windowsill, grazed by the bullet from weeks ago. She didn't even give a f*ck about it, those bitches had lived through some sh*t already, so they would live.

Vi sat down, leaning her back to the bed's edge, and looking at the window. It didn't take her long, she stood up, opened it, and then rested her forearms on the sill, right after taking out a pack of hand rolled cigarettes. She picked one, lit it up, and inhaled deeply when she heard quite a shy knocking on the door.

"It's open." she said without taking the cig out of her mouth. The door creaked the moment she exhaled the smoke.

"May I?"

"Like you ever needed permission to do anything, cupcake." Vi snorted, but it wasn't that hostile snort she had for Caitlyn for all that time when she 'recruited' her. At the moment it was more like playful snark than anything else. Kiramman, though, didn't seem to grasp it that much.

The door closed and the sheriff joined Vi by the windowsill, looking outside, at the city she's been used to living in for so long. "Why aren't you sleeping? It's another night I can see you overlooking Piltover." she snorted with a smirk. "You know, criminals sleep too, you don't need to watch out for them."

"I'm one of them." fuchsia haired woman shrugged, exhaling another cloud of smoke, not looking at her interlocutor. "In case you forgot about it or sh*t."

"How could I? You're taking every chance you possibly have to remind me of it." Kiramman smiled, and sat on the sill, looking at Vi. "Or are you, really? If they sleep, and you don't, it kind of doesn't make much sense."

"But I still am. Didn't you want to see me like that?" Ace glanced at the sheriff, and Caitlyn just snorted.

"Oh, at first, yes. But now I see you're more than just that." she admitted, glancing at Vi's bed. She noticed it was perfectly made, as if nothing was even touched there. One look at the poncho and the sack, and she was already aware of what was going on. "Don't you like the bed? It's comfier than the floor."

"You probably noticed I wasn't using the bunk in the cell, either." Vi finished the cigarette, smashed it by the window frame, and then threw it away in the night. Kiramman didn't comment on that.

"Because you didn't want to, or you weren't used to it?"

"Because I didn't want to get used to it." Vi scratched her cheekbone where she received the ricochet of a bullet that was supposed to hit Caitlyn. Now there was nothing beside a light scar that slashed some of her freckles."Does it really matter? Because I don't think it does."

"It can to me." the sheriff shrugged. "But you can use this room as you see fit, Vi. It's yours."

"I have never had anything that was mine."

"You can't sleep because of that?" she asked, glancing at Ace, trying to read her face from the profile. She couldn't. "I finished preparing the papers for the pardon. You're going to be a free person in no time. Working…"

"For you?" Vi snorted bitterly, shaking her head. "Yeah, sure, freedom like I've always dreamt of."

"No. I don't need you working for me. I want you to work with me." Caitlyn could see something was wrong. But she knew there was no easy way of getting to know what. "What's bothering you?"

"Me? Nothing. I'm fine."

"I can tell a liar when I see one, Vi."

"Well, then you're probably blind, cupcake." Ace shrugged, sliding another cigarette out of the pack, and lighting it up. "I just don't sleep. That's all."

"Not really a healthy way to go with your day." she raised her eyebrow. "Look, you can actually believe I don't have anything against you. You've never done anything wrong to me."

"But I did it to other people." Vi averted her gaze, thinking about Jinx. She was supposedly safe, but her sister? She was in danger. Years of service in Stillwater were nothing in comparison to being hanged for murders Spade committed.

"You mean your sister?" Caitlyn hit the bull's eye with the question, and she didn't even need the answer to know what that would be. "You miss her, don't you?"

"I think… I miss freedom a bit more than her." she admitted after a short hesitation. Her eyes got stuck on the City Hall's tower, where the clock was showing it was already close to midnight.

"What do you mean?"

"It's been so long since I was able to just feel like… there's nobody chasing me. Like I am not wanted, not hunted, not ambushed or cornered." she sighed, rubbing her chin, and covering her mouth while doing so. "I don't even remember the last time I could just go around any city without being pursued by sheriffs, when was the last time I could just breathe normally, not fearing someone would want to kill me and claim the bounty that was on my head."

"You know it was because…"

"Because I chose that path, I know." she rolled her eyes waving her hand, smoke swirling as it followed the cigarette between her fingers. "If it was, indeed, my sheer choice, fine. But it wasn't. I can't possibly remember the day when I didn't have to make my living by heisting, stealing, or doing other things that were against the law. Not that I have that much respect towards it anyway."

"Not that you have." Caitlyn snorted with laughter, and Vi gave her a side glance. "How is it to feel like that?"

"Unburdened." Ace admitted, throwing a dead cigarette butt under the window again. "I never wanted to make my living like that. And now I don't have to, and it's… refreshing. Somehow." she shrugged, feeling like she had said too much already. After all she was feeling bad for missing her sister less than the freedom she was granted. And she was aware that Jinx would be her sister forever, and the freedom would not be hers to keep without that paper Caitlyn’s mother was supposed to sign. But it wasn’t supposed to be given to her anytime soon, probably. She was more than sure that what Caitlyn prepared wouldn't be enough for this place's bureaucracy.

"Why did you go that path, Vi? Was that just a reckless fervor of a moment?" Kiramman asked quite curiously, but her interlocutor shook her head right away, even before Caitlyn finished the question itself.

"Nay, it happens when you're poor, a child, and an orphan nobody gives a sh*t about." she shrugged. "Also, I wasn't alone. I needed to make sure my sister had food and some place to sleep at night. And being a minor…"

"You couldn't get hired." Caitlyn nodded, but Vi hesitated. Should she tell her?

No, what for. She probably did know anyway, but something like that was always behind the scenes. Nah, that was not the best idea. She should just shut up. She made a victim outta herself already, there was no need to add to it, it was stupid and humiliating as it was.

"Yeah." she clicked her tongue, squeezing the base of her nose. "Whatever I did, I knew I'd have to pay for that eventually. But being sure my sister wasn't starving… it was enough for me to keep going."

"You seem… caring." Caitlyn had to admit she didn't really think about something like that. She was sure, at least at first, that Vi was like she was because of pure hatred to the law. "Like a good sister."

"You can see how it ended up." she drawled, but her voice was full of pain, not anger. "She goes on rampage, and I'm helping a f*cking sheriff to catch her. Yeah, sister of the year, where's my prize?"

"I didn't mean anything like that… or to make you feel bad." she admitted, regretting putting her words in the way she did. And she was really sorry for that, even though she knew Vi wouldn’t believe her.

"It's fine. I was trying my best, but it wasn't enough."

"What happened to her… it's not your fault, Vi." she said quietly, yet firmly, catching Vi's attention. "You probably did everything you could to keep her out of harm's way…"

"I still can't understand what happened. It was so good at first." she admitted, feeling the burden of her soul weighing in her chest like a rock. She lowered her head, and Caitlyn looked at her vigilantly.

"What do you mean? Spade?" when she obtained a nod, she swallowed. Okay, there goes nothing. "Could you tell me?"

"It's not a nice story to tell."

"I don't mind, really. You seem like you could use… a listener, perhaps?"

"Yeah, maybe." Her icy eyes were still stuck to the town's buildings, the ones that didn't leave her any opportunity to catch Caitlyn's gaze even by the corner of her eye. It was safer that way. "We were always close. When one of the waves of gunslingers came into Zaun, our parents… well, died." she shrugged, trying not to remember how it was back then, how painful it was to tell her sister their parents weren't coming home that night, or ever again. "So I started doing some small jobs for people. Stealing, forging, salvaging. Not much income, but always something. It was enough for Powder to have whatever she needed."

"Powder?"

"Spade." Vi raised briefly one of her shoulders. "She had never gone to work with me, because I wanted her to stay as far from that sh*t as she could. And for as long as I was able to keep her away from it. Promise didn't last long, not because I intended to break it. At some point she just followed me, and then wanted to help. She always had a knack for explosives and some real deal tinkering. She was trying her best, they usually didn't work. But just that once, for the first time, it did. She blew up half of a factory. Five people got heavily burned, but fortunately didn't die. And then I slapped her in the face for following me when I told her not to."

"What happened then?" Caitlyn's chest was heavy. She was expecting everything, but that. "Did she…?"

"When the officers came in, looking for the culprit, I knew they would not look at her. She was young, barely going into her teens. I was barely in them, but I knew I needed to protect her. And they knew me. They knew I was a bad seed, but they never actually managed to catch me red-handed. When they came around, I had to use a deception, for my… foster father not to catch me before, and they took me. Those were my first six years in Stillwater."

"You had a foster father?" Kiramman glanced at Vi curiously. She finally got her to open up, but… what she was saying was not making Caitlyn sure her mother was right in any way. If anything, Vi's story was making her even more human in the sheriff's eyes. "Why didn't you…?"

"Because I didn't want to be a freeloader." Vi slid down, turning around, and sitting on the floor, covering her eyes with her palms. "He took us in, but he also had two others. I thought… I wanted to give my sister what she deserved. And I didn't want him to feel obligated to help us."

"It was his free will to take you in…"

"It was his fault for those gunslingers to come to Zaun in the first place." she groaned, shaking her head. She couldn't cry. She needed to calm down. "Because of him we didn't have parents. But he was everything a stray child could have dreamt of."

"So you went to Stillwater to…"

"Protect Powder, and not bring Vander any more trouble. He already had it hard with me. Mylo was f*cking around as well, the only cold thinking guy around was Claggor, and… they both died anyway. When I was being taken away."

"Were they…?"

"Shot." she nodded, feeling the pain crushing her chest. "I saw them. They wanted to stop the convoy. Turns out that sh*t and sticks don't really work against guns. But the gunshots weren't what killed them. Powder's grenade did."

"I'm so sorry, Vi." Caitlyn swallowed, feeling bad for judging Vi without knowing her story. It didn't seem to be a lie, and that was something that concerned her the most. This person had baggage that a lot of Piltovans would never even be able to imagine. And the part about her sister… what was going on in her head when she was trying to help? Didn't she know it wasn't the way?

"Don't bother." she shrugged. "You probably have different problems. Like, what to put on for a banquet or sh*t."

Kiramman snorted, shaking her head with disbelief. She slid down next to Vi, and leaned on the wall as well. "That's quite accurate, however not only that. You know, being 'rich' is pretty boring."

"Yes, I can tell, all the luxury around, easy to get used to, huh?"

"For me it was always way too much to put up with. I never liked the banquets, parties, nor anything that I was forced to attend. That's why I left Piltover. And that's why we met in Bilgewater, probably."

"Yeah, not my brightest moment." Vi scoffed, shaking her head, and lowering her hands.

"You did splendidly then." Kiramman admitted with a mischievous smile. "I mean it, you didn't insist on anything, just talked with me. That was more than anyone in Bilgewater or Piltover ever did for me."

"My pleasure, I guess?" Vi shrugged, scratching her head. Caitlyn saw a stray lock of her fuchsia hair, and she tucked it gently behind Ace's ear. In that moment Vi stiffened, backing off immediately, slamming her back to the wall, and curling up, still leaving herself some space to fight back. Her pupils dilated as she experienced a sudden surge of adrenaline.

"Vi. Vi, it's okay.'' The sheriff connected the dots right away. Touch was not Ace's strong suit. She had some of those reactions before, but she was never touched by Caitlyn. "I'm here, you're safe. Listen to me."

Fuchsia haired woman was panting, as if she was in the middle of a fight. Her pupils were insanely big, and Kiramman knew it was fight or flight mode. At the moment Vi seemed to be in the choosing part, so she needed to do everything for Ace to pick none of them.

"Vi, please, look at me." she caught her scattered gaze, trying to find a way in this chaos. With some hardship, she was finally able to catch the icy eyes. "You're helping me with Spade. You're safe here, as long as you don't… ah, f*ck it, you're safe. You're safe with me, I will not allow anyone to put you back behind bars. Not if you've done nothing wrong, and you'll be pardoned soon." she swallowed. "Vi, please. Nobody wants to hurt you anymore. Nobody will ever hurt you like that again."

Vi swallowed, feeling something grew in her throat, making it harder. She nodded shakily, trying to release her back muscles that made a f*cking shell on her, to protect. Her breathing was short and shaky, her jaws painfully clenched. Seeing this, Caitlyn got closer, slowly, looking at her with a soothing gaze. She had an impression that she was behaving like a beast tamer, and the beast was, actually, Vi.

"Hey, you're okay. It's okay. You're safe." she was repeating like a mantra, trying to calm down Ace who seemed, at first, like a monument, not to be moved. And yet again Kiramman had been proven that this one had more of a human side than some of her own officers.

Caitlyn slid a bit closer, carefully, and when she saw Vi hiding her face in the nook between her knees and chest, she just hugged her. Her arms surrounded that bulky silhouette that now seemed so small and fragile. She could feel her trembling. She didn't even want to think how badly, and how many times, this one had been treated.

Kiramman squeezed her gently, feeling at some point a shy, uncertain grasp on the back of her shirt. Vi was still shaking, but she pressed her head to Caitlyn's chest, and the sheriff didn't feel like it was wrong. She held her tight, so she could feel safe again. She wondered how long it was since Vi had been hugged by someone.

The last time it was her sister… right before she went to Stillwater. Powder didn't want to let her go, but there was no other way, and Vi knew that better than anyone. After that, every touch for her was a herald of pain and suffering, when the guards were coming around to 'talk'. She forgot how it was for arms to wrap around her without the intention to silence, choke, or crush her. Shivers were running through her body, when she was trying to get those flashes out of her head.

Every night, midnight, almost by the clock. Three guards opening the bars with loud clanging. One choking her, two playing with her like she was a punching bag. After some time, the choker was releasing her, only to join the 'fun'. She was already barely standing, but she was trying to face them. Sometimes her fists were reaching their faces… most of the time they were not. Rough surface of the walls made a lot of marks on her knuckles and, probably, bones. She never knew if they were broken, but sometimes it felt so. That's why she had been wrapping her hands, and smashing the walls in her cell sometimes throughout the whole day. After some time, smashing the stone was not even bringing her pain.

"I'm sorry." Caitlyn heard a shaky whisper that almost gusted past her ear. Vi's fingers were clenched, as if she was afraid to fall. The sheriff shook her head, gently giving her a stronger squeeze. "I know I deserved the beatings, but…"

"Don't be sorry. Nobody deserves anything like that, no matter who they are, or what they did." she stated fiercely. "And the officer who did that sh*t to you last time, as you probably already noticed, had been fired. You're safe, Vi. I promise, you're safe."

Vi didn't reply, they just remained in that position, hugged, till the passing time and lowering emotions rocked them both to sleep.

Chapter 22: Vengeance be mine

Chapter Text

"Caitlyn?! CAITLYN!" Vi heard a shout from down part of the mansion, and she shivered, opening her eyes. The first thing she saw was the blanket thrown to cover her, and… she was on the bed.

How did she land there…?

"What's the urge, mother, I'm preparing for work! Vi's going to come down in no time, I don't have any to waste. And, bloody hell, why are you shouting?" young Kiramman charged right back at her mother, when Ace rolled out of the bed, feeling sorer than after sleeping on the floor. sh*t wasn't for her, now she was sure of it.

"Can you tell me what the hell is that?!" an empty slap indicated some paper landed on the table or any other surface. A moment of silence allowed Vi to put on her usual working clothes. She never agreed on wearing a full uniform, she was only keeping the badge, and even that was usually hidden anyway.

"A newspaper?" Caitlyn raised her eyebrow in the moment Vi stood at the upper part of the stairs, still unnoticed. She decided not to move, so she could observe what was that sh*t about. For f*ck's sake, it wasn't even 8 a.m. yet!

"You talked to them about that… about that stray!" Cassandra burst, but Caitlyn glanced at her with disbelief.

"Her name's Vi. She's from Zaun." she almost drawled. "And she proved she's a good addition to the team, better even than some officers that were serving under Marcus."

"Nonsense!" The head of the council sat down in her armchair, almost crushing her daughter with her glare. "She's a criminal, how can she…!"

"I'm NOT going to have this conversation again, mother. By all the wankers, how many times am I supposed to remind you that by making me a sheriff, you allowed me to make those decisions? Not to mention that for this one I had your personal permission." she nearly snarled. Cassandra squinted her eyes.

"It was supposed to be quick and effective. I can see neither, Caitlyn. And I expect results." she stated with her voice cold as Freljordan glaciers. However the sheriff stood in front of her, unfazed.

"And such you will get, mother." She didn't mind paying back with the same tone. Vi could bet if voice could change the ambience, she'd start breathing out clouds. "But every effect demands preparations and good circ*mstances. We weren't granted any, hence the delay. But we know what we're doing."

"You're spending time with a convict, Caitlyn. I don't like it."

"I am well aware." she nodded, but Ace could have sworn she would shrug if it was not too dangerously possible to provoke another outburst from her mother. "But I'd appreciate it if you'd just give up, and let me work. Let US work. We know what we're doing, mother, and we will make it worth it."

"You speak as if there was something…" Cassandra started, flabbergasted, but Caitlyn shook her head, successfully not allowing her to finish the thought. God knew what she had in mind.

"I can see Vi's here." she glanced up, catching Ace's quizzical gaze. She nodded, waving to her, and then going down the stairs. "We have to go. Have a pleasant day, mother."

"Let karma sort this sh*t out." Vi saluted nonchalantly, and then barged out of the door, following Caitlyn. "Yo, cupcake, everything's all right? sh*t seemed like something serious."

"No, she's still trying to have an impact on my decisions and force her own choices on me." the sheriff shrugged, leading the way to the precinct. "And even though she is, indeed, a head of the council, I will not change the ways for more… convenient for her."

"She doesn't like me." Ace scratched the back of her neck, but didn't seem bothered much about that particular case. "Are you really sure I should stay around? I can hang out in Zaun."

"And I'm supposed to let you wander off, risk you running off? Not a chance." Caitlyn shook her head, peeking at her companion, but Vi only shrugged.

"Worth a shot anyway." she grunted. "Sorry. For yesterday."

"Pardon?" Kiramman looked at her with her eyes wide open, not believing she heard an apology. And an apology for something that wasn't even supposed to be apologized for. "Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything wrong."

"I did, and I don't expect you to understand." Vi averted her gaze, scratching her wrapped hand. "Just take it. Anyway, why did you speak to the press?"

"Uh? They were asking. I didn't think it could hurt." she shrugged, dismissing the conversation she wanted to have. She wanted to know what was the reason behind Ace's reaction the night before, but she was well aware that asking would not bring her any closer to the story. Also, the change of topic was quite abrupt, telling her that she didn't want to pursue it further.

"What did you tell them?"

"Why are you so curious? Self-confidence building much?" Caitlyn tried to be funny, but Vi looked her dead in the eye.

"Nah, your mother seemed furious. I just wanted to know what's making the rich people so mad to just keep doing exactly that." she shrugged, looking at the sky and squinting her eyes. Her voice was so flat that Kiramman couldn't possibly evaluate if her interlocutor was joking, or was dead serious.

"I just told them Piltover has a new recruit that I look forward to working with." she admitted, and Ace burst into laughter, gaining a raised eyebrow from the sheriff. "What's so funny?"

"The audacity of the lie." she pretended to wipe out tears. "You're desperate, that's why I'm here. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Excuse me?" Why the hell could this person read her so easily?!

Or… Was it really reading? Or just a simple observation?

"Face it, cupcake." Vi snorted, shrugging, while they were taking the turn before the last straight line to the sheriff's office. "If you had any other way of capturing my sister, you'd probably do it without me leaving the cell, and being escorted to Stillwater right away. You can try to fool yourself, but don't try that with me. I'm not the council." she shook her head with disbelief, and Caitlyn was about to say something about believing in people and second chances (which would be completely out of place, probably), but she had been interrupted before she even started.

She was interrupted by a loud blast followed by a tremor that shook them enough for Vi to be forced to catch the sheriff for her not to fall. They looked at each other, puzzled, and then fuchsia just let Kiramman go.

"The heck was that?" Caitlyn looked at her partner, and Vi shrugged.

"Explosion."

"That I know. Spade?"

"Yeah, no sh*t." she rolled her eyes, and then looked around. They both saw the smoke at the exact same moment. Without a word they just sprinted to that place.

Caitlyn's heart almost stopped halfway there, when she realized what building suffered from the impact. When she did, she sprung forward, and Vi had a hard time keeping up with her.

"What the f*ck, cupcake?!"

"That's council's seat!" she explained, not even looking at her interlocutor. The thoughts were whooshing through her head, when she was thinking about what could have happened, and praying for it not to be what she thought it could be.

And if it was, then they had a problem. She had her rifle with her, but Vi did not have her gauntlets. And even though she was aware Ace was capable while using her bare fists… she had an impression the stamina could vary tremendously between those two.

"Easy, mamma Kiramman was still in the house when we left." Vi panted, but she did not slow down. Neither did Caitlyn.

"There are six seats, Vi." she almost snarled. "And if anyone died…"

"That'd be even more of a bounty on my sister's head." she nodded, reaching the building that had crumbled down from one side. Kiramman wanted to charge inside, but Vi stopped her right away. "Oi, Piltie, where the f*ck you think you're going?"

"Inside! I need to check…"

"Too risky." Ace's icy eyes sparked, reflecting the sun. Caitlyn swallowed. "I'm gonna go in. Nothing's telling you this sh*t would not fall apart while you're inside. Those rich bitches need their rich sheriff. And nobody's gonna mourn a f*cking stray convict." She cleared her throat, and before Caitlyn was able to protest, and she was about to do so, Vi delved into the ruins through the hole in the wall, disappearing between smoke and a rabble of walls.

"Sheriff! Sheriff, what happened?" She heard officers' voices, along with citizens', so she knew going after Vi was not an option. Another explosion destroyed the back wall of the building, shaking the ground around. Some of the firstly blown walls' parts crumbled down. Kiramman's chest crushed.

She clenched her eyelids for a brief moment. Oh god, let her live through it.

She didn't waste time. Forming parties of three, armed, she gave the orders to spread and search through the area to find the culprit who, most probably, was Spade. Nobody said it, yet it seemed like everyone knew it. After four parties like those were formed, the rest of her officers were assigned to keep people around safe, and not allow them to come any closer. If there were any victims yet, they didn't need any more because of negligence. Six officers were sent to take care of the council's members; to check, if they were in their houses, and make sure the authority of the city was intact.

She swallowed hard, feeling a crush in her stomach, joining one of the parties, going in relatively safe distance from the wall. She knew Ace was somewhere inside, but she had no idea if the next explosion didn't catch her off guard. They needed to make haste. If those weren't rigged before, and they shouldn't, since the patrols around town were regular and going all day and night, Spade should have been still around. She couldn't have escaped far, if at all. They started the search.

*

Vi was following a corridor inside the building. She had never been here before, but she knew it couldn't be that complicated. Or could it? After all those were Piltovans. They loved making their lives harder than they should be.

One look around when she entered a big space told her she was right. The building was nothing like Zaun's. At least five different doors only in the round room she was in. Who knew what was behind them? She sprinted to the table of contents, quickly sliding through it with her eyes. Councilmen. Second floor.

"Who the f*ck makes offices on second floor?!" she hissed, visibly annoyed, but at the same time she was grateful nobody could see her. Seriously, who would have thought that her, the number two criminal of Zaunwest, would end up helping the first ones to put the bounty on her head, not even asking why she ended up doing what she was doing. "f*cking wonderful. You bitches better not be there."

She proceeded further, reaching the stairs, praying for her not to have to actually die inside of that building. That was NOT the way she'd imagined she'd die.

Several swift and agile steps, and she was already on the second floor. When she made another step, she staggered, feeling one of the walls crumbling down, and the whole building shaking as if there was some sort of a quake. She knew those living in Zaun were always around, since the miners worked restlessly day and night, shift after shift, to make a living for their families… or addictions. Shimmer was still running deep, being all sh*tty and addictive as hell.

Vi saw the first door with the name of Mel Medarda on it. Screams and yells from outside told her Caitlyn had already taken the lead of all the actions around. Good. The further she'd get, the better for her. Knowing Jinx, and assuming it was all her work, two explosives hardly seemed like an end.

She tried to open the door, but they were closed. Vi didn't even hesitate. 'Sometimes you gotta make the door', she used to say. So she did, barging with them inside the room. It was, luckily, empty. Window was closed, but she decided to give a quick look around, just in case someone, and here it would probably be Ms. Medarda, tried to hide somewhere till the tremors passed.

Nah, she didn't think councilmen were stupid. She just knew they were from Piltover. Complete strangers to mines, quakes and all aftermath of workplaces they had established. Such irony, wasn't it?

Vi, however, didn't find her anywhere, so she could proceed to the next room, repeating the same sh*t she had done before. She barged inside the office, seeing it empty, and even quite clean, as if nobody was using it for some time. The plaque on the door said 'Salo', and she dug the memory. This prissy f*cker, if she remembered correctly, no wonder it was clean. He probably was sitting all the time somewhere else, partying. Maybe trying some new growth of Noxian grapes.

She scouted the whole office, even though she was sure Salo was nowhere around it for at least two weeks or so. And she wasn't wrong. When she was about to proceed, she heard voices from outside.

"We need to check inside!" one of the officers shouted.

"We already have one in! No need for more!"

"Who?" Vi peeked outside the window, seeing the guy looking around, and seeing all his co-workers. Then it hit him. "Aw sh*t, sheriff, you can't be serious…!"

"Yes, Ace's inside. And we're doing our job here. That's the order, officer." Caitlyn almost snarled.

"And you trust her?"

"I don't need…" she started, but the fuchsia haired woman was already out of the room, heading to the next. She clenched her fists before slamming the door with her whole arm's side, cracking them out of the hinges with a loud thud on the floor.

'Ace's inside'. 'No need for more'. Not that she counted for Caitlyn to actually send more people in, but she somehow had hope that maybe, just maybe, there would be at least one more person to make sure she was okay. After all, Kiramman herself said the other day that she cared about people, no matter where they were from. And that 'I don't need'?

Yeah, sure, the sheriff most certainly didn't need her. For anything but capturing Spade in a faster way than if she was forced to do it on her own. But anyway Caitlyn was good to go without Ace. And the convict knew that better than well.

"Figures." Vi scoffed, shaking her head, looking around in, no surprise, Cassandra Kiramman's office. As expected, Caitlyn's mother was not to be found there. She moved on, not to waste time. She would have to take care of herself… and trusting Caitlyn was a mistake. The very same mistake as allowing her to see Vi having flashes of the past.

"I guess we all make mistakes." she grunted, spitting on the floor, and moving to the next office when another fuse blew up, shaking the whole building.

*

"We need to check inside!"

Caitlyn immediately turned to the source of that statement.

"We already have one in! No need for more!" she yelled back, feeling her chest crushing harder while saying those words. She hated to admit that, but she was worried sick about Vi. The second explosive detonated trembled the whole building again, and it already wasn't looking good. The sheriff didn't know if she was worried only because that was her ticket to Spade, or because of something else.

"Who?" he asked, but glancing at his superior he groaned with disbelief. "Aw sh*t, sheriff, you can't be serious…!"

Kiramman frowned, giving him a chastising look. "Yes, Ace's inside. And we're doing our job here. That's the order, officer." she almost snarled, and he huffed, clearly annoyed.

"And you trust her?"

She clenched her fists, and couldn't refrain from drawling the words. The sudden change of her face told the officer that he went a bit too far. "I don't need your opinion or second guessing, officer. I said as it is. Ace is inside, and nobody else goes in, unless I say otherwise. If I didn't trust her, I wouldn't allow her to go. Now fulfill your duty, or face the consequences."

"Aye, ma'am." he curled up his tail, and went back to his party that was supposed to secure the perimeter.

Caitlyn did trust Vi. She knew what Ace was capable of, she knew that even if she despised the council, she would never allow anyone to die, especially not because of her sister. She'd want to save Spade from worse than was already awaiting her.

That night before proved to her she was, actually, pretty human, even if she tried to act otherwise. Yes, Ace was tough, no doubt, scarred and wounded, but she was a human being. And even if her deeds shouldn't be justified in any way… there was more to that than just whimsy.

They were securing the part by the wall that crumbled, keeping people far away in the moment Caitlyn felt like something was burning, and then she caught her officers, pushing them back from the building. It happened to be a very good call, since the wall in their proximity exploded, throwing the pieces of stone everywhere. With a loud groan, and a radiating pain in her head, the young Kiramman slammed the ground with her fists and teeth clenched. She could feel the pulsating in her temple, a stream of something going down her face.

She opened her eyes, but the world around her was blurry. She could see only silhouettes, and any attempt to zoom was bringing her more pain. She groaned, feeling someone's hands helping her up, and then helping her to sit down. She hissed, touching the source of pain, and when she looked at her fingers, after several blinks, she could see stains of red.

"Sheriff, are you all right?" someone asked, and their voice rang in her head like someone had just banged a pot near her ear. She grunted, nodding.

"Yes, I just need a… moment." she rubbed her eyes, and when she opened them, not without relief, she noticed she could see better. It was still not 20/20, but now at least she could recognize faces and people . "What's the situation?"

"The building is barely holding on." an officer admitted, looking at the sheriff. She glanced at him as well, wiping out the blood from her temple with her hand.

"Ace?"

"Still inside."

Caitlyn stood up shakily. "I need to tell her to come back…"

"Sheriff, you're injured." someone's strong hands gently pushed her back to the bench she was sitting on. "She's a co*ckroach, she's gonna be fine."

Kiramman glowered at that officer, recognizing him. Oh, of course! A friend of the fired one, how could she not notice?

"Say that again, Ray, and I promise you'll be having the watches in the latrine for next month." she snapped. "She's a part of our forces now. She's one of us. And I need to bring her back here before something irreversible happens."

She pushed away his hands, standing up. Even feeling dizzy, she was sure of what she had to do. Some blinks, two deep breaths, and she was good enough to move. And she needed to make haste before…

BOOOM.

The last wall covered with a spider web of cracks. With wide eyes, full of fear and disbelief, Caitlyn observed the stones crumbling down, bringing the whole building to ruins. "VI!" she shouted, reaching forth her hand, charging to the council's seat, inevitably transforming into a pile of rubble. Vi was inside. She was there, she was… no, she could not be dead.

And when the smoke exploded, choking them all, causing uncontrolled bursts of cough, Caitlyn, through the tears caused by dust, coughing, and fear, saw a smudge of fuchsia and black swooshing from one of the cracks. With a loud thud it landed next to her, rolling over its shoulder, and slamming the next building that was far enough not to suffer in recoil. The last explosion sent the shrapnel all around, but the officers were able to already raise their shields to prevent the hail of stone from hitting any citizen. Kiramman sighed with relief, seeing that, but then her eyes stopped at Vi. Vi lying under the wall, groaning, trying to move, but being clearly in pain. Not surprising, given the circ*mstances of her stunt.

"Vi. Vi! Are you okay?" she asked, running to check up on her. She seemed unscratched, but the internal damage usually wasn't visible unless it was too late. "Vi?"

"Inside's clean. Not a single living soul."

"Oh my god, did…?"

"Nah, nobody's dead either." she shrugged, but then hissed, closing her eyes. Caitlyn huffed impatiently.

"I was asking if you were okay. Don't try to dodge." she frowned. Of course, she was worried about potential people in the crumbling building, but she was also worried about Vi. And, if she was to believe Ace, she was the only one Caitlyn should be worried about. Building was clean.

"I'm fine." she coughed, spitting with dirt and dust. Her icy irises were a bit misty when she opened them, but Caitlyn sighed with relief seeing she was, indeed, somehow okay. "Just bruises. I'll get over it in ten minutes." she tried to straighten her back, but she grunted. "Okay, half an hour."

"Sheriff, all the council members were at their places, getting ready for the new day." An officer, a woman, came around to report to Caitlyn. Kiramman nodded, relieved. "But… Mrs. Kiramman was the only one we couldn't find."

"My mother…?" she swallowed hard, feeling her heart in her throat. She glanced at Vi, feeling a bit of comfort radiating from her eyes. Ace coughed, shaking her head.

"I ain't seen no sign of her, or anybody else." she said, grunting, and sitting up, resting her elbows on her knees, lowering her head, and clenching her eyes, trying to breathe normally. "Nobody was in the building, I already said that. She might have wandered off to clear her head, though."

"I doubt that." Caitlyn shook her head. She knew her mother. Cassandra wasn't one of those kinds of people.

"Sheriff!" Ray came back, gesturing chaotically. "I think you should see it. It seems like a message from… Spade, I guess?"

With a groan Vi slid up the wall she was sitting under, standing up. Caitlyn tried to stop her, but she shook her head.

"I can tell for sure if that's Spade's or not. Lead."

So the officer did. They stood by the wall of another building, and Vi swallowed, seeing what she saw. With her ribs pulsating with pain, she sighed, feeling like she just got into some murder game with her own sister.

"Sheriff, take your people as far as you can from here. Gather them somewhere. Make sure nobody is in radius." she said, taking her tools out of her satchel she had by her hip.

"What are you intending to do?" she didn't seem distrustful, but she was worried, whatever reason she had.

"It's a grenade. Spade no doubt." she pointed at the thing that was clenched on the rolled paper with Caitlyn's name on it. "I need to bust it down."

"What? Not a…"

"Spare it." Vi glared her dead in the eye, no spark whatsoever in her weary ocean of ice. "Nobody needs me, and I'm a perfect candidate. She's doing it, because she probably wants to give me a lesson. Whatever the case, I can dismantle it."

"Why evacuate people further then?" Ray raised his eyebrow, trying to see her intentions, thinking they were vicious, double-faced, but Vi just shrugged.

"Because I can make a mistake. And if that happens, it's better to have one person torn apart than a bunch. Move."

"Vi, no. I can call for Jayce, he…"

"...is a civilian. Yeah, no, you don't play like that, remember?" she asked, stretching her neck loudly and, probably quite obnoxiously, cracking. "Also, I'm not asking for permission, cupcake." her eyes were cold. Caitlyn stepped back, and her subordinate took it as a signal to help her out of the potential radius. Even if she didn't want to leave Vi there, she could not fight him.

They all widened the circle of officers, having the shields ready. The sheriff bit her lower lip, observing Ace taking out the tools, getting ready to work. Caitlyn could see her taking a deep breath, and then opening the bomb's trapdoor. Its parts flashed with neon lights, and Kiramman was sure it couldn't be good.

"Cait!" She heard the panting voice of her father, and she turned immediately to him. The movement was too sudden for her freshly wounded head, so she felt dizzy for a brief moment, but she managed to take control over it.

"Dad, it's really not the best moment to be here, I…"

"I couldn't find Cassandra anywhere, Cait. I looked everywhere. And she…" he gave a very worried glance towards the ruins. The sheriff shook her head.

"Vi checked inside. Nobody." she comforted him, at least she tried. "But… what happened to her? Didn't she decide to go for a stroll or something?"

"You ask, as if you didn't know her, Caitlyn." Tobias shook his head. "She left everything in the house. As if she was still there… and yet she's not."

Kiramman felt the shivers. What if Ace actually found Cassandra, and just decided not to tell her about it? After all… she was, indeed, a criminal. The whole mumbo-jumbo about no killing could be just a play, couldn't it?

She glanced at Vi, with her heart heavy, and her head torn between what she wanted to believe, and what her experience was telling her. And yet she couldn't really fully believe that Ace would be that vicious. She was tampering with the bomb, her forehead sweaty and cheeks rosy. She took her hair from her face, sliding them back on her head, and Caitlyn could not deny the appeal it had for her. Oh gods, it seemed bad.

The grenade landed on the ground, and Vi released a "f*ck", which caused people to step back even more. Fuchsia, however, was not yielding that fast. She caught the explosive, and just tampered with it more. Caitlyn caught herself clenching her fists, praying for that bitch to succeed.

And she did. A moment later the neon lights whirred down, Vi sloshed out the liquid that was inside, and threw the grenade on the ground, crushing it with her sole. Caitlyn released the breath she had been holding, and the crowd cheered when Ace approached the sheriff with the letter she salvaged from the debris.

Kiramman unrolled the note, and saw the words that froze the blood in her veins.

"It's just the beginning." she read, trying to control her shaking voice. Barely, but she managed. "She was first, but I'll come for every single one of you."

Her eyes stopped at Vi. And she seemed not surprised, but furious nevertheless.

Chapter 23: I'm not calling you a liar

Chapter Text

"What the…?"

Vi glanced at Tobias, crossing her arms on her chest. "You've said her mother wasn't around?"

"No, I couldn't find her." he confirmed.

"Neither did the enforcers." Caitlyn added, looking at Ace, who grimaced, but apart from that, she didn't seem bothered by the bruises she certainly must have gained while landing.

She didn't say anything, just grunted, shaking her head. The sheriff glanced at her, but it wasn't enough. Vi clenched her teeth, and headed to the sheriff's office.

"Where are you going?" she caught her wrist before she was able to move too far for her to reach.

"We're done here. And I wasn't released to clean up my sister's mess. I was released to help capture her. And for that, I need to think where to f*cking find her, especially that your mother is already in her clutches." she barked, yanking her arm off of Caitlyn's grasp. She hated the feeling of safety when she felt Kiramman's touch. Vi clenched her fists, turning her back to her superior and her father. "When you are done here, you know where to find me. Easy, I won't run away." she rolled her eyes, seeing Caitlyn's questioning look. Then she just shrugged, and left the area, going to the precinct.

And the first thing she'd done was to get into her cell, closing the bars behind her. Clang of the lock told her that without a key there was no way she could have gotten out. And she didn't have it.

Good. She needed to find a criminal, she needed to think like one, pardoned or not. Freedom of past weeks misted her senses already, so she had to go back to the roots. She needed to be where her place was. A cell. It wasn't maybe that good, knowing that there could always be someone else next to her, but it was better than nothing. With a deep sigh, Vi thought that in moments like that she really missed Stillwater.

*

"Caitlyn, do you really think…" Tobias started, but his daughter cut in right away.

"Can all of you at last stop asking me if I'm sure my decision was right?" she grunted, rolling her eyes with annoyance. "Yes, I am. She volunteered to get inside the crumbling down building to look for people. Now, as you can see yourself, those who don't believe her…" she pointed at the ruins, where her officers were searching through the rubble without her order. "...are about to learn that trust is vital in those kinds of cases."

"How can you be so sure she checked…"

"Father, please. You're behaving like a flag on a windy day. Trying to please mother with all those 'she's a criminal', and at the same time fighting with your own opinion over it all. Just… stop." she sighed with disbelief, glancing at him with weary eyes. "You saw it yourself. She volunteered to disarm a grenade, or a bomb, or whatever explosive Spade had left. She openly admitted she is not a know-it-all, and for people to get out of potential blast radius. If that's not something that should make me think she can be reliable…"

"What if she's just playing you?"

"You're spending too much time with my mother." Caitlyn's voice was cold and unfriendly, deciding that repeating herself would not do any good, but she could pull a string or two more. "Not that long ago it was you who told me I was thinking like her. Maybe it's time to trust the instincts we have."

"But do we really have to try it when there's so much at stake…?"

"So what, you're trying to tell me that if it wasn't mother abducted by Spade, it would do no harm to trust Vi, but since we're talking about Cassandra Kiramman, I have to wait?" she raised her eyebrows, and then shook her head. "You know, what? I'm not having that conversation, dad. I have work to do. And that work includes finding the head of this city's council. Excuse me, but I need to make haste."

And with those words she just left one of the higher ranked officers in charge, heading herself to her office. She really hoped she'd be able to find Ace there. She needed solutions. Information. And who was better to provide it than the abductor's very own sister?

"Vi?" she asked quietly, opening the door to the building. She tried to keep it together, not to allow anyone how big of an impact that situation had on her. Her mother was in danger, and Caitlyn was more than sure that killing the head of the council would be even worse than killing a sheriff.

And she almost regretted Ace saving her at that moment.

Not getting any answer, Kiramman went further inside the office, wondering if she should have trusted a convict. What if she just fled? What if all that was left was the sheriff's naiveté that Vi was to be trusted?

"Vi?" She tried again, but nothing came from anywhere, almost as if she was all alone in the office. She swallowed, recalling the thing Vi said the other day: 'once a criminal always a criminal. Beware who you trust'.

Capture Ace and lose Ace would be the biggest accomplishment, and the worst failure she'd have to go through. Such a shame, and all because she just wanted to prove something to her mother.

"Here." The answer came rather quietly, and Caitlyn frowned, having an impression the source was in the cell block. What the heck was Vi doing there?

She approached the room, and her heart stopped for a second, seeing her work partner sitting on the cell's floor, with the bars locked, the same way as she spent her days as an inmate there. "Oh my god, what happened?"

"Nothing. I told you I'd not escape." she shrugged, standing up, and leaning forward on the bars, resting her forearms on the horizontal bar, the same way she did it right before she offered Caitlyn a deal.

“Wait a second, did you…?”

“Close the bars behind me? Yeah, this time it wasn’t any of your goons.” Vi rolled her eyes, however she could understand Caitlyn’s concern. “I just needed to think.”

“And?”

“And you have two options: you can either open the bars and let me lead to where I think she may be, or just take the instructions from me and go by yourself.” she didn\t seem bothered by that thought, though. As if she didn\t really think her freedom could actually last. Caitlyn sighed.

“You really are something, aren’t you now?” she asked, trying to read the enforcer-not-really-enforcer. Vi raised her eyebrow, not really getting what the hell she was talking about. Caitlyn huffed. “Thinking you’d give me a choice, when there is only one option actually available?”

“Yo, there are two options and you’re free to choose. It’s not like you can’t find her on your own.” Vi rolled her eyes, clearly unamused.

“Why do I have that choice anyway?” Caitlyn didn’t even think about letting go of her suspicions. There had to be some catch, she couldn’t believe Vi was just willing to stay behind bars. Which criminal did that?

“For you and that council of yours not to sh*t your fancy pants on a sole thought I can just flee at any point.” she shrugged, saying it as if she was talking about what she had for breakfast. “So choose.”

“How about you tell me where to look, and I will assess if I need your assistance?” she crossed her hands over her chest, and Vi nodded, grimacing.

“Fair enough. You don’t need to go to Zaun, you can calm your tit*. It’s not that far from it, though. From all the places I could think of, there’s one that comes to my mind. The Sign.”

“The Sign?” Caitlyn raised her eyebrow, rubbing the back of her neck. “But that place… nobody goes there, unless…”

“You’re a chembaron running the whole Shimmer sh*t? Yeah, I got the memo, but believe me, she has a reason to pick that place. And if I’m right, she’s gonna be there with your mother… or her carcass, anyway.”

"That is NOT a time for jokes, Ace." Kiramman snarled, but Vi just shrugged, looking her deadpan in the eye.

"And I'm not joking." she said with her voice flat. "You need to prepare for everything."

The sheriff stiffened, realizing that the fuchsia haired woman was not messing around. She swallowed, afraid to ask. Vi, however, didn't really give a damn, seeing her hesitation.

"There can be blood. Broken bones. Wounds. Beating. Explosions." she enumerated, straightening a finger for each option. She wasn't amused, in fact, Caitlyn had an impression she was feeling almost physical pain while mentioning all of those.

"It sounds… bad." she admitted, even though there was nothing else to say. How could a situation like that be any good?

"Yeah, so you should hurry your ass to give yourself more chances to find your mother alive." she cleared her throat, sticking her hand out of the cell, though the bars, handing Caitlyn a piece of paper. The sheriff took it, examining it at once. It was a map. "What…?"

"If you wanna go alone, go. But be careful. Spade's unhinged, I'm afraid."

"What about you talking to her?" Caitlyn raised her eyebrow suspiciously, and Vi just sighed, clearly annoyed.

"There's more important things to do than me doing right by my sister." she growled. "And with every minute of your hesitation, you're making the chances of your mother's survival lower."

Caitlyn didn't think for long. She opened the bars, letting Vi out. "You're coming with me." she swallowed. "I have more chances against Spade with you, if…"

"If I don't decide to betray you?" Ace got out of the cell, catching Caitlyn's shirt and dragging her with her. "Believe me, I don't think a bullet in my head would be the best way to leave this world. You're safe."

"Sure." Still a bit unconvinced, Caitlyn followed Vi, releasing herself from her grip. Ace caught the gauntlets, and a moment later they already galloped, with the fuchsia haired woman leading the way. Observing Vi's back rhythmically rising and falling in the saddle, she wondered.

What was her deal? Was Ace just a good person, but misunderstood? Was the story of her and Spade growing up the way they did any true? Who was her foster father? And… why didn't she stop committing crimes when she still had the chance? What was this person's real goal? Was she… willing to change everything she knew?

"Give us five more minutes or sh*t, and we're good." She heard her hoarse voice when Vi waited for her to reach her horse. Caitlyn didn't notice her slowing down, sunken deep into her thoughts.

"How bad do you think it is?" she asked, even though she didn't really want to hear the answer. She was afraid of what it might be. Vi, however, only shrugged.

"No idea, but considering the pace she's going from zero to hundred, I'd not expect miracles." she admitted, jumping out of her horse while it was still running. It stopped a few meters after, when Caitlyn dismounted, and joined Vi on the way to the hideout.

The place didn't seem nice nor pleasant to be around. Old, wooden building was towering over a patch of dead encampment, made out of rugged, stained, and partially destroyed tents. It was the kingdom of people ravaged by Shimmer. Caitlyn swallowed hard, clenching her hands on her rifle, somehow starting to wonder if they would be able to go out of this alive.

"Be careful. Don't wake them up." Vi hissed quietly, catching her hand. The sky was already going dark, and the Sign was the only bright point in a radius of kilometers. Caitlyn bit her lower lip, feeling the touch. The rough texture of the wraps Ace had on her hands, along with the surprisingly soft sensation of her fingertips, made her wonder how her hands felt while freed from the cloth. And she seemed never to take it off. "It can get ugly if we do."

Caitlyn didn't oppose, watching her every step. They reached the building, and Vi, without an announcement, barged inside. She let out a loud groan.

It was empty.

"Come on, you were so sure she'd be here!" Caitlyn caught her head, shaking it with disbelief. "Another place! Where the hell can she be?! And what are you doing, you focking turd?!"

"Shut yourself, would you? I don’t need your slurs, you could have come here alone." she snarled, examining the wall of the place. There was something that didn't allow her to just let go of the idea of Jinx being around, even if she, indeed, wasn't. The smell, that characteristic smell she felt…

She looked around, taking out her lighter, and with a clang she opened it. A moment later dim light of the small flame granted them a bit of vision.

That place, she knew it so well. So many days spent there. Caitlyn was rambling, but Vi plainly ignored her.

Her eyes slid through the walls again, trying to capture something that she had not noticed before. She had the feeling Jinx had to be there… where else would she go?

Vi knelt by one of the walls, with a movement of her hand dusting off an old drawing that had been made just there. She sighed, feeling a painful sting in her chest. Poisonous snail with venom for ooze, and snail-eating crab with razor spikes. She used to play with her sister like that. Another look and she knew what was wrong. Or not wrong at all.

The venomous ooze on the wall was radiating with colors, as if the drawing was made just recently. In the meantime, the snail was… well, almost scratched out, but still there, like a shadow of the past someone wanted to get rid of.

“She’s here. Or at least she’ll come back.” She stood up, turning to Caitlyn who seemed to be hung between fear, despair, and anger. “But we shouldn’t be here when she’s back.”

“Because?”

“Because, sheriff , she’ll kill your beloved mother faster than you’d be able to take out your badge and say your usual lawful bullsh*t.” She rolled her eyes, heading to the door. Caitlyn caught her wrist, stopping her halfway. “What?”

“How can you be sure my mother is still alive?”

“Ah yes, I can’t use my eyes and brain, because I’m a turd .” Vi mocked, perfectly parodying Caitlyn's posh accent, yanking her arm outta the grip. “Look around, cupcake. Do you see any blood stains? Relatively fresh, mind that.”

Caitlyn did as she was told. She noticed some burgundy-brownish stains here and there, but they seemed old enough not to take them into consideration. After a moment she had to yield, and shake her head with defeat. “No.”

“There’s no way there wouldn’t be any.” Ace straightened her back, opening the door. “She likes it splashing as much as she likes explosions.”

Kiramman swallowed hard, but said nothing more. She followed her companion outside. “Where do you want to go? Clearly not back to Piltover?”

“Clearly.” She mocked again. “Nah, not that far from here there’s a small coppice. Enough to keep us hidden, and to be sure we’ll see Spade coming back here.”

“Okay, let’s say I believe you.”

“It’s not like I want to f*ck you up, sheriff.” Vi rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed. She let out a huff, trying to understand what the hell was wrong with Caitlyn. And she assumed that, apart from everything, nothing was. “I want to stop her as much as you do, believe it or not.”

“Only because you don’t want her bounty to go any higher?” Kiramman asked, following her into the woods nearby. Vi scoffed.

“Because I don’t want her hands to be stained with blood any more than they already are.” She almost snarled. “But yeah, figures that all Pilties ever care about is money.”

“It’s not what I meant!”

“Yeah, sure.” Ace waved her hand, finding a cozy corner surrounded by trees, and she sat down, wondering if putting up a fire was a good idea. They could be intercepted, fire was something that could hinder any sort of ambush. So maybe not. “Come on, don’t be shy. You never camped?” she looked at Caitlyn who seemed not quite happy nor comfortable with the situation, and surroundings.

“No.” she admitted after a brief moment of hesitation. "I mean… not like that."

"Right, camping's for criminals, true." Vi snorted, shaking her head. "Not far from it, though. Come on, feel like poor sh*t once."

"What do you mean?" She sat down next to Vi who just spread out a blanket she had on her horse. Caitlyn hugged her knees, feeling weak inside, her chest heavy, and her thoughts spinning in a vortex of fatality.

"I've never known anything else. It was usually only me, my sister, and a starry sky if we were lucky enough." Ace admitted lying down, sliding her hands under her head. "I know it's not a perfect circ*mstance for you, but I'm quite sure Jinx would be here in some time, dragging your old timer with her."

"Why would she, though?" Kiramman glanced at her companion who now had her eyes closed, and seemed peaceful, at last.

"She may be bonkers, but she's not stupid." Vi sighed. "She's aware that killing a head of the council before demanding sh*t in exchange would be a shot in the knee. Or head, even."

"You're trying to tell me she's going to what, negotiate? With us? After… after kidnapping my mother?" Caitlyn's eyebrow slid up, but the fuchsia haired woman just casually shrugged.

"I wouldn't go that far to call it 'negotiations', but she'll probably try to force her will on us. Not that she'll succeed in any case." she cleared her throat, opening her eyes, and giving her companion a side glance. "Look, I know this situation is sh*t, and I don't envy you. I don't know what you're feeling, but you sure seem to be breaking down. Don't. That's the worst you can do. It wouldn't help your mother, and hundred percent would not make my sister think you're eligible for conversation."

"Wouldn't that be convenient for you?" she asked, looking somewhere afar, resting her chin in the nook between her knees. "Without me here you'd be able to tell her whatever."

"I don't need to tell her whatever. I just need to appeal to her conscience if she still has any." Vi grunted, covering her eyes with her palm. "And I'd prefer for you to be around, actually, since you're the one to do diplomacy, not me."

"Wh-"

"Those aren't here without a reason." Vi raised her wrapped hands, waving them for Caitlyn to notice, which she, of course, did. "Maybe I wasn't mining the fissures with my bare hands, but… well, protecting targets without them ended up badly. I learned."

"What do you mean: 'targets'?" Caitlyn turned her head towards her interlocutor, but Vi just scoffed.

"I'm a criminal. What do you think?"

"Right." she sighed, looking again into the descending and thickening darkness. How were they supposed to see Spade coming around in circ*mstances like these? It was hardly believable they'd be able to see anything more than the tip of their own nose.

In the exact moment she thought about it, the sign lit up like a flare, sending the buzzing neon light to the sides, enlightening the area nearby. If Spade went anywhere near it, they'd see her like she was on their palm.

And Caitlyn could use her rifle to end it once and for all. But she was aware of what the deal with Vi was. If she shot Jinx on sight, she would lose any chance for her sister to decide to stay in the forces she was helping in now. And whatever others might have thought, Vi was a good enforcer, even if her ways were a bit… unconventional, to put it mildly.

She sighed, slightly shivering. Even though she was still stressed like damn, the adrenaline of the chase and hope started lowering. Chill of the night surrounded her like a snake, clenching more and more with every minute. In the moment she thought she'd have to go for another blanket to her horse, she felt something warm on her shoulders. Not without a surprise she noticed it was, actually, Vi's poncho.

"But you're going to be…"

"Don't bother, cupcake." she shrugged, lighting up a cigarette, and releasing a smoke bomb from between her lips after a moment. "I'm used to it. And you can use some warmth since your body is occupied with worrying about your mother."

Whatever Kiramman would want to say, there was nothing that was suitable. She was taken aback, since she never thought Ace could be such a considerable person. Maybe she had her pegged wrong, after all. "Thank you." she said after a moment of hesitation. Vi waved her hand, dismissing it all, and inhaled again. Caitlyn couldn't not peek at her, standing nearby, all muscled, tough, and menacing with the sole fact of being. And yet, in all that, she seemed caring for a person that was about to capture her own sister. With her help, no less.

"No problem." she shrugged, finishing the cigarette, throwing it onto the ground, and crushing it with her heel. Then she took another one.

"Nervous?"

"Bored." she answered too fast for it to be actually true.

"How are you holding up, though?"

"You ask as if you cared."

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't be asking, Vi." Caitlyn put an emphasis on her companion's name, making her look at her quizzically. She really didn't understand why this person was even willing to talk to her. Wasn't that supposed to be like… different? Classist?

She didn't even know how to say it. What to think about it. And it showed, since Caitlyn could see her back muscles tensing. She decided, however, to give her time to reply, not forcing her to answer. Somehow she felt that was the best idea she could have.

"Weird." Vi admitted after a long moment of hesitation. She didn't know how to face it. Jinx was, indeed, her sister. But catching her and putting an end to her killing spree was the only solution she could think about. And, when captured, she could talk to her. Figure something out. Anything. "I never thought it'd come to this."

"I can only imagine." Caitlyn nodded, slouching a bit under the poncho, noticing with surprise that Vi's scent was nothing like she imagined it'd be. Cigarettes mixed with grass and the roughness of heavy haze. She couldn't believe she realized she actually liked it. "Can I help you somehow? Make it… easier to bear?"

Vi glanced at her, raising her eyebrow with disbelief. Did she really ask…?

A shadow blinked in the Sign's light, and Ace knew that was their cue. There was no time for feely talks. Or any talks at all.

"Let's make sure the head of that damned council is safe." she said, extinguishing her third cigarette after spitting it out right from her mouth. She took the gauntlets, and then straightened her back. "You coming?"

"How can I not?" Caitlyn rolled her eyes, standing up, and giving the poncho back to its owner. Vi shook her head, seeing slight goosebumps on her neck. Kiramman, without a word, put it on properly, clenched her fingers on her rifle, and then just followed Ace with determination on her face.

Chapter 24: Spill the tea

Chapter Text

"Fine. Now we can talk." Jinx slammed Cassandra to the chair, making sure she wasn't able to slip out of the ties. The councilwoman was already all bruised and bloody after what Spade did to her to capture her, and then to sedate her. It wasn't any pleasant, but Cassandra highly doubted it was supposed to. "And you'll gonna tell me everything if you wanna go back to that filthy rich city of yours."

"Bold of you to assume that Piltover's people cannot make it without me." Mrs. Kiramman frowned, trying to get a lay of the land. The room, however, was dark, humid, and not familiar to her whatsoever. Of course, how could it be? All she's ever known were elitist saloons in the city she was running. And she was in pain.

"Yeah, maybe, but it surely can cause some stir of panic." she snickered, getting her own chair by dragging it with a loud screech in front of Cassandra. She sat on it, with her legs spread, arms as well, but her zapper gun's barrel rested on her knee, for now, just to make an impression. Who knew what she would have to do with it later. "So, Mrs. Kiramman , tell me. What did you do to my sister that she's serving you like a loyal dog now, huh? Brainwashing? Nah, she doesn't have much of it anyway. Tortures? No, she's too tough for it. So?"

"Your sister?" Cassandra raised her eyebrow, trying to connect the dots. Her head was pounding, she could feel streams of blood, fresh along with dried, on her face, especially under her nose. "Wait a second, you're telling me that Ace is your… sister?"

"Class act, I really thought you didn't know." Jinx laughed out loud, but seeing her hostage's face she gained the certainty she was actually telling the truth. "Oh f*ck, come on, you really didn't know?!"

Cassandra remained silent, only coughing, but instead of spitting the blood that gathered in her mouth, she swallowed it. Jinx grimaced.

"Well, that'd be fun. Whatever. What did you do that a wanted criminal is now one of your goons? She was never that kind of gal. There has to be something you did to her."

"I would not tell you a single thing." Cassandra's lips formed one straight, quite pale line. "And you are not going away with what you just did."

"Oh, you mean with kidnapping you? No worries, I can always just say it was an accident you got in my way and an even worse accident happened you didn't survive." she shrugged, putting the barrel of her gun to her own cheek. "Like, it happens."

"What do you want from me?" Mrs. Kiramman didn't have much of a choice but at least got to know what was wrong with that person. The ropes were tied so tight she could barely move, but she was concerned if the circulation was not endangered.

"To talk." Spade shrugged. "Y'all think I'm just a crazy whacko, and I have more brains than you all combined." she snorted. "After all I was first to capture you, not the other way around.

"My daughter is already on her way. Trial you left is still hot, Spade."

"Yeah, and she'll probably bring my sister here." she shrugged, looking at the ceiling. Then her eyes moved back to her prisoner. "So you better talk, what did you offer her to do this sh*t for you?"

Would it hurt to tell her? Of course not. Criminals are the same kind of people. If Spade got pissed because of her sister accepting the offered deal, then she'd probably want to kill her. Ace would not go down easily. The chances to have them both dead by each other's hands were pretty high.

Getting rid of that mockery of an enforcer would be a blessing for Piltover, really.

"The sheriff's deal was for Ace to bring us as close to you as possible, so you could be captured." she said calmly, perfectly keeping her composure. Jinx didn't know what to think about that, but she just assumed she'd understand soon.

"And what was your part of the deal?" she asked. Let's see what her sister sold herself for.

"And her crimes will be pardoned."

Spade froze. No, was that sh*t serious? Her sister, the one always true to her own ideals and ways, Vi, would she….? No. Impossible.

"And she agreed to that?" she scoffed, trying to sniff a trap. Maybe she was trying to turn her against Vi. That had to be it. "Smells like a scam to me. I know Fat Hands is not particularly brainy or sh*t, but seriously, even she wouldn't fall for that."

"Oh, quite the contrary." Cassandra smirked, even though it pained her a lot. "She ate it like a pelican. She did not even have second thoughts, if that's what you're wondering about."

Spade frowned, whirling her gun on her finger, and with a clang she put it to Mrs. Kiramman's head. "You're lying."

That was not the turn of events Cassandra was hoping for. But it wasn't all lost yet, she just needed to distract her. It didn't seem hard, since Spade seemed potent to manipulation, somehow. But Kiramman needed to keep her face straight.

"And why would I do that?" she asked, glancing at her even a bit curiously. As much as her bruises allowed her to, of course. "What would I get by lying to you? You think I'd make you angry only to be killed? Preposterous."

Jinx bit her lower lip, still aiming her gun at Caitlyn's mother. After a while she slowly lowered it, and Cassandra needed to hold the sigh of relief. "You're right. I'm not here to kill you. I want my sister back."

"Pardon?"

"Let her go. She's gonna stab you in the back sooner or later, and here she'll…"

"Go back to crime?" Cassandra wasn't amused, but Jinx didn't give a sh*t, plunged into her own world again. Mrs. Kiramman swallowed hard, seeing Spade waving the gun as if it was a toy. And she wasn't quite sure if it wasn't reloaded already.

Jinx didn't even hesitate before hitting Cassandra with the handle of her weapon. "f*cking Pilties, thinking they know everything." she spat, seeing her hostage's head jumping back. The woman coughed, looking at least exhausted.

"If you want to kill me…" she rattled "go ahead. But rest assured, Caitlyn will find you. She'll avenge me." she started coughing, spilling some blood on her clothes. "And she'll kill Ace as well."

"If any of what you're saying is true, seems like Vi deserved it anyway. If she dies, that's on her." Spade shrugged, co*cking her gun. "Okay, since you're so eager to die, who am i not to help?" she almost sounded like she really cared about it. "The hole in your head would make a nice message, councilman." she snickered, and the gunshot sounded in the air.

Cassandra's chair tilted, tripping, sending her sliding on the floor. Jinx dropped her gun with a loud hiss. "OUCH, WHAT THE f*ck?!"

"I told you it wouldn't be flesh friendly next time we see each other." Caitlyn's voice was low, angry, and definitely threatening. She nodded, so Vi moved to the side, going straight to Cassandra to check on her.

"Vi?" Jinx asked hopefully, but when her sister looked at her, she saw nothing but painful disappointment. And she started releasing the hostage. "What the hell…"

"You've gone…" she started, but her sister wasn't listening. In a surge of fury she caught her gun, shooting at Vi and Cassandra without mercy. It was definitely shooting to kill. Caitlyn covered them with fire as well, and Vi took the head of the council on her back, firefighter style, covering her with her gauntlets while Jinx jumped out of the window.

Kiramman wanted to rush after her, but she glanced at her mother with hesitation. Vi shook her head. "Go after her. I'll take your mother back to Piltover."

"You…"

"There's no time, and I have more strength. Go. You have a chance with her. Melee wouldn't do much anyway. What are you waiting for? GO!" she snarled, and before Caitlyn said anything, Vi barged outside, sprinting to their horses. Cassandra Kiramman needed medical attention as soon as possible.

She caught the horse, threw the councilwoman on its saddle, and sat behind her carcass herself. Then she spurred the animal, galloping to Piltover, squeezing every drop of strength the horse had.

*

It couldn't be possible. No, Vi wouldn't do that. Not to her.

Jinx was trying to lose Caitlyn, but that bitch seemed to follow her all the time, and it felt like she was right behind her. A thought crossed her mind, to go to the woods. Piltovans weren't really familiar with those, were they now?

She jumped to the side, rolling through the bushes, luring Caitlyn after her. Then she changed direction, sliding through the forest like a pine marten. She knew those places. She knew it'd be easy to lose her there.

Climbing one of the trees, she frowned, throwing a rock forward, and then, sticking her back to the trunk, trying not to move, so the leaves wouldn't uncover her position. Caitlyn dashed underneath that tree, and followed into the wild, leaving Jinx behind.

Vi wasn't with her. Was she with that bitchy Piltie? Was she really helping them, or…?

No, she was always loyal to Zaun and its people. She would never work with Piltover, at least not for real. There had to be some deeper reason behind all that. Old habits die hard; Vi would never trade her own sister for freedom… right?

Jinx clenched her teeth hearing angry breaking noises when Caitlyn's shoes were going through the dry branches that were lying on the ground. She didn't find Spade, of course, so the wanted criminal needed to wait just for a bit more to ensure she was safe.

"Bloody wankers!" she heard posh cussing. "Always sliding away, like goddamned eels!"

"That's a funny comparison." she mumbled to herself, listening to the distant steps when the sheriff was going back where she was supposed to. She could try to kill her, but with the darkness around, since the Sign wasn't giving too much light where she was, she had an impression she wasn't going to succeed. That once she needed to let it go. But not for long, she was sure.

When she ensured she was safe from the sheriff’s threat, she slid down the trunk, landing softly on the ground. With a smile she went into the other direction than her chaser, and decided she needed to actually plan something, maybe even with Sevika, how to take out Caitlyn. And, if the situation would demand it… Vi as well.

Chapter 25: Criminals gonna crime

Chapter Text

Vi was cursing her rotten luck the moment Cassandra Kiramman opened her eyes, regaining her consciousness. Galloping with her onboard was not an easy task per se, but when she opened her mouth, it didn't make anything easier.

"How dare you treat me like this!" she heard, but said nothing. Fine, maybe taking the head of the council as if she was a cargo was not the best idea, but that way Vi was sure she would not slide down. She was unconscious after all up to some point. "And you dare to call yourself an enforcer! Not even having rudimentary respect for your councilman!"

"I call myself a Zaunite, and I don't give a f*ck what you think of me, ma'am." she snarled, trying to keep the pace and not fall from the horseback when Cassandra started to move just to sit. "And I strongly advise you to stay where you are."

"Like a cargo?!" she huffed. "Not a chance! You're going to pay for that!"

"For saving your ass? Figures." Vi scoffed without surprise. Piltovans were so predictable when it came to Zaunites, after all. "Would you mind shutting up? I'm trying to ride here."

"How…!"

"Oh, for f*ck’s sake." Vi groaned, spurring the horse, so Cassandra got rattled enough to quit whining. "You'll get worse if you keep on rambling. Cupcake wouldn't be happy about it.'' She kept the councilwoman's head, so she didn't try to move more than it was necessary.

"Surely sheriff ," Cassandra put an emphasis on the word, as if she wanted to chastise Ace for using that ludicrous nickname. "would be informed of how you'd treated an injured councilman!"

"She would be devastated, yeah." fuchsia mumbled, trying not to listen to that cargo. Thing was, she couldn't. Mrs. Kiramman made sure she was hearing all her angry rambling.

"I knew you'd be no good for this city! You show up, and there are gunshots everywhere, immediately! Criminal sump rats!"

"Yeah, just like me, you wanna tell me something I don't know?" Vi seemed unbothered, but deep down she wanted to kick Cassandra outta the horse so bad.

When they reached the Piltover's infirmary, Mrs. Kiramman dismounted on her own, but if it wasn't for Vi, she would have fallen. Ace caught her, dismounting herself, and was not at all surprised, when, instead of a 'thank you', she got pushed away almost violently.

"Don't touch me, I can walk on my own." she snarled, and Vi just stepped back. What was the point in fistfighting an idiot? "You Zaunites are a blight to this city. It's because of you and your poor management that the one you live in is in such a poor state."

Ace called a medic, and masoch*stically decided to stay around till Mrs. Kiramman wasn't in good hands… or any hands, actually. She glanced at her interlocutor, all bored and blasé. "Do I need to remind you that Zaun is under your jurisdiction? The way it looks and functions is solely because of a bunch of topsiders that don't give a sh*t."

"Oh god, of course, you'd be as hideous as the rest of them all." Cassandra rolled her eyes with an angry huff. "I do not like that you're around my daughter so often, and so close. If you think you are going to win something out of this, I will disappoint you right here: Caitlyn only uses you as bait for that atrocious criminal of your sister no less! Now I know that it flows in blood."

Vi felt the sting, but she just raised her eyebrow, trying to push it deep. She knew she was a bait, but she thought maybe Caitlyn wasn't that kind of person. Maybe she wasn't, but with a mother like that? Yeah, no way.

"Yeah, totally. Wanna see if we bleed bullets? Or, maybe, Shimmer or river toxins?" Vi grimaced, but she felt a relief the moment she saw a medic approaching them. He took over the care of Cassandra, and thanked the enforcer. Ace was only able to nod back, when the councilman started to complain over the brutality, and how Vi made her pain worse. Of course, she didn't strain herself from giving fuchsia an ice cold glare that Vi didn't give a damn about.

She scoffed, shaking her head with disbelief. "I guess Imma find myself another place to crash at night. Consider your attic vacated."

And noticing a quite surprised glance from the head of the council, she just shrugged, turned around, and headed straight to the liquor store that was nearby. She really could use some anesthesia right now.

* * *

The fire was crackling as she managed to start it. She sat on one of the tree trunks, with her spare old poncho and hair rustled by the wind, she put on the hat, and sighed as her spurs clanged when her soles hit the ground. She opened the bottle, pouring some of the alcohol down, observing the soil absorbing it.

"I hope you're not disappointed." she sighed, looking at the silhouettes of gravestones nearby. She thought about her parents. She barely remembered them, and Jinx… she probably remembered them even less. "Or at least less than I am."

She chugged more or less a quarter of the bottle, staring at the flames. No place to stay, no people to trust. Like old times, right before she got in, and right after she bid farewell to Stillwater. That place didn't seem that bad anymore. All the same people, all criminals. Beating because you were existing, because you've commited crimes. No discrimination, everyone was getting their share.

"I never thought I'll end up like this." she scoffed, looking at the bottle, revolving it in her hands. "Alone. Miserable. Pursuing my sister. A f*cking cop, no less." she glanced at her knuckles, but averted her gaze right after. "Why do I even bother, if even when I'm using those for a 'right cause' I get a backlash? I'd be better off heisting sh*ts again."

"That's what you think?" she heard Caitlyn's weary voice behind her when she put the cigarette between her lips and lit it up. "That you'd be better off to criming again?"

"Any luck?"

"As rotten as it ever was with Spade." Kiramman sighed, sitting next to Vi, and leaning her rifle by the trunk, with its barrel up. "She fled. I lost her in the woods."

"She was always quite okay with hiding there." Vi scoffed with a bitter smirk, exhaling a smoke cloud. "Not as good with woods as I was, but…"

"Hardly believable, if I'm to be honest." Caitlyn snorted. "You seem more like… ramming type."

"That's what she said." she mumbled, sipping from the bottle. "To what do I owe the pleasure, though? I thought you'd be with your mother."

"Yes, I stopped by the hospital, and… well, let's say I got a lot of ear-chewing about a certain enforcer treating her… inappropriately, considering her… hm, position. "

"Yeah, cry me a river." she scoffed bitterly, sipping again. "I was to deliver her here in one piece, so I did. Whatever she says and complains about, is not my problem anymore."

"Thank you, Vi." Caitlyn sighed, rubbing her eyelids. Ace glanced at her quizzically. "I know my mother can be… quite a handful, sometimes. Most of the time. Always, in fact." she groaned. "I really appreciate what you did there for me. You know, leaving Spade for me? It's my fault she escaped, though."

Fuchsia, without a word, passed her a bottle, with her eyes still fixed at the flames licking the air, as if they were trying to get up to the sky. Kiramman glanced at it, then sighed, and took a sip, twitching as the alcohol slid down her gullet. "Urgh, disgusting." she grimaced, but then she took another sip, and then passed the bottle back to Vi. "How did you know? Where to find them, I mean."

"Old habits die hard." Fuchsia just shrugged, sipping from the bottle, and the amber liquid splashed happily inside the vessel. It was the only thing happy in all of that situation.

"You were…" Caitlyn frowned, but then she understood in a flash. "You were living there?"

"For a time being." she confirmed, but didn't seem keen on continuing the topic. She seemed quite reluctant to any sort of conversation at the moment, but the sheriff felt she somehow needed it. At least for a few more minutes.

"What are you doing here?"

"I guess that's where I'll be camping for the next few days before I find myself something… less open." she shrugged again, waving her hand around.

"What?" Caitlyn seemed surprised, but Vi just shrugged, taking another inhale from her cigarette. "How come?"

"Your mother didn't mention it? Well, I guess I should've expected that." she snorted. "Well, I freed the room. Not much to take from there anyway. You can use it as you please. You should sanitize it though, you know, filthy criminal living there for such a long time could have planted some mushroom clouds there, or sh*t." she shrugged, chugging half of what was left in the bottle, wiping her lips with the upper part of her hand.

"What are you talking about? Did she just… kick you out?"

"Nah, she just gave me a very clear outlook on how she sees me being around. Zaunites are a blight, that's saying everything." she sipped from the bottle, again spilling some into the ground. Caitlyn frowned, looking at her with disbelief.

"Don't you want to know what I have to say about that, perhaps?"

"What for?" she shrugged, chugging a quarter of the bottle at one sit. She lowered it without even a single twitch on her face, and replaced the glass neck for the cigarette. "Your mother said enough. I don't need anything else."

"Vi, this can only work if we trust each other." she sighed, but her companion stood up, giving her the bottle. Surprisingly, she didn't even stagger. She took a big inhale, and then looked at Caitlyn, releasing the smoke through her nostrils.

"It doesn't work, it never has." she said, causing Kiramman's back to tense. "I'm just a sump rat, and your mother's right. I'm a criminal, there ain't no redemption arc for me. I'm better off doing other sh*t than being around the precinct." she took the bottle out of Caitlyn's hands, finishing it off, and releasing a loud belch afterwards. She reached into her pocket, and threw something shiny onto Kiramman's lap. The sheriff needed only one peek to know what was that. Vi's enforcer badge. "Take it as quitting. I'm sick of your mother trying to play me down, as if I didn't already know I'm worse than others."

"You can't possibly be thinking about it, Vi." she stood up, towering over her companion. Beside her height per se, she also had higher heels that Ace was avoiding. "It's… oh god, I can't believe it's happening again."

"Again?" fuchsia gave her quite a curious side glance, slightly turning to her.

"She's always trying to question whatever I do, whatever I choose, whatever I decide." she snorted, shaking her head, rubbing the badge her companion just threw at her. She saw it was perfectly polished, not a single scratch on it. And she knew how much trouble Ace was getting herself into, enforcer or not. "She's always trying to prove I'm wrong, and that I don't have a good judgment." she raised her eyes at her interlocutor. "Vi, you can't just leave. I know that my mother's opinion should matter to me, but… I know what kind of enforcer you are. You're a good one. You don't oppose, usually, you don't question me or my choices, you don't cower before getting your hands dirty or telling me plainly that my ideas are sh*t if they are. Piltover needs you… I need you." she reached her hand with the badge. "I understand your hesitation, given my mother's behavior, but… please, reconsider it. After all, you're working with me, not with her."

Vi hesitated, clenching her fingers on the empty bottle's neck. She felt her face and chest getting warmer because of the alcohol. It was just a matter of time before it would kick in. She needed to be quick, if she wanted to get rid of Caitlyn till then.

"Please, Vi. You agreed on helping me, with barely any thought given to the cause. Don't ask how I know it, it does not matter. I won't stop you, whatever you decide, but… just… give it a thought. Just that. Please." she reached her hand a bit further.

Vi glanced at her with a bit misty icy eyes, and sighed heavily, throwing the bottle inside her bag. Staying the night in that place was out of the table. She needed to go somewhere else. She could not be around Caitlyn.

She reached out her hand as well, taking the badge. She tried to do it avoiding any contact, but Kiramman held it the way it made it almost impossible. Their skin brushed against each other, and both of them felt a shiver. Their eyes met, and Vi could see the dancing flames in the vast ocean of Caitlyn's irises.

They averted their gazes the exact same moment, feeling the rushes of their hearts. Vi swallowed, looking at the badge. "No promises. But anyway, I'm still not a free person, am I now?" she scoffed, and heard a sigh that was enough for an answer.

"I've prepared the papers to submit to the council. They will be ready in a day or two, tops, to reach them. For all you've done for us, for Piltover… it owes you at least that much."

Vi snorted ironically, shaking her head. "Yeah, sure." she tossed the badge up, catching it while it was falling, and then threw it back into her pocket, catching her sack. "I'll think about it. But, just so you know, I really don't belong here. And I'm proven of it almost every day. Don't have your hopes high, cupcake. Whatever you'd want to say, we both know your mother is not particularly the one to have even a pinch of liking for me, and she won't change her mind, that I'm sure. Frankly, at this point, I wouldn't even want her to. It's better this way."

She threw her sack over her shoulder, and turned around to leave. Caitlyn felt her eyes burning when they tried not to tear. She reached out her hand towards Ace's back.

"Vi…"

But she only lit up another cigarette, pressed the rim of her hat, and sighed. "See you, sheriff."

Chapter 26: Childhood trauma

Chapter Text

Zaun. She hasn't been around for a long time already, but the city hasn't changed at all. The surface was all the time the same - dusty, full of scraps, shady people, and streetfood that was supposed to be better than the one underneath. The truth was - it was pure bullsh*t. Vi always said that there was no better streetfood than at Jericho's, and Jericho's was deep down in the bellowing guts of the Undercity.

Jinx couldn't believe she was again thinking about her sister. For f*ck’s sake, she was supposed to be over her already, and she thought she was… but then she had to come around, with that topsider, no less, looking all good and sh*t, as if she was better than her sister. And it really seemed like she was actually working for those high class bitches.

No. It couldn't be possible. She knew her sister. If there was something Vi hated more than idiocy, it was law. Maybe she wasn't that… radical, as Jinx was, but she was certainly not the one to trade freedom to do whatever the hell she wanted for being an enforcer. She had to have an ulterior motive for that. Or at least Jinx wanted to believe it.

"Well, hello. Long time no see, Powder." She heard a voice from behind, but at first she didn't recognize it. Upon turning around, she got a hint, but still wasn't sure of who that was.

She squinted her eyes, seeing the brown irises, dark skin, and white dreadlocks with fading cut on the sides. White hourglass mark on his face was unknown to her, but when she saw the watch on a chain he was playing with, she knew. "Ekko?"

"At least you remember old friends." he shook his head, but Jinx didn't know if that was disappointment or just sentimentality. "How have you been? All those explosions around, that you?"

"Yeah, you know." she snickered, shrugging, as if it was no big deal. "No damage, no fun."

He sighed, snorting. "What exactly do you call 'damage', Powder?"

"It's Jinx now." she frowned, looking at him, trying, perhaps, to intimidate him, but Ekko wasn't going to let her, at least not that easily. "And damage is damage. You should know that yourself."

"Last time we talked, we were barely in our teens, and all you've been shooting were balls of paint staining my shirts." he sighed. Jinx giggled.

"Not my fault you were not prepared properly to dodge." she shrugged, and then her face straightened. "Okay, but whatever. You need something? I'm kinda in a rush."

He frowned, on guard immediately. "In a rush? And what's the rush? You have plans to explode another building, maybe?"

"Always straightforward." she sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know. Maybe. Haven't decided yet."

Ekko raised his eyebrow, looking at her with a mix of concern and disbelief. She huffed, rolled her eyes, and then tried to walk past him.

"Well, good I decided, move, I'm going to…"

"Explode something?" he grimaced, blocking her way, and looking at her side where she had a pouch with grenades. He didn't know about the contents, though. He crossed his arms over his chest, and shook his head. "I have to admit, I haven't thought Zaun can ever be looked at as a good place, but you and your sister managed to give it an even worse name. Vi not that much, though."

Jinx scoffed, rolling her eyes. "She's doing better now. And so am I, since we're separated. Finally free. And now move, if you don't want me to shoot you in the head, boy-savior."

"Boy-savior?" he raised his eyebrow.m with disbelief. "And here I was, thinking that maybe you'd actually be able to come up with something creative."

He just finished the sentence, and her face told him right away he played it wrong. Her eyes darkened with anger, and Ekko needed to dodge the bullet when she plainly shot at him, without a word of warning. "I AM creative!" She burst with giggles that left his back crawling with ice cold shivers.

This was NOT going to end up well, to any of them. And he had no idea how many people could be hurt in recoil.

He always thought he knew her. Powder, Jinx, as she wanted to be called now, was always one of his closest friends, since they both were younger, and looking up to Vi. Not that Vi didn't want to hang out with them. On the contrary, she never cowered from taking responsibility for them both, as well as for Mylo and Claggor when they were going for something slightly opposite to the law. Even though the two latter guys were not that much younger than her, she was still supposed to be the caretaker of the whole group. And she had never had a problem with that.

But Jinx… it seemed way out of hand what he saw now. She seemed… different. Wilder. And not at all in a better way.

He swung to the side when she just plainly opened fire with a loud scream and hysterical laughter. The bullets followed him as he dashed, jumping over a junk heap, catching a pipe, and clenching his hand on it. Metal, sturdy, quite heavy. He could make use of that.

If he was able to get any closer to Jinx.

He remembered all the games they were playing back in the day. One of them was Powder shooting at him with balls full of paint, and him dodging the bullets to get to her with his melee weapon. The first person to get hit, lost. And now it was the exact same… but more hardcore. He couldn't say no to a little challenge now, could he?

He jumped over a cascade of bullets, whirling like a screw, landing somewhere closer to Jinx, but still not close enough to even scratch her gun with the pipe. Bouncing off the building's wall allowed him to dodge another series of deadly shots, and one swift motion brought him close enough to take a swing at her. Jinx wanted to step to the side, but she wasn't fast enough.

The metal slapped her across her face, but she didn't release her gun, clenching her hand on the trigger even harder. Ekko slid under the bullets, hacking Jinx's legs. She staggered, in the last moment of wild desperation slamming his ankle with the core of the weapon. He felt a crushing pain radiating through his whole leg, but the only thing he did was to clench his teeth. He couldn't let her go deeper into Zaun, and do something they would all regret.

Jinx fell to the ground, but before she managed to even roll to the side and shake off the stars she saw after the hit, Ekko was already on her, throwing a punch to her face. When his fist was about to land there again, he looked into the eyes he knew so well. Big, blue eyes, scared and shooting to the sides, desperately looking for anything that could help her. Her breathing fast, the corners of her eyes wet. His fist stopped, ready to strike, but he couldn't do that. She turned, once again, into someone he knew. Into Powder.

The short moment of hesitation was enough for her to take advantage of it. He heard a quiet click, and one look to her hand was enough for his eyes to widen with horror. Grenade.

He bounced off of her, but it was too late. The impact threw him to the other building, as the shrapnel and explosion crumbled down another one. He started coughing, trying to see anything through the shroud of dust. He heard people yelling to each other, and he wanted to get closer to help, but the moment he tried to move, his leg decided not to cooperate.

"Yo, lad, you okay?" he heard someone's voice, and next moment he felt this person helping him up. "Saw what happened?"

"There's a person…" he pointed in the middle of the whole chaos. "She…"

"She's dead, lad." he had been dragged away from the epicenter of the explosion. "Good that you're only a bit scratched."

sh*t. He thought, clenching his jaw.

Chapter 27: I wanted her to stay

Chapter Text

"Are you out of your mind?!" Caitlyn barged inside her own house after the visit by the infirmary turned out to be pointless. Cassandra Kiramman decided to go rest in her own mansion. So her daughter followed, feeling furious inside. If anything of what Vi said was true, and she had no reason to think it could not, Cassandra had some explaining to do.

"Excuse me?" the councilwoman turned to her daughter. She was sitting in an armchair, cozily wrapped in a blanket, with a cup of tea in her hand. Her face looked repulsive, maybe because of all the swelling and bruises. "Watch your language, young lady, what is the reason for your behavior?"

"Vi left the room. The house." she snarled, looking at her mother with anger. "How could you treat someone who put her own life in danger just to save your arse? That's how you thank her?"

"She really left? Oh, and I thought you couldn't believe a Zaunite, who would have thought." She mixed the tea with a small, silver spoon, and sipped to try it. Caitlyn fumed.

"What is wrong with you?!" she growled, seeing her mother's indifference towards Vi and her whereabouts. "She was supposed to stay here!"

"Oh, so she could exploit you and us all she wanted?" Cassandra snorted, shaking her head. "Caitlyn, can you at least pretend you have any common sense? That's Zaunite, a criminal by blood. You cannot trust that kind of person with a plant, let alone living in your own house. She's doing everything to be pardoned, there's no real intention in her actions whatsoever."

"She literally went after her own sister, and let me pursue her, so she could escort you back to Piltover!"

"And what's surprising for me, Caitlyn, is that you let her! What would happen, if she finished what Spade wanted to do? And why did you not inform me that those two were sisters?"

"What difference does that make?" The sheriff frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "They parted ways. They're no longer on the same side of the barricade, mother."

"How can you be so sure? She's going to stab you right in the back sooner than later, and you're still keeping her, letting her name herself as an enforcer!"

"What's happening here?" Tobias appeared right in the moment when Caitlyn was about to explode. "Sweetheart, calm down. What's that about?"

"Because of mother, Vi had left the house. What she fails to understand is that she's no longer a threat, working for Piltover, so a person to be trusted. If I didn't know she was going to deliver mother in one piece back here, I would NEVER allow her to do that."

"Darling, I've seen Vi working for people in Piltover." Tobias glanced at his wife who scoffed. "She doesn't look like someone who doesn't know what loyalty is."

"Loyalty to the criminals, perhaps." Cassandra put the cup on the small table next to her, looking angrily at both the people supposed to support her and have her back. "The first moment she can, she'd be gone back to delinquency, no second thoughts."

"You know you may be right?" Caitlyn growled, clenching her fists. "And I won't even be able to do sh*t with that, because you made her leave, either by telling her so straightforwardly, or by implying it in your sick game of 'I'm better than you', and that's not giving me a chance to know about her doings!"

"She is NOT a free person!"

"THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" The sheriff burst, throwing her hands up in a display of forlorn desperation. "You're a head of the council, you have NO RIGHT to meddle with things that concern my office!"

"Your office…"

"Answers to the council as a whole, not to you!" young Kiramman gritted her teeth, feeling completely unfair towards Vi. She left Spade, let go of the conversation that was a part of their deal, and just prioritized something that supposedly should not be a priority for her. And her mother, the very person who had been covered by Vi herself the moment Jinx opened fire… all she had were complaints and accusations, instead of a darn 'thank you'?! "If you have any problems with her, why don't you discuss it over a meeting when all of us are present?!"

"Enough!" Tobias raised his hands to stop those two from fighting, since it could end up in a fistfight. The only thing he was sure of was that none of them were actually good in such endeavors, unlike Vi. The same Vi they were fighting over. "This goes nowhere, don't you see it?"

"I actually do." Caitlyn frowned, looking at her parents like they both were attacking her, even if her father was far from doing so. "I wanted her to stay. But well, guess the head of the council had another idea, because getting around Zaun is so easy and relaxing!" she shook her head, completely done with all that sh*te. "Congratulations, mother, you've managed to hinder every plan I might have had so far."

The next thing she did was to storm out of the house, slamming the door behind her. Tobias glanced at Cassandra with a bit of a chastising look. "Did you really need to interfere with the new enforcer?"

"New enforcer! Et tu, Brute, contra me?!" she huffed, rubbing softly her swollen cheekbone. "We both know that girl is everything but an enforcer. Why would you bother to even call her like that?"

"Because I've seen what happened, Cassandra." he sighed. "While you were gone, Vi was the one to figure out where to look. She risked her life to check the ruins of the building for anyone who might have been left there. She disarmed the grenade Spade left. And then she led Caitlyn straight to you. Your head can't be that thick. You need to trust our daughter's judgment."

"Like hell I would." the councilwoman scoffed, shaking her head. "She's the sheriff, and…"

"And she was right, Cassandra." Tobias cut into her sentence. "She answers to the whole council, not only to you. She is responsible for the office you backed her up to take over. She's an adult, in a position you cannot change anymore. You need to let her work, not interfere or hinder."

"What have I hindered, since you both seem to actually have something in mind?" she frowned, taking the cup again, sipping from it, drilling her husband with her steel gaze. Tobias, however, shrugged.

"I do not know about her plans. But it does not seem like a bad idea to keep a criminal, as you still like to call Ace, close. At least in that case I'm fully supporting Caitlyn. You need to let her do her job."

"I am not stopping her!"

"You need to let her do it HER way, Cassandra. Years passed since she left Piltover, and you do remember why she had done it. If you don't want it to happen again, you need to think about your ways. Because she will not change hers." he frowned, but so did Cassandra, encrusting it with an annoyed huff.

"So what, I am supposed to change my ways, but she would not bend a finger to change anything? No, Tobias. That is not going to happen." She seemed uncompromising. "And judging after what she said, I have the impression we should be worried she might think of this stray as something more than just an enforcer."

Mr. Kiramman sighed heavily, rubbing his temples, and shaking his head. "She has the right to live her life the way she wants to. She is not doing anything wrong, and her choices are hers. Neither you, nor me are allowed to force our wishes on her. If she wishes there's something between her and Vi, let them have it."

"Over my dead body!" she started, but her husband just sighed.

"It almost happened, Cassandra." he said, averting his gaze, scratching his beard with unease. "And if it wasn't for Vi, it would not end up as fortunately as it did. You should think about it. I'll be in my workshop if you need me."

And he left his wife alone in the living room with head full of thoughts, anger and disbelief stirring inside her chest.

* * *

Caitlyn was wandering around Piltover's suburbs for long hours, trying to just let the steam off. Normally she didn't feel the urge to do so, and was handling her mother's weird ideas pretty well, but with whatever she'd done that made Vi leave, she crossed the line. She didn't know why she was so affected. But she knew it was enough to make her feel at least unfair towards her work partner. Or ex-partner, since she would not be surprised if Vi decided that Stillwater was more welcoming to her than Piltover.

And, as sad as it sounded, Caitlyn had an impression it was true. She wondered where would Vi stop by, what would she do. She didn't know if Ace decided to stop by Zaun, but to emphasize the problem her mother caused, it seemed about right to mention that place. She had the parley, by the law she was allowed to go around, but any false step would bring her back to the cell, irrevocably.

Caitlyn's legs brought her by the sheriff's office as the sun was rising, throwing shy rays around the buildings. She entered the place, not expecting to see anyone around. What was her surprise when she heard a radio on, with some quiet, yet violent music, coming out of her very own room.

"Hello?" she asked, opening the door. She saw muscled, tattooed arms, back covered with a black tank top, and a storm of fuchsia hair. Vi was sitting by the small workbench she brought there for some reason, and Caitlyn could see the gauntlets lying on the tabletop. "Is everything okay with your gauntlets?"

"You're early." Ace mumbled, not even looking at the sheriff. "Something happened?"

"I'm sorry, Vi." she sighed, leaning back to the edge of her desk. Her partner raised her eyebrow, and turned her head to Caitlyn.

"For what? Being early? It's your damn office. You can be here whenever you f*cking want." she shrugged, taking a piece of cloth, wiping her hands stained with oil. Kiramman, however, shook her head with disbelief.

"No. For my mother and how she treated you. She shouldn't…"

"Spare it." Vi turned around, throwing a screwdriver behind her, resting her hips on the workbench's edge and crossing her arms over her chest, leaving some oil stains across her skin. "It's not your fault. "You're not your mother's babysitter. And I don't really give a f*ck. I told you I'd deliver her, and I did. She ok?"

"How do you think?"

"If you start off with an apology, I assume she's better than I thought." she shrugged, moving her hand to throw her hair off of her face, pressing them with her goggles. Caitlyn smiled, reaching her hand, and tucking the stay lock behind her ear before she realized what she did.

She cleared her throat, trying to ignore the surprise on Vi's face, and the burning sensation the blush left on hers. "Correct. So, how are your gauntlets?"

"Dented." Ace sighed, tapping her fingers on the edge of the workbench, the other hand pointing at the gauntlets. She tried not to think about the back of her neck that was burning after Caitlyn touched her. "Jinx's ricochets reached, but the impact was not enough to shatter the outer casing."

"Then what are you doing with the screwdriver? Taking the casing out?"

"Nah, some maintenance." she shook her head. "I should keep them in good condition, since they're actually useful around here."

Kiramman couldn't hide her smile, and even if she would be able to, sparks in her ocean eyes would have given her away. "You're staying? Really?"

"Seems like the head of the council gets pissed as sh*t when I'm around. And since she hates when I am, what's better than staying?" she snorted with laughter, and Caitlyn joined her, chuckling softly.

"Well, that I can guarantee. So, where…?" she started, and when her eyes landed on Vi's sack, she swallowed, not believing her conclusions. "Oh god, please, tell me you didn't stay here for the night."

"What's wrong with that?" Ace shrugged, when Kiramman noticed the poncho spread on the floor like a sleeping mat. "At least someone was on watch."

"Have you even slept?" she seemed genuinely concerned, and Vi sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"Partially. But I'm used to it, no problem."

"Vi…"

"Excuse me, hello, is anyone there?!" a loud, nervous baritone interrupted the conversation, and Caitlyn hollered to the man so he knew where to go. "Sheriff? There's been an accident in Zaun overnight!"

"Overnight? What happened?" she asked, but Vi just sprinted past her, caught the horse, and mounted it as it was already running. Caitlyn clenched her fists, but she needed to question this guy before departing.

Vi, however, didn't give a sh*t about that messenger. She didn't know him, he probably was not from around Zaun she knew. If there was an accident, and overnight, there was a possibility Jinx was involved. And that meant she couldn't wait for Caitlyn. She needed to go, since there was a chance.

She reached Zaun, almost beating all records possible. She jumped off of the horse, rolling on the ground to amortize the impact, but suddenly something stood in her way.

"Woah, easy there, you o… Vi?" a hand reached to her, and she caught it, recognizing the voice right away. You never forget old friends.

"Ekko?" she glanced at him with surprise. "I'd ask what you're doing here, but I guess you're living. Anyway, I'm here because…"

"The explosion?" Ekko gave her a side glance, and her eyes widened.

"Explosion? That's the accident from the night? Was Jinx here?"

"Yeah, she's the one who made it." he admitted. Vi felt her heart quickening.

"You think she still may be around? I need to find her!"

His face changed immediately. Ace held her breath, knowing that look. She remembered it. "About that…" he hissed, scratching the back of his head. "She may not, Vi. I'm afraid she's dead."

"W-what?" she swallowed hard, feeling like someone hit her with a brick straight into her head. Without a word of warning she sat down on the ground, looking at her old friend. "How? Why? That's not…"

"We bumped into each other at night. She was raging. I tried to stop her, but she didn't give a f*ck. Started shooting, we started fighting… and when I thought I had her, she… she just pulled the pin, Vi."

"No. You let her do it?!"

"Use your brain, it's not like I wanted to leave her there! She busted my ankle." he pointed at his leg, and Ace could see a brace. "I tried to hide somewhere. Got an impact, but not that much. The whole building crumbled… I'm sorry. I couldn't do anything."

"Show me where." she demanded, but Ekko just pointed in the direction of the devastated building. Vi stood up, and stumbling, she charged to that place.

The first thing she saw were blood splashes everywhere. Rubble, dust, and pebbles, but they were not able to cover the blood. But there was no body. Ace approached a bit, not much, but for what she saw, she could be sure: there was too much of the red sh*t to assume her sister could still be alive. She felt a crush in her throat, as the feeling of loneliness crashed on her, pressing on her shoulders, as if she had boulders on them. She slid down, landing on her knees, covering her face with her hand. She was supposed to talk to her. And she never had a chance.

"Vi, are you okay? What happened?" it was Caitlyn, she must have finally finished with the guy and come around. Funny that the first thing she bumped into was Ace.

"She's gone." She swallowed, feeling her back trembling, but her eyes were dry and empty. The ice met the ocean, bringing sorrow and pain. Caitlyn felt a sting in her chest seeing her like that. She glanced at her from down below, and she knew Cassandra was right. She should have never stayed close to that person. And young Kiramman should not stay anywhere near her. But she couldn't change her mind now. She needed to stay. "Spade's dead."

"What?" her eyes widened when she saw Ekko limping closer. He looked at her, and she returned the suspicious glance.

"Don't tell me you're not satisfied with the outcome, sheriff." she said so quietly that Caitlyn had a hard time hearing it. Vi’s tone sounded like she lost any sort of sympathy she could possibly have towards her.

"You're the sheriff?" Ekko glanced at Kiramman with a deep frown. She raised her eyebrows, as if it was not obvious.

"Indeed."

"I think we should talk." he said, pointing at Vi with his sight. Caitlyn just nodded, following him a bit further, but not taking her eyes off of Vi. "I saw it first hand. There's no way Jinx can be still alive."

Caitlyn clenched her jaws, thinking about how the deal had been broken without any of them breaking it. Damn, that had to hurt worse than betrayal. "Can you tell me what happened? In detail?"

"Sure."

Chapter 28: The monkey bomb worked

Chapter Text

"I swear to god, if she f*cking ditched my ass I'll kill her without questions." Sevika was angrily mumbling, going around Zaun, wondering where the hell Jinx got lost. She was away for longer than usual, and she was supposed to put together some spare parts.

Or so she claimed.

The bounty hunter grunted, trying not to jump into conclusions too fast, but it was totally on point that she was. Looking around was telling her absolutely nothing. Jinx was nowhere to be found, not around the bar, not around her supposed workshop, nowhere.

“She’s so going to be locked up soon, I can’t…” she started, but then she heard a huge explosion, and her head turned that way immediately. One of the buildings around crumbled hit with recoil of something of enormous power. Sevika knew how hard the mining explosives hit, and they couldn't nearly match that impact. She headed that way immediately, feeling something wasn't right.

And she was. The first thing the bounty hunter could see when she managed to tear through the thick veil of dust and gravel, was a silhouette she knew very well by now. In the splash of blood, motionless and seemingly dead, there was Jinx. Sevika approached her as fast as she could, hearing voices around. People started hollering, gathering, trying to understand what happened, and help the ones who were hit.

"You're so stupid, for f*ck’s sake." she snarled, bending over the criminal, trying to assess if she was still alive. There was a small chance, but it was still there. And Jinx happened to be a lucky idiot.

A very soft, barely feelable breath glided by Sevika's cheek when she leaned towards the girl. Without a moment of hesitation, she just picked her up, and, looking around if nobody saw them, she just headed to the undercity. The very insides of Zaun were festered with people exactly like Jinx, but lucky enough not to be bountied. Sevika knew them; the crib of Zaunwest's delinquency was also her home. And there was only one person who could have helped them at the moment.

If Sevika was willing to pay the price for it.

She was thinking about the possibilities while descending into the bottomless stomach of Zaun bellowing with metal and hammers. Paying any price that would be less than the current bounty would be a good price anyway. If Jinx had a chance to recover, she'd be able to collect more coins on her head. Then, as per their agreement, Sevika would get rich simply by giving her to the authorities, and, maybe, then helping her escape. That last thing was not even something she had to do. If Jinx had no chances to live… well. Sad, but Sevika could still make some money outta it.

Seemed like a win-win situation, honestly. And all she was losing was a problem, actually. She scoffed, carrying Jinx to the only place she could - to someone who was able to help the 'hopeless cases', such as her own. Throwing Spade's body over her shoulder, still feeling her weak breathing, she hurried through the Undercity, to visit the place she spent a lot of time at. After she lost her arm, she found hope in an old, almost fossilized man, residing in the deepest corners of the sh*tty city they've been in.

Singed.

She opened the door right away, not even knocking. What was the point? He was used to people barging in and out, crying, screaming, sobbing, or completely silent. And he was not the one to sugar coat sh*t. Judging by the sole look his one seeing eye had given her when she almost slammed Jinx on his table, she was fairly sure Spade was lost to this world.

"You want me to… dispense with it?" he asked straightforwardly, but she only rolled her eyes.

"Is that the only thing you can do with her?"

"Hmm…" he frowned, examining Jinx as much as he could in the moment. "Well, no. But whatever I can do, would cost you a lot more than getting rid of the body." he admitted. Sevika sighed. It was good to know some things were not meant to change, no matter how much time had passed.

"Say it. The price?" she decided to be more precise, catching his rather quizzical glance. He shook his head.

"I will put her into a coma. It's not me you'd be discussing the payment with." his raspy voice puffed the mask he had on his face. Sevika rolled her eyes again, but then nodded. What did she have to lose?

Not much.

"Where? And who to ask for?"

"I think you know him better than well." he smiled. His looks reminded her of a cobra. "Silco."

"Fine." That was all she said before going out of the building. She knew Silco. She knew where to find him. And even if she preferred not to remember about his existence, she couldn't forget that he was actually the most powerful person across all Zaun, even though he wasn't calling himself a chembaron at all.

She banged to his door, getting in without even asking about permission. She never cared. And now she had the means to protect her if Silco wished to send his henchmen to her.

"I'm glad you're here." she heard a low, raspy voice accompanied with a creak of a turning chair. A cloud of smoke dissipated into twisted wisps when he moved the cigar away from his colorless lips. His black eye with disturbing, orange iris was looking at her vigilantly.

"You don't seem surprised. Been expecting me?"

"Yes, actually." he nodded, but his face expressed nothing. "I've heard about your recent endeavors. Got yourself a dog, didn't you?"

"I wouldn't name her like that." Sevika leaned towards the door frame, crossing her arms over her chest, not breaking eye contact. "More like a rabid wolf, if."

"What happened to her? If you're here, there's certainly something to it." He made himself comfortable in his armchair, like he had a lot of time to carry the conversation. Sevika doubted if Jinx had that much time before sh*t went down.

"Recoil of one of her explosions, I reckon." she shrugged, taking a cigarette from her pocket, and lighting it up. She exhaled, veiling herself with the smoke, still not moving her eyes from Silco. "I wasn't around when it happened. Found her after. Brought her here right away. Didn't really think I'd have to make an appointment with you to put together some pesky criminal."

"A 'pesky criminal' like you once were?" he snorted, but his eyes remained cold as an iceberg. Sevika didn't reply, her eyes steady, with sparks of anger dancing around her irises. Silco cleared his throat without a sign of embarrassment. “We will help her, under one condition.” his eyes were disturbingly immobile when he was looking at Sevika.

“Name the price.” she nodded, wondering if it was even worth it to pay for Jinx’s life. After all, the bounty would be paid if she delivered her carcass anyway.

Silco smirked, rubbing his chin. “You’ll be working for me. I heard what kind of an agreement you have, so let me offer something else: I’ll pay you the bounty money. And you both would join my forces. How about that?”

“Sounds legitimate, but it seems you’re missing one very important point. The fact you‘ll pay me the bounty would not erase its existence. She’ll still be wanted.”

“Indeed, but it’ll buy me your loyalty. You’ll have the money anyway, won't you?”

“What’s telling you I won’t be greedy enough to turn her in, so I can get another batch of coin?” Sevika glanced at him vigilantly, but he only snorted.

“Because you know you will not be able to reach the sheriff's office in that case. I have people. And they are always watching.”

She scoffed, quite satisfied. This man had a quad. And he knew what he was doing. Whatever past they might have had, now it didn't matter. She reached her hand which he shook. “Then we have a deal.”

He reached under the armrest of his armchair, and not a minute later a thug entered the room. He glanced at him, and said with his voice raspy of the smoke: "Take care of her. Make sure she survives."

"Yes, sir." the thug nodded, and then left to deliver the message to Singed.

"Now, please, take a seat, it will take some time, and I do believe we have things to discuss." he pointed at the chair standing right in front of him.

With a sigh, Sevika obeyed.

Chapter 29: I'm a person, just like you

Chapter Text

The past few days were hard for both of them. Vi, even though she refused to show anything, was mourning her sister, and Caitlyn had no other choice than to notice she started to drift away from her. If there was anything that could make them at least mates, and Kiramman had the thought it might have, it was gone. And considering the looks Cassandra was giving her every time she spent time anywhere near her, she had an impression her mother had something to do with it.

Ace was staying away from the mansion, even though Caitlyn tried to convince her to come back. However Cassandra's words and attitude dealt the damage her daughter was not able to mend, no matter how hard she tried.

But that didn't mean she was not compelled to try at least.

She was sitting in her office, waiting for Vi to come around for the shift. All the officers already departed for their duty, which was quite curious, given the fact it was even earlier than usual they appeared by the precinct. She paid little to no mind to that, though, since her head was festered by the visions of Ace just escaping. Technically, she was not free. But at the same time, she was not arrested. Being hung somewhere in between couldn't be easy for her, and Caitlyn saw fuchsia was genuinely trying to help her. Even if the trouble in Piltover was not about Spade, she was around, like a loyal dog, always with Caitlyn.

The sheriff sighed, closing her eyes, clenching her fingers on the pen she was holding. How could she even think about her like that? She was a person as well, she could just bring more trouble to her, to Piltover, and yet, in all that, she decided not to. And all Kiramman had for her in her head was the comparison to a dog?

Maybe she wasn't that different from her mother, after all.

She dipped the nib in the ink, filling the form. It was the one she promised Vi. Being fully pardoned would not even be considered, but partial was somehow reachable. And since she discussed it with her mother, she was already sure it would go well. She just needed to deliver the papers. Spade was not caught, but all the signs were saying she was dead. Vi did her part, and even after her sister's death, she was still around, doing her job better than some officers who were serving way longer than the Zaunite. All she hoped for was Cassandra to keep her word.

"Slept well?" She heard a tired voice by the entrance, so she turned her head in that direction. To say Vi looked like she was mauled and mangled by a rabid bear and then spat out, was an understatement. At least she wasn't injured.

The most concern Caitlyn had was when she noticed the shadows under fuchsia's eyes darkened, like she was not sleeping either well, or at all. "Better than you, it seems. Are you all right, Vi?"

"I'm fine." she dismissed her concern with a wave of her hand. She seemed like she didn't want to talk at all, so Caitlyn didn't feel keen on pushing her into chit-chat. "Any plans for today's babysitting?" she asked, and Caitlyn couldn't help but sigh.

"I'm not babysitting anyone, and especially not you, Vi. You’re fine as you are." she said, rolling her eyes, standing up from behind her desk. The papers needed only last strokes, and she would be able to deliver them to the council. Not to her mother directly. She could take care of it by the end of their shift. "As for our coverage today, we have the southern suburbs."

"Close to Zaun." fuchsia averted her gaze as if she didn't want to even think about it. Not even a minute later she changed the subject. "Why is it so silent here? Am I late?" she glanced at the clock standing on Caitlyn's desk, but the sheriff shook her head.

"No, quite the contrary, you're actually the only one arriving on time. I don't know what happened to the rest that they decided to come in early."

Vi scoffed. "They wanted to prove they're better than me." she shrugged, her words with bitter undertone. “Not necessary, though, since everyone around knows they are.”

“They’re not.” Caitlyn mumbled, but when Vi’s eyes stopped at her, shining with surprise, she swallowed.

“What was that now?”

“I just said we need to get going.” she shoved the papers into the drawer, closing it, and moving to the door. “Stables await.”

“Stables? So we ridin’ today?” she scoffed. “Figures. Richness everywhere.”

“Pardon?” she stopped, glancing over her shoulder, but Ace just rolled her eyes and waved her hand, dismissing anything she had in mind. Without a word she followed Caitlyn to the stables, sunken in her own thoughts.

“What the f…” she started, when she bumped into Kiramman’s back after she suddenly stopped at the building’s door. Vi stepped back. “You okay? The f*ck happened?”

“Oh bloody hell.” she groaned. Vi huffed, passing by her, looking inside. Two horses. Well, always better than only one, wasn’t it?

“What’s the problem, sheriff ?” she asked, raising her eyebrow. “I see two horses. You wanted me to ride with you in the saddle or what?”

“What? No!” she almost yelled, absentmindedly jumping back. “I meant… that’s Peacemaker, my horse.”

“I don’t think I need the introductions.” Ace scoffed, approaching the other box. “You take yours, and I take this one, what’s the problem?”

“That’s… Avarosa.” she sighed. “She’s… peculiar, to say the least.”

“Peculiar how?” she raised her eyebrow, opening the door, and taking the horse out, even though Caitlyn tried to stop her. She didn’t give a single sh*t about it, taking the saddle and putting it on Avarosa. The moment she jumped on the horseback, Caitlyn took Peacemaker outside the stables, just in time to see Vi’s horse to stand up, then kick her rear hooves, and Ace, marking a nice lobe in the air, landed with a loud thud and a huge cloud of dust around her, smashing the ground. Loud groan gave the notion she didn’t land on her feet. “Oh, so that’s how you like to play, huh?” she stood up, shaking her head, spitting.

“She’s been taken in after being given to the butchery. We managed to help her recover, but she hasn't trusted anyone around ever since. Usually she’s not the one to be picked…”

“That’s logical, since sitting on her back seems more like a suicide than romantic ride to the horizon.” Vi squinted her eyes, getting closer to the horse again. Caitlyn, standing next to hers, was observing her all the time. When she caught the reins again, she realized something.

That’s why every officer was so early on duty. They just wanted to take all the horses knowing that Vi would have to take over Avarosa. And that was… that was not good.

“We can switch.” she stated, looking at the enforcer, but Vi just scoffed, shaking her head.

“Not a chance. She knows her rider, and I am not going to go easy. If this one is the only one to use…” she pointed at Avarosa which, at the moment, was shaking her head in clear displeasure, looking at the rider who was supposed to be in her saddle “...then I will.”

“Are you sure? Because I don't think it's good…”

“Yeah.” she shrugged, looking the horse into the eye. “If you want to kill me, I’d like to see you try.”

And then she tried again. Concerned ocean eyes were following every move Vi was making, seeing her being ejected from the saddle five times in ten minutes. She swallowed, and sighed, approaching, offering her hand for Ace to lean on. Fuchsia, however, didn't give a sh*t, standing up, and dusting off her pants. Again. Her icy eyes were visibly angry, but she seemed determined for some reason.

"Vi, seriously, let me take her." she sighed, but then Ace burst into uncontrollable laughter. Caitlyn raised her eyebrow, puzzled. "What's so funny about it?"

"Let you sit on that bastard of a horse?" she coughed, as the dust got into her mouth while laughing. "And then what, watch you die, face the trial, being mocked by the rest of enforcers, because I couldn't manage to sit in the saddle for more than two minutes? Being prosecuted by your mother because I killed you? Yeah, no, I'm not doing that."

"You're being dramatic."

"I'm ensuring my ass stays alive, cupcake." she scoffed. "Thanks, I had enough of your mother's babbling for that one time I had to bear with her. No need to make it more and worse."

"Vi…"

"I said: no. I will not be the laugh of the town." she almost snarled. "Can't you see it? 'Zaunite can't sit on a horse' surely would make a good title, because we're too poor to afford them. And as hell f*cking bad impression for our already shredded name, not only thanks to us, rugrats."

"Jesus, can't you understand that I can't afford you being in hospital because a hecking horse decided to send you to space one time too many?! Bloody hell, would you stop being so insufferable and just listen for once!" she exploded, but even if she wanted to make any sort of impression, she got none. Vi's face was as flat as it could possibly be. "I take it as a no."

"You got it right for once." she said indifferently, approaching the horse again.

"Just… for how long you intend to keep it going? We have a patrol to do, I can't wait infinitely."

"Then go." Vi shrugged, catching the reins, and looking Avarosa in the eye. "I'm sure I can catch up in no time. No need to waste your time here. Wouldn't do any stunt you haven't already seen."

"I can't…!"

"You can't or you won't?" Vi turned around, looking at her with angry sparks in her eyes. "Because it seems like the latter for me. You talk and talk, but do nothing. You stand here, having a problem, making me mad because of your constant buzzing over my ear, and that affects animals. You wonder why is she the way she is? Because she feels the f*cking ambience!" she pointed at Avarosa. The horse was uneasy, clearly, and Vi's heavy breathing wasn't making it any better.

"So what, it's my fault now?"

"Avarosa's behavior? No. The fact we have this conversation instead of me having a calm life in Stillwater? Yeah. So? You going or there's certain thing you enjoy in seeing me flying like a f*cking leather ball?"

"Indeed there is certain… thing." she bit her tongue just in time not to say something she'd regret. "But fine. If you think you can handle her better when I'm not around, be my guest. You have an hour. If you're not by my side by then, I will make you regret it."

"Oh, as if I don't already." Vi rolled her eyes, but Caitlyn didn't comment. She just swiftly and gracefully jumped on Peacemaker's back. She spurred the horse, and in a flash she was nowhere to be seen. "Wonderful. Finally."

She turned back to the problematic animal, and laid her hand on her snout, looking at her, her eyes gentle at once. "Look, I know you don't trust people, but… well, neither do I." she sighed, sliding her hand through the white mane, feeling its softness. "I think we could work together. Maybe just this once, how about that? If you don't like me so much, I'd leave you be, but I have the slight impression you don't like it in the stable all the time, right?" she asked calmly, and the horse huffed. Vi smiled, taking an apple from her pouch, and offering it as a truce. Avarosa sniffed it suspiciously. "Come on, I'm letting go of my lunch, you gotta appreciate that at least." she groaned playfully, observing the animal. When she made a step closer, she saw the animal in unease even more. Vi frowned, looking down at her feet.

"Is that what you don't like?" she asked, cracking a smile. Maybe it wasn't all lost just yet. She took her spurs out, throwing them to the nearby chest, and reaching out her hand with the apple once more. "How about now?" She made a few steps, and it was clear the mare calmed down when there was no notion of a metal clanging. Vi didn't even want to think what this poor animal had to be through. "Atta girl. So? Snack?"

She was curious, her ears were slightly moving, catching all the sounds around, still trying to hear if there was no trap. Vi was patiently waiting, sliding her hand closer to Avarosa's head, gently scratching behind her ear. A bit aloof at first, the horse took the apple, breaking it with a juicy crunch between her teeth. "There you go, good girl." Ace smiled a bit wider, and her eyes sparked. "So, Ave, what would it be? Rodeo or parley?"

Her eyes were telling Vi something on the line of 'I dare you to try', but she was aware one couldn't possibly gain the trust because of one damn apple after probably years of negligence and alienating. But she knew how it was. At some point you just take whatever you can get, only to feel normal, even if for a brief moment. "Okay, lemme try then."

She put her foot in the stirrup, bouncing off the ground, throwing her leg over Avarosa's back. She didn't slam it, falling rather gently, thanks to her muscles made almost of steel. She sat carefully, catching the reins, and then she tilted to pat the horse's neck. "See? Wasn't that bad. How about we try to ride?"

She spurred the horse with her knees, as gently as she was able to, since finesse was never her strong suit. Avarosa huffed, suddenly moving, raising her ass, trying to kick. "Whoa! Easy, easy! It's me, Ave, only me!" she hollered, but still it was calmer than before. When the horse felt the touch on her neck again, the touch she already got to know, her reflexes lowered significantly. She looked to the side, and the black pearly eye gazed into the ice ones. "See? Only me. You're good. We're good. Let's go?" she asked, patting the horse, and Avarosa neighed, springing from the place she was standing. And so that was the last test for Vi.

"f*ck my life, you just ate my f*cking lunch, no way I'm letting you launch me to space." she groaned, bracing herself. And so the rodeo started.

*

"Urgh,what was I even thinking?" Caitlyn scoffed, shaking her head, steadily going through the patrolled area, looking around. "Of course she needed to prove she's better than any of us."

She had the impression some things would never change. Zaunites would always think about Piltovans as filthy rich bitches, and Piltovans would always take Zaunites as dirty sump rats. If there was a place to prove anything to anyone… Caitlyn was always in between.

Of course, her mother couldn't make it easier either. All the stereotypes anyone could possibly think of, of course regarding Zaun, were thriving during her reign. And Vi… she didn't seem like the best option to prove Cassandra she was wrong. The sheriff liked Ace's stubbornness and resilience, but sometimes she wished Vi wouldn't depend on herself that much. But, as it was always said, never omitted, she was a criminal. Old habits die hard, and even if Caitlyn wanted to make change, the change would not be made overnight. And even if such a long time had already passed since Vi joined the enforcers, Cassandra was still mad and refused to call the Zaunite as such.

She was worried. Of course she was worried. Not only because of Avarosa. She knew how dangerous that horse could be. She had ejected so many enforcers from her saddle with every attempt to tame her that at that point Caitlyn was sure it was just a suicide ride to give her more than two chances at most.

But Vi was something else.

The way she never gave up. Not with the horse, not with anything else. Having Caitlyn's back even in the moment she knew she would not have anything from it. Helping her mother when she needed it, even for the price of losing the chance to talk to her sister. Doing what she was supposed to, no matter the circ*mstances, being shat on, being offended, cursed, god only knew what else. And somehow she persisted, stubborn enough not to let Cassandra get under her skin. It was admirable, but at the same time concerning.

What if she miscalculated? What if she made one wrong decision too many? What if her stubbornness took a toll already, and Caitlyn wasn't there to help her? What if Vi was lying unconscious or, god forbid, dead, and she was just bickering with herself over how insufferable that bastard was?

"I need to go back." she mumbled, gripping the reins harder, but before she managed to do anything else, something whooshed by her with the loud stomping of the hooves. Peacemaker managed to jump to the side just in time not to be hit by the cart that was dangerously speeding up, with the whipping sound in the air. That was wrong.

"Stop those bastards! They stole my cart!" she heard, and in that moment she spurred her horse. Whatever happened to Vi, it had to wait. People of Piltover came first.

Before Peacemaker was able to gain enough speed to get into the gallop, she heard the clop. One glance to the side, and she couldn't believe her own eyes.

With her poncho flapping in the wind, her head low, knees bent, feet steadily in the stirrups, and the mane of fuchsia hair being constantly ruffled, now almost slick on her head, there she was, Vi, riding Avarosa. Her hands clenched on the reins, her muscles tense in the tank top she had on, focused on the road, but at the same time so peaceful. Like she was free.

And so seemed her horse.

They swooshed past her like a colorful stain on the landscape, when she was spurring Peacemaker to catch up to the cart. She could see Vi taking a sharp turn, but Avarosa seemed completely in control, like she was once again tamed. Two outcasts, two individuals that nobody wanted… tsk, figures they'd eventually get along.

"Come on, girl, you got this." Vi muttered, clenching her jaws. Her muscles were hurting from tension, she was almost standing in the stirrups, trying to give her mare the best opportunity to run like if she was running for her life. And they were closer with every second. "We got this. Let's show them what the outcasts are made of."

Avarosa sped up, even if it seemed impossible, and Vi saw an opening. She smirked, swallowing right after, realizing she needed to stop the cart. They were almost by the horses smacked by the thief's whip. Holding on her legs, tightly squeezing the edges of her saddle, she took out of the pouch a gimp, and tied it to the weight. She wasn't a ranger, but she needed to learn how to hunt. And that was only a bit different from catching hares.

When Avarosa caught up to the horses, she knew. It was now or never.

She threw the weight, making some circles over her head before. Enough rotation given, it slid right under one of the harness' strips, and came back to her. She caught it, and tilted to the side in the saddle, pulling with all she got. The gimp did its job, slashing the strip where it was.

Feeling her face smacked constantly with the wind, seeing the thief losing control over one side of the cart, but it being still carried by the other side of the harness, she locked one of her feet in the stirrup, laying over Avarosa's back, with her core hanging over the road. She clenched her fingers in her knife's handle, and slashed the other harness' strip, freeing the horses. They galloped forth, but the cart was still on the move.

"Vi!" she heard the holler. Caitlyn, on the other side of the cart, pointed forward, so Ace could see the trees the cart was going to barge between. The sheriff raised her hand with the rope, and fuchsia nodded, going back to her previous position. They sped up their horses, since the cart was already losing speed, but it was still too fast for the thieves to be able to jump out of it and survive.

As they approached the trees, Kiramman tossed the rope over to Vi. Ace caught it, leading Avarosa in between them, quickly throwing a loop around the trunk, and then taking the turn. She held the rope in her hand, making sure it was tense enough to stop the cart.

The moment she pulled the reins to stop her mare, she felt her hand burning. Avarosa stopped, so did the cart, but the force was so strong, Vi, again, had been ejected from the saddle. What was different this time, her horse seemed a bit confused that she didn't have the rider anymore. And she came back.

The slam was painful, but there was no time. Trying to catch her breath, Ace stood up, and threw herself back to the cart. While Caitlyn already arrested two of the thieves. Vi charged at the third trying to escape from her side, stopping them right there with the weight of her body.

"Now where do you think you're going?" she rattled, feeling her hand burning, along with her lungs. She cuffed them right away when Caitlyn showed herself right after shooting a blue flare to the sky.

"Vi! Bloody hell, are you okay?!" she hollered, sliding to her in the dust, trying to assess if she was in one piece. "I saw you falling, is everything…?"

"I'm fine." Vi grunted, standing up shakily. Kiramman offered her shoulder to lean on, but Vi chose the cart instead, panting in pain, lowering her head. "I guess your peeps are on their way hauling the mobile jail?"

"Yes." she didn't deem necessary to point out that it wasn't the proper name of the thing. "Are you… how did you…?"

She turned speechless when she saw Avarosa coming closer, pushing her snorkel under Vi's arm. Fuchsia smiled, looking at the mare, and she looked into the cart, seeing a lot of apples. "You can arrest me for that later." she stated, catching two of the fruit, and offering them to the horse. She didn't mind it being stolen, just crunched them joyfully. "Who's a great horse, Ave? That's right, you are." she almost cooed, scratching Avarosa's mane. "Close your mouth, cupcake, if you weren't wearing pants I could see the ground. And you don't want that dust anywhere inside you." she coughed as if she wanted to mark her words.

Caitlyn, indeed, closed her mouth, since what she just saw left her jaw hanging. "How the hell did you manage to do that!?"

"Stubbornness and persistence." she winked, making Cait's cheeks pinker with the motion. "She's not bad. Just misunderstood."

Like me, maybe , she thought bitterly, but refrained from saying it out loud.

"I'm speechless."

"Good, maybe it will finally put an end to your eternal ranting over how insufferable I am." she snorted, looking somewhere behind Caitlyn. She would like to say she glanced over the sheriff's shoulder, but it was more like she peeked by her arm. "Seems like your cavalry's here. So, what would it be, you gonna arrest me for those two apples and make me ride with them, or…?"

Caitlyn turned around as the officers dismounted. She gave them orders to bring the cart back to the city, and the thieves to the precinct, then she turned to Vi. "You sure you're able to come back on horse's back on your own?"

Ace didn't answer, she just mounted Avarosa, patting gently her neck. "Atta girl. You deserve the best."

"Why was I even asking." Caitlyn rolled her eyes, not without satisfaction noticing the surprise and disbelief on her officer's faces when they saw Vi riding the 'nightmare of a horse'. She mounted Peacemaker, and looked at her. "Follow me, enforcer. I'll take care of your wounds. No discussion."

But Vi didn't even think of opposing.

Chapter 30: Bad Seed of Zaun

Chapter Text

Knowing that there was no time to waste, since Cassandra Kiramman was not a person to wait, Vi headed to the temporary council building, hoping that maybe that time it would be different. She’s proven herself, hasn't she? All the sh*t going around, all the possibilities she had to wreak havoc, and she did nothing. However she felt not everything could be right, if Cassandra Kiramman decided to send for her in the moment she was wearing her gauntlets, and wanted her to come no matter what and how. Since Vi was in the middle of the field duty, she didn't have an opportunity to leave her hands anywhere. Maybe it was actually a good thing, at least Mrs. Kiramman wouldn’t have the opportunity to see her freshly bandaged hand.

Ace could have sworn she would just know that it was Caitlyn to put it there. And she seemed like a charging bull every time she sniffed her daughter anywhere near Vi. Not that it was any surprising.

“Councilor Kiramman wished to see me.” she said to the secretary, and when the woman nodded, pointing at the door, she just opened it with her shoulder, almost crudely barging inside. “Good morning, to what do I owe the pleasure of being invited mid-duty?” she didn’t sound honored or even happy to be there. And she had her reasons.

Cassandra raised her head from above the papers she was studying. Before she replied, Vi saw her face was more than uninviting. She braced herself for whatever might come. “Well, to start with, it’s not a pleasure for me to have you here. Neither in this particular place, nor around in general, just to make it clear, Ace.”

It was starting wonderfully, wasn’t it? Vi straightened her back, clenching her fists in her gauntlets, thanking whatever higher power there was that Cassandra was not able to see it. “Oh, there’s no need to mark it even harder than you already did, I thought we were past pleasantries after you’ve made your point by the hospital, councilor.” she had to put a lot of willpower not to shrug right into Kiramman’s face. “And believe me, sometimes I really do not wish to be in the position I am in, either.”

“So why are you still here, Ace? Because it fails to make sense to me, how were you able to manipulate my own daughter, the sheriff of this town, to make you a part of the fine forces Piltover has? And I do not believe you’re on good terms, I suspect you’ve blackmailed her into something, but I do not know yet what is the matter of this. But rest assured, I will investigate, and find out…”

“How about you stop right there, councilor, before it gets too far, huh?” she barged into Cassandra’s sentence, since it was making absolutely no sense to her whatsoever. “I am just here. As per the agreement we had I was to help with finding and capturing Spade.”

“I fail to see her in our custody.” Cassandra sent her a disappointed look, but Vi clenched her teeth. “Considering the fact she dared to kidnap a head of the council, she should be waiting for the gallows already.”

“Oh, no need for that, she’s already dead and gone. Killed by her own hand in an explosion in Zaun.” she stated, looking Cassandra fiercely into the eye, perfectly hiding the pain that laid behind her icy irises. After all it was her sister.

“Have you seen her body? How am I to believe you?” she scoffed, shaking her head. Vi rolled her eyes.

“You’re welcome to go to the crime scene to see for yourself. I am sure the folks of Zaun would be more than happy to assist you to confirm what they saw.” she almost snarled.

“You’re disgusting. You, and your kin.” she snarled, standing up, and looking at the enforcer with anger in her eyes. “All you care for is the pardon, that’s why you are staying so close to my daughter, isn’t it so? Just to get it and run free, to commit more of those hideous crimes you’re so well known for! But hear me now: I can take everything from you as you stand here, I can strip you from your borrowed freedom, and toss you to Stillwater even now. There’s no way you’re getting away with what you’ve done, with deeds to Piltover or not! I am sure you’re just covering your sister’s trial as we speak, and I can make you talk, mark my words!”

It was already past Vi’s limit, but the mention of Jinx was the one step that crossed the line. She smashed the gauntlets to the floor, took the handcuffs she had by her girdle, and threw them to the tabletop, right before Cassandra. She then reached out her hands, with her wrists up, the same way as she did back in the day facing Caitlyn after the sheriff had captured her. “Go on, councilor, arrest me then. If you don’t know it yet, I will say it one more time: I couldn’t care less about your pardon. It’s worth as much as a f*cking heap of horsesh*t to me. I don’t need your approval to do what’s right, and to want to do it that way. If you see me only as a criminal, so be it, I don’t care about it. Take the handcuffs, if you’re so sure I haven’t done anything good to your city, shackle me, and I can be on my way to Stillwater in an hour, because if you say so, people will obey.”

“You’re…” she started, but the door creaked, and both of the women turned their heads towards them. Their surprise was quite remarkable when they saw Caitlyn there.

“What’s happening here?” she asked, puzzled, trying to understand why it looked like Vi was yielding to her mother, her gauntlets on the floor, tossed as if they were abandoned, hands reached, one of them shining with blood that soaked through the dressing Caitlyn put there the other day.

“Ah, I see you have already called in your guards.” Ace almost snarled, looking at the councilor. “Perhaps it should be her to arrest me again, she seems to already have some experience with that, doesn’t she?”

“Mother?” The sheriff was confused more and more with every passing minute. She approached, and seeing the handcuffs on the table, she sighed. “What the hell is happening here?”

“This sump rat of your ‘enforcer’ is insisting I should arrest her, but it’s clearly a show-off.” Cassandra scoffed, standing up, moving her chair with a loud screech. “She hasn't done anything, neither for this city, nor for you, and you seem to still keep her here. Since you’re already here, maybe you’ll consider enlightening me about your reasons, Caitlyn.”

“She’s one of the best enforcers this city has ever seen, mother.” Kiramman didn’t seem neither pleased, nor amused. “She’s done more than we could have dreamt of, and what she deserves is the pardon, the partial pardon we were talking about, and the exact same one she had been promised.”

"It’s the only thing she cares about, isn't it? What did she do to you that you back her in this so relentlessly?" Cassandra hissed, looking at Vi with squinted eyes, angry and suspicious. Another accusation like that, though, made the Zaunite mad.

Because I want her here. , Caitlyn was about to say, but Vi, again, was faster in her anger.

"How very creative of you, councilor, to throw all the time the same sh*t at me." she snarled, looking her straight into the eye with icicles that could shatter the toughest of shields. "I don't give a single f*ck about the pardon, as I seem to repeat every ten minutes. Such a shame you listen only to the people you deem yours. You can throw me to Stillwater for what I care, my purpose here was to help capture Spade, and my own goal was to convince her not to kill anymore. One way or another, she would not be able to commit a single crime anymore, so my work here is done. And all I can see is a councilor with nothing but empty threats to offer.”

“How dare you!”

“Prove they are not empty then! Clasp those damned handcuffs on me, and prove you don’t give a sh*t about people of Zaun that are supposed to also be your people! You take responsibility for the territory we’re on, but when it comes to the problems of poverty and crimes, instead of acting upon it, you’re choosing to stand in fire and complain that it’s hot! How is that supposed to even change anything?!” she grunted, throwing her hands up, and then turning to Caitlyn. “Have mercy. Send me to Stillwater. I’m clearly not wanted here, and I don’t really think I want to stay anymore. I did my job. I don’t need the pardon. Give me my confinement, and I will be as happy as I could ever f*cking be.”

“You’re not going anywhere. Not if I have anything to say about that.” she stated, and Vi just couldn’t bear it anymore. With an annoyed huff, she just left the room, leaving her gauntlets behind, slamming the door to mark her leave. Caitlyn glared at Cassandra with disbelief, shaking her head. “What the hell is wrong with you? I told you she’s been a great addition to the enforcers, and yet you’re still trying to pry into matters that are not of your concern!”

“It is my concern as long as you are the sheriff of the town I’m in charge of.” The councilor drawled, sitting back down, and tossing her daughter the handcuffs Vi left. “Take those, and use them well. Preferably on her. I’d want to see her on her way to the prison where she belongs.”

“She doesn’t belong there. And if you want Piltover to seem like a good place, you should honor the promises you make.” she hissed, her cheeks telling Cassandra she was mad. "It would be so much better, Piltover would be better, if you just didn't go around spreading lies of how every Zaunite is a rugrat!"

"Pff, pitiable, since they're nothing but that. But since she already manipulated you into thinking they're good, you'll deliver her this letter." she passed Caitlyn a scroll, and the sheriff took it, unamused still.

"You have no idea what you are talking about. She literally helped me the other day to stop a band of thieves who stole the cart from a citizen. She took the horse and risked a lot to make it stop. And we did. And all you can see is the rough edges of her appearance. You've always been shallow when it comes to those."

"How dare you, Caitlyn!" Cassandra growled, glaring at her daughter mercilessly. "You've always been an idealist without imagination! What do you think you're doing, making an enforcer out of a criminal? It's like trying to get a whor* to settle in!"

"You're way out of line, councilor."

"I'm the one setting the lines, sheriff. And you're under my command."

"I am under the command of no one. You knew what giving me that position meant. Now you have to face the consequences of your choices, whether you like it or not. Vi gave me a chance to get to know her. She's actually a good person, she wants to help, and she has her heart on its right side, mother. That makes me wonder, though, if there's anything that's left of yours. I told you to stay away from the people I myself hire. It's my business, my office, and whether you like it or not, you're powerless there. If you want to change anything, you'd have to vote it unanimously with the rest of the council. And before you say anything; I'd know if they are coerced to cooperate. I wish you a pleasant day."

And, without further ado, she clenched her jaws, picking the gauntlets, leaving the office, completely deaf to her mother's ranting. She got out of the building, and when she saw a mane of fuchsia hair, she threw the gauntlets down, bringing a cloud of dust up. "I still can't understand how it is possible you throw punches with those, barely breaking a sweat." she admitted, but Vi just shrugged. The next second her reflexes allowed her not to get smacked to the face with her handcuffs.

"You seem not to break a sweat while bickering with your mother, and that's about as exhausting." she shrugged, playing with the cuffs. "So what, do I arrest myself or do you want to do the honors?"

"Nobody's being arrested, and most certainly not you." she groaned. "Look, I'm trying to work with her, but she's doing everything to just get rid of you, and…"

"Then why don't you let her?" Vi sat down on a stair, and looked up, closing one of her eyes, since the sun wasn't merciful. "That would save my nerves, your time, satisfy her…"

"I don't want to satisfy her!" she shook her head with disbelief. "And I don't want to get rid of you, you're a good enforcer, and if I'm being completely honest, you're the best partner I've ever had. A bit brash sometimes, yes, aggressive, maybe, but all in all effective. Also, she promised the pardon. I'm not…"

"Just let it go." Vi shook her head, defeated. "Jinx's dead, there's nothing here for me anyway. I deserved Stillwater, and, to be honest, I'd gladly take it."

"Why don't you escape then? Instead of asking me to send you there." Caitlyn looked at her curiously, and Vi sighed, covering her eyes with her hand.

"Because if I do, someone'll catch me, and kill me. And no matter how pathetic that may sound, I want to live." she admitted. Jinx was dead, but Vi knew she needed to live with it. "So?"

"My word stands. You're not going to Stillwater." Kiramman shook her head. "And we… we can try to make this city better."

"Better?" Ace scoffed. "Tell me, what would it take to be able to pry open their eyes? They don't want to see what's around, all they care about are their f*cking asses. Few here know how much of what Piltover has comes from the labor of Zaunites, how many children are forced to work, because Pilties want to have something to brag about. And even less of those who know want to admit something's wrong. Do you even know what's happening around? Down there, where I am from? No? Figures, nobody ever talks about it. And I'm done with slamming the walls with my own head, because all your mother seems to care about is a f*cking pile of papers, a signature, and a good name of something that's so rotten it stinks from its core. I'm only one person, there's only so much I can do. She wouldn't listen. And I'm done trying to scream."

"I may not know what's happening, but I hoped… I hope maybe you'd be willing to help me learn about it." Caitlyn raised her hopeful ocean eyes at her work partner, but Vi just shook her head.

"Undercity would eat you alive." she sighed, standing up. "That'll give your mother even more reasons to hate me, and believe me, treading on such thin ice as it is now, having only the parley to back up the fact I'm not behind bars is enough. I'm not doing that."

"How about telling me about Zaun then? Just you, me, a map, and a tale. Here, in Piltover." she still tried. Vi glanced at her, but after a moment of hesitation, she shrugged.

"I dunno, let me think about it, okay?"

"By the way, speaking of my mother, she told me to pass you this letter." She gave Vi the scroll, and fuchsia opened it right away, reading the words. It was visible that Cassandra was angry, the handwriting wasn't as flawless as she probably intended it to be. As fast as her reading might be, she didn’t even need to see the whole message to know what that was about. She didn’t have much to say.

“f*ck.” That was the only thing she was able to produce with her vocal chords, trying to keep to herself the raging emotions she had inside. She knew Cassandra could go low, but she hadn't expected her to dig herself a new one. And yet she did.

“What happened?” Caitlyn glanced at her somehow concerned, but Vi didn’t feel like talking. Besides, there were no words she could have uttered at the moment that would not require her to just go full verbal berserk, shredding councilor Kiramman to pieces. She just passed the message to her interlocutor, so she could see it by herself.

“Hmm, and that is bad somehow…?” she asked, not really getting what was wrong in what she read. “Care to share?”

So Vi did, since it wasn’t as obvious as she assumed it should. It only proved Caitlyn had absolutely no idea about things, and, what was worse, she was just a pure idealist, not seeking any sort of contraptions.

“Bollocks.” she hissed in the moment she understood the severity of the situation. Vi shrugged, taking the scroll, and sighing.

“I will be departing this evening. I hope you’re happy about it.” she just stated, leaving the place, taking her gauntlets, not even looking back at the sheriff. Kiramman clenched her fists.

“Like hell I am.” she muttered. “And I will make sure my mother knows about it.”

Chapter 31: Dear Father

Chapter Text

Zaun. Again. She thought she would never be there again, at least not on the side she would never see herself on. As an enforcer, she was actually not welcome in that part of Zaunwest. And she was painfully aware of what might happen if any Zaunite saw what she was there for. And she was even more painfully sure that there was no other way. They had to, sooner or later, and those people were sharp and perceptive by design.

She directed her steps to the place she had the best memories with. The Last Drop, a saloon owned by her adoptive father, Vander. She loved it there, the ambience, murmuring of people’s voices, fistfights and gallons of beer, whiskey or whatever the soul of a customer needed at the moment. She pushed the door, entering the local, and the first thing she saw was her father behind the counter, at the moment polishing one of the tankards. After that she lunged to the side, to dodge a flying body, since there was no night in The Last Drop without someone losing at least two teeth. Preferably the rear ones, but fate wasn’t always so nice.

“Oh my god, and I thought I will never see you again, you old rascal!” his bass sounded almost mushy when she approached the counter, and asked him for double whisky with lemon garnish. He served it right away, leaning on the counter, throwing the cloth over his shoulder, and smiling at her like nothing ever happened. “How is my favorite Zaunwestian troublemaker?”

“Another set of questions would be nice, Vander.” she sighed, looking into her glass, then downing it right away, asking for another round. Vander’s smile faded, as he saw there was something really bad going on.

“Okay, how about that: last time I checked, you were still wanted, as well as Jinx. What happened that you're here without a tail trying to kill you on sight?”

“I knew I could always count on questions I’d love to answer.” she muttered, taking a sip from her glass. “Well, things changed. Better or worse - hard to determine.” she admitted bitterly.

“Do tell.”

“New friends, new circ*mstances, lost people, you know how sh*t works.” Vi sighed, leaning on the counter. “Vander, you probably heard already, but… the explosion the other day, Jinx…” she covered her face with her palms, trying to keep up a good looking face. “Jinx’s dead. Ekko got into a fight with her, and she went berserk. Shredded herself with her own grenade. And because of that… and because of that I am here.”

“Ah f*ck, I always knew one day she would run outta luck, but I haven’t thought about it being that way. And what about you? How have you been holding up?”

“Not best, but manageable.” she shrugged, averting her gaze. “I don’t allow myself to have the time to think about what I could do differently for her to still be alive. We parted ways a long time ago, and well… not on the best terms, it seems. But I didn't expect her to go on a rampage because we chose different paths.”

“I doubt it was because of that, kiddo.”

“I have no idea, honestly.” she groaned, zeroing the drink, and giving him the sign for the next one. She felt like getting sh*tfaced that night. Nobody would care anyway. “But it doesn’t matter anymore, Vander. If it ever has, now it doesn’t. She’s gone, I’m still here, and… well, things are not the way I’d like them to be, but I have little to none say on what’s happening with my life right now.”

“And what is that? Come on, Vi, you’ve never been the mysterious kind, your infamous bluntness was the main cause of every trouble you’ve ever gotten into. Spill it.” He served a drink to another customer, and then went back to her, looking at her vigilantly, as if he was trying to see through her. Unlike any other person, he might have had that particular power.

“Piltover, that’s what.” she sighed, raising her eyes at him, and Vander could see the sorrow, pain, and lack of comfort in the ice of her irises. “Jinx teamed up with Sevika.”

“The bounty hunter? How come?”

“Uh-huh.” Vi confirmed, playing with her glass, observing the amber liquid swirling inside, making waves with it. “They made an agreement that Jinx would help that bitch find me, and she’d be free to wreak havoc, so her bounty went higher. Then she was supposed to be turned in, flee, repeat, yadda yadda.”

“She sold herself bargaining with you as a goodie?” his eyebrows slid as high as it was possible. Fuchsia nodded, sipping her drink, but said nothing. “It hardly seems believable.”

“I was there when it happened, though she wasn’t aware I was. But I have any right to suspect she’d actually think about it even if she knew.”

“Don’t say that, Vi. You know she loved you.” Vander almost chastised her, but she shook her head.

“I’m not denying that, I haven’t even thought about it that way. But the truth is, she had always loved freedom and ruckus more than anything else. I was just there to support her, and I have the strange impression that I might have supported her way too much, not necessarily in the best way possible. I never told her hard enough that killing is not the way, Vander. It’s all my fault. And now… now she’s gone.”

“Kiddo, it’s not your fault whatsoever that sh*t like this happens.. You told me you parted ways…"

Vi raised her eyes at him, trying to find any sort of hidden chastise. It wasn't there, he meant what he was saying, but… "Remember the time you told me that whatever happens it's on me?"

The sigh that left his mouth was as they came. She could see the remorse in his eyes, but even that wouldn't be able to change his own words back in the day. Jinx was her sister. And whatever happened, Vi was responsible for that.

"Vi, listen, I know what I said, but that was a long time ago. Things change. This? It was her choice, she ain’t a kid no more. Don’t beat yourself up for something you had no control over, how about that?”

“Sure, easier said than done.” she scoffed, finishing her drink, not letting him catch the nuance she still had the memories blazing, and Vander poured her the next one without even asking. She’d want it anyway. She nodded with gratitude, catching the glass yet once more. “I overheard her and Sevika planning on killing the sheriff of Piltover. I tried not to let them, wrote her a letter, and you know what? That bitch, instead of sitting on her ass in the town she was supposed to protect, decided to look for the sender. She found me, and I needed to hide her from my own sister, so Jinx would not kill any chances she might have had back then.”

“Did she thank you for that?”

“What do you think? Of course, by arresting me.” Ace snorted bitterly, circling her glass in the air. “I was brought in, sat on my ass for weeks, because they didn’t know what to do with me, since Kiramman was saying I wasn’t eligible for gallows, but at the same time nobody f*cking thought of sending me to Stillwater to have a nice rest of the year. And a few next ones.”

“You don’t seem like an inmate, Vi, what are you not telling me?” he squinted his eyes, but she sighed, shaking her head. What else was she supposed to tell him but the truth?

“I made an agreement as well. I was to bring them to Jinx, help them capture her, and I’d be granted a possibility to talk to her. And a partial pardon, that is.” she grunted when the alcohol reached not the hole it was supposed to, and burned the entrance to her airway. She needed a moment to regain her breath after a cough attack. “Didn’t happen, since I decided that escorting the councilor was more important than catching Jinx, so I left that to the sheriff, but she lost her, and the councilor hates me anyway.” she scoffed.

“That sounds almost like you were…”

“And enforcer? Yeah.” she lowered her voice so nobody else would hear her. Not that it would be a problem, since the saloon was bustling like never before. Or maybe that was just an impression of a person that had not been there in a very long time. “I managed to lead Caitlyn to Jinx, but I didn’t get to talk to her. And the next time I heard about her, after the explosion here, Ekko told me she was dead. I saw the blood, Vander, there’s no way anyone would be able to live through something like that.”

“Look, I will not sugar coat it, if you’re an E, and come here… you better pray for nobody to hear about it. As much as I would love to see you around here more often, I…”

“Oh, believe me, soon you’re gonna be puking on the sole sight of my face.” she mumbled more into the glass than to him. “Mrs. Kiramman decided that the best idea she could have is to deploy me here, so I can keep the peace in Zaun.”

Vander stiffened, putting the glass he was currently polishing on the counter, trying to find any sign on Vi’s face that she was joking. He couldn’t. “Holy sh*t, you’re serious.”

“Dead.” she nodded with disbelief. “And soon probably I will also join Jinx wherever she is. To be honest? I’d prefer to actually go to Stillwater and forget I have ever had this gig in Piltover, but Kiramman Junior doesn’t seem keen on sending me there. I don’t know what’s her game, but it seems like she’s doing absolutely everything to piss off her mother. And believe me, there’s nothing more pissing off for the head of the Piltover’s council than a f*cking sump rat from Zaun in enforcer’s ranks. And that pardon they promised? I really don’t think that’s happening anytime soon, if ever.”

“Okay, now that sounds concerning.” he admitted, but Vi just shrugged, completely resigned. She didn’t have anything else to add. Everything was said, and Vander knew what was the danger. They all did.

“Well, I came around to tell you, just so you know that if they find a body beaten up so hard that nobody can see its face, it’d probably be mine. Zaun doesn’t forgive the traitors, and you know that best.”

“I don’t think they would turn that feral.” he looked around, as if he was trying to find people who could. “Fine, being an enforcer around here can be a danger and a very bad idea, but… well, Vi, what can I say, it’s always better than being a petty thief, brawler, and a criminal, isn’t it?”

“You make it sound almost as if I should be proud to be picked for that.” she sighed heavily. “And believe me, I’m as far from it as it’s possible. and you know that.”

“Anyway, you know you’re always welcome back here. Your room is still yours, there’s no one who can actually use it. If you don’t have anywhere…”

“I’m still a wanted criminal, but on a parley, Vander. I can’t stay here, forced to report to Piltover every evening after the shift. It’s good enough they don’t insist on keeping me behind bars overnight, but sometimes I have the impression the one insisting should be me. Would actually be safer.”

“Where are you living then?”

“Here and there. At some point the sheriff offered me the attic room in their mansion, but it was good while it lasted. Believe me or not, she’s not that bad, but living under one roof with her mother was just a pure nightmare. At some point she just crossed the line too much, so I decided to bail. Sleeping under the desk in the precinct doesn’t seem appealing, but believe me, everywhere is better than in this filthy rich mansion of liars and hypocrites.”

“Tell me about that Caitlyn. She sounds like a good one, and I haven’t heard of her yet. Is she a new sheriff? Last one I heard about was Marcus.”

“Yeah, Piltover’s as f*cked as it can possibly be. After Marcus was killed, nobody wanted to take over, so at some point Caitlyn stepped in. Since then I can say for a fact that the criminal activity in the town is less problematic than the fights between the head of the council and the sheriff themselves.”

“Sounds fun if you ask me.” Vander snorted, hiding the glass under the counter. “And you seem… different, when you talk about her.”

“What? No. She’s just a typical Piltie, but there’s one thing that differs from being a c*nt in her case. She’s this pure idealist that thinks changes are doable. Clash with her mother’s materialistic bitchiness is actually pretty fun to watch, but f*cked nevertheless.” Vi sighed, shrugging. “I don’t know what did I do to the councilor for her to hate me that much, apart from being what I am, but I can’t change that if she’s not willing to give me a chance, nor I have any idea what I’ve done for Caitlyn to actually seem to be fond of my presence in the precinct, but… f*ck me, Vander, I have no idea what to do. She’s my boss, they both kinda are, and I am receiving very mixed signals. What am I supposed to do?”

“Wait for the kiss.” he winked, and Vi frowned, but she couldn’t stop the slight blush sneaking upon her cheeks.

“What the f*ck, man.”

“Believe me or not, that may be something waiting for you. If she’s so fond of you…”

“As a worker. WORKER. I’m not going anywhere near that Piltie sh*t, Vander, especially not if we’re talking Caitlyn Kiramman. Her mother would kill me if I did, and she said it very distinctively last time we were having a friendly talk.”

“Would you want to, though?” he asked, and she blushed even more, but she had no idea if that was because of all the whiskey, or actually because of something being the matter. She shrugged, averting her gaze, and standing up.

“I don’t think so. I’m from here, I am Zaunite. I may not be the best person ever, but even I know some places are restricted. And she is one of those places.”

“That’s not what I asked about, Vi.” he tilted his head, trying to read her like a book. She didn’t allow him to.

“That’s what I said. And that’s what I think. Whatever you can imagine with me and Kiramman in one sentence, wouldn’t be more than just a patrol around Piltover or Zaun. I have to go, I have a shift tomorrow morning, and if I don’t go back to Piltover, they will issue another wanted poster, thinking I fled. It was good to talk to you, though, Vander. Thanks.”

“Pleasure’s mine, kiddo. Don’t be a stranger, huh?”

“I’ll try.” she smiled at him, leaving the place. Her head was buzzing with thoughts, but she pushed them all down, trying not to focus on anything that was any close to Caitlyn. Why the hell did he even ask about her? She was just her boss. A sheriff she was serving under. Nothing more.

Nothing more, right? Nothing more.

“And you think that going at this hour to the bar, coming back to the precinct reeking of alcohol is making us look any better in Zaun’s eyes?” She heard a harsh voice right after she crossed the threshold of the precinct. “Not to mention you’re making a farce out of us, not even bothering to put on a uniform that you’re supposed to wear as an enforcer.”

“Councilor, with all due respect I’m trying to have, I was already past my shift. Also, last time I had a talk with you, which was, if I’m not mistaken, yesterday, you told me you didn’t want me to be an enforcer. That time, and every other time we talked. Why such a change now?” she asked, looking at Cassandra who was sitting by Caitlyn’s desk, angry, fuming, with her eyes throwing lightnings. Vi, however, was so exhausted, both physically and mentally, that she barely gave a f*ck.

“Whether I like it or not, if the council doesn't discharge you, you’re the officer of the law. As much as it pains me, Caitlyn made you one, so you're supposed to act as such. And that includes the uniform. You’re going to Zaun as if it was your animal pen, like it was a trip, not a day's work, looking like a rugrat, trying to mingle with people you’re not supposed to. Your sole task is to protect, not to make friends in a place like that.”

“Not to break it to you, councilor, but I already have friends there.” she sighed. “More! I even have family. Am I not supposed to maintain contacts with them? Is that forbidden now?”

"And that's exactly why you shouldn't be a representative of the law enforcement of Piltover!" She snarled, pointing her long, rich finger at her. "Strays like you do more bad to our reputation than good, Ace!"

"Her name is Vi, and she's NOT a stray, mother.'' They heard a cold voice from the doorframe. Cassandra turned to her daughter right away, but she boiled even more the moment she saw Caitlyn wasn't even looking at her. Ocean irises were stuck at Vi's exhausted face. "And I don't want you to come around to my office and start pointless fights. If you think your shouts and complaints would make Vi quit, you're wrong. She's still under the law of parley, so the only person who can do anything about it is me. And I don't want to fire her, because her statistics are better than those of half of this precinct's officers. Henceforth, if you have any sort of problem or complaint, you're welcome to leave a form on my desk, but I ask you to leave before I fill one myself to send it to the council."

"You wouldn't dare." Cassandra hissed, squinting her eyes. "You have this office because of me. You're here because I gave you the chance, bringing up your candidature."

"Not that you had a line of officers to take over the spot after sheriff Marcus." Caitlyn's face was flat, there was absolutely no emotion whatsoever to be found. Vi sighed, leaning on the edge of her workbench, observing the cold war between two most powerful people in the town. "So please, councilor, leave, before there's no way back."

"You're going to regret this, Caitlyn."

"I'm already regretting accepting this position. If I knew you'd be so stubborn and interfering, I'd never agree. I wonder how that would've ended." she admitted, but Cassandra didn't say anything anymore. She left, slamming the door so strongly, that the windows rattled in their frames. "I am so sorry, Vi."

"Then stop. You're always sorry for her behavior, but that ain't changing sh*t. Time to learn you're not responsible for anyone's sh*t but your own."

"I don't want you to think I think the same way as she does." she admitted.

“I still don’t get what’s your game, sheriff. You’re putting yourself on the frontline to defend someone who doesn’t deserve it just to mess with your mother, or is there any other reason you’re doing it for?”

"I value your presence, Vi. Your advice, even the harsh words. I feel like we can make Piltover better, but… but I need to know if you want that too."

"You have no idea what you're asking me for." she crossed her arms over her chest. "It's not a game. And if you think that what you want to know is just a couple stories, you're wrong. Straightening what's tangled between Zaun and Piltover is not a matter of a few yordle snap traps and 90 caliber nets thrown across the Undercity. It's a long shot of finding an ace in the hole to deliver headshots to most of the chembarons… along with some heads that would have to roll topside. On your side." she scoffed. "Believe me or not, you're not ready for any of those, Cupcake."

"Please, Vi. You're the only one who can help me. I don't want to stay in stillness, waiting for a miracle. Your city needs healing, more than I ever realized, and I know I haven't even scratched the surface." she begged, but Vi's back tensed painfully on a sole thought of going back to the memories of her childhood in Zaun. She was born and raised there. She learned its secrets very early on, and then…

"I need to prepare for tomorrow, sheriff." She cleared her throat, taking a uniform from one of the lockers, and then she caught her sack. "I'll be staying in the office in Zaun. Have a good night."

"Vi…" the plea in Kiramman's voice was so desperate it pained Ace to hear it. "Please, just… think about it. Please. I can't do that alone."

"Sheriff," Vi stopped by the door, turning her head slightly to the side. Caitlyn raised her head, looking at her hopefully. "Criminals don't deserve kindness. No matter how lost they might seem on their paths. Councilor may be onto something, sometimes it's better to listen to people you know."

The sheriff sniffed, trying to hold back tears seeing Ace leaving the precinct. She failed, yet again she failed in getting Vi's trust. Her mother made sure she never succeeded. And she made sure her enforcer's self esteem staggered. Everything crumbled like a house of cards, but Caitlyn knew one thing.

She never gave up easily.

Chapter 32: The Last Drop

Chapter Text

The next days were a true trial to Vi’s perseverance and resilience on the streets. She knew them by heart, she used to run through them every day for hours when she was younger. Patrolling would be easier, if she didn’t need to wear that f*cking uniform, but she was smarter than not to notice that Cassandra sent one of the enforcers to observe her undercover. Bitch was following her everywhere she went, like a shadow, probably proud of himself that he was invisible. If only she didn’t know the faces she was supposed to work with. Turned out the councilor wasn’t as smart as she wanted to appear.

When people started to notice, she had to brace herself. At first they just spat under her feet, threw her some mean looks or made sure she knew how much they despised what she did to herself. At some point she started believing she hated it, too. But as long as she had the other officer in the perimeter, seeing him all the time with the corner of her eye, she wouldn’t dare to go around the usual way. Whatever she wanted to prove, she couldn’t afford getting worse with Cassandra. And however bad that sounded, she didn’t want to disappoint Caitlyn more than she had already done. Even if the sheriff didn’t say anything of that sort, Vi felt that she did nevertheless.

It was another day like that. She was going past some people sending her disgusted looks. She was trying to go through Zaun with her head held high, but it was more than obvious being forced to the uniform wasn’t making her cheerful nor comfortable. It wasn’t her thing. It wasn’t her place at all, if she had to be honest. She was one of Zaun’s children. Her walk was already less confident than she would’ve wanted to admit, unknowingly trying to make herself smaller, so people would stop noticing her. It was, however, quite hard to achieve, given her rather broad frame, and muscles so well known to these streets.

She was passing by Jericho’s, her favorite street food stall, when she heard someone clearing their throat. One glance to the back, and she recognized Deckard, one of the sh*ts she was growing up with, around the Lanes. sh*tty then, now looking even more ravaged by Shimmer or other junk, with his lower lip split by the old punch she’d thrown at him during a streetfight, his eyes were clearly looking for another one. She sighed, trying not to neither get provoked, nor to provoke him, but it was more than obvious he was already provoked, whatever reason his mind had. He spat at her shoes, smacking it with some sort of mucus mixed with his saliva, and she didn’t know if to feel pity towards him, or just be plainly angry.

“You know, Deckard, if you need a doctor, there are some around here.” she raised her eyebrow, wiping the sh*t out of her shoe into the pavement. He scoffed.

“How about you take me to Piltover? They surely want to see us topside, since they picked you.”

She could have thought about it. How come she didn’t? They didn’t hate her for being an enforcer. They hated her for being topside. The same topside that was going around for years as a part of her own sentence of 'topside and bottom, oil and water.'

“If you feel like sharing more, be my guest. It’s not like I have to be anywhere else.” she shrugged, turning to him fully, challenging him with the fierce gaze of her icy irises. Deckard, what actually satisfied her somehow, had to use a visible amount of willpower not to make a step back. Was it Vi’s demeanor, the fact she was wearing a uniform, or maybe both… she had no idea. But somehow she had a hunch it wasn’t the latter.

“Folks like you are the worst.” he apparently took her sarcasm as an invitation, stepping forward. “Betraying us, going topside, pretending they’re better.”

“Everything’s mint and honey, Deckard, but, in case you didn’t notice, just how many of us you saw in Piltover?” she asked stingily, and when he didn’t reply, quite confused by the question, she scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. It made quite an impression, since she had her gauntlets on. “That’s what I thought. I’m the only one.”

“Which makes things worse.” he clenched his fists, but she was already done. She didn’t have time for bickering with people who didn’t know sh*t, neither about her, nor about the situation.

“Jesus, you have a problem with me, just spit it, I ain’t got all day, for f*ck’s sake.” she snarled, and he squinted his eyes., as she started walking away. Trying to get rid of him peacefully didn’t seem like an option, since he followed her.

“Just who do you think you are, huh? Some redeemed hero or sh*t?”

“I didn’t know you knew those kinds of words, color me impressed.” she sighed, obviously bored.

“You feel better by leaving us behind? Your sister? Heard lately she blew herself up because you left her for that c*nt naming herself a sheriff.”

The moment he wanted to add something, he wasn’t able to anymore. Vi caught his shirt, raising him high above the ground, slamming his back to the closest wall. “You don’t know half the sh*t you’re talking about.” she growled, rattling him like a maracas. “So believe me, one more word, and I will stop being so civilized.”

“You can’t.” he swallowed, but she saw he wasn’t sure about it. Good. Because she wasn’t either.

“Oh, really?” Her eyes sparked dangerously causing him a shiver. “Tell me now, why do you think I’m here? Because you know what I can do. Because you’re afraid of what I could do to you. Because no one would dare to cross me”

Because Cassandra Kiramman convicted me to death one way or another.

“You can’t do anything.”

“Are you sure? I’m a convicted criminal. Do you really think I have anything to lose?” she asked, aware of her bluff. There was one thing she had to lose. It was all the legs, big ass rifle, and hell of a good heart, too good for this world. But Deckard didn’t need to know it. “Nobody’s watching me. What tells you I won’t give you my all like I did the last time you had the rotten luck to run into me?” she slid her gauntlet right before his face, blocking him from moving. Deckard felt the cold metal caressing his cheek in the most menacing way he could have imagined. “So, wanna try your chances?”

“He may not.” she heard from behind. “But we can.”

Vi didn’t turn fully, one side glance was enough to see five huge Zaunites, ready to pick up a fight. And she was only one. Quick calculation told her that even if she was able to hit three of them, she’d end up wrecked at least. At the same time she was aware that this sh*t had already started. There was nothing she could do to avoid the fight anymore.

She landed a punch on Deckard’s face, knocking him out cold, and turning to the rest, raising her guard. If she was supposed to go down, she’d go down on her own terms. Not without a fight, that’s for sure.

They threw a punch first, she blocked it, but the metal clang told her she was not the only one armed. The sound was made by the knife sliding over her gauntlets' surface. Ah f*ck, she really should remember Zaunites weren't as helpless as she remembered. She wasn't anymore either. Those weren't just petty child's fights, that was what Zaun was so infamous for. Violence.

And Vi stood for violence back in the day.

She tried, she really tried. Blocking the incoming hits, hiding behind her gauntlets, but even if she'd be able to make it through with two of those bulls, five were way too many, and she knew at some point she'd start losing. And she wasn't wrong. The moment Vi blocked a punch that was supposed to reach her head, she felt a powerful kick to the kidney. Absentmindedly she bent in half in pain, groaning through her teeth. She heard laughter.

"And so the legend dies in the trench." one of those bulls giggled, kicking her to the ground. She landed on her knees, and the first hit of the bat came right to her gauntlets. They were sturdy, sure, but they weren't unbreakable. And those bitches weren't f*cking while dancing. Hit by hit, they deprived her from the gauntlets, one of them crashing them to pieces. The rest caught Vi in the vortex of slaps, kicks, and punches, so she could taste her own medicine.

As if she never knew how it was to be on the other side.

She hasn't had much left but to curl up, and try to protect her head. Yanking, throwing desperate punches wasn't working, even though she was trying it nevertheless. They raised her up, uncovering all the sensitive areas, playing with her as if she was a ragdoll. She managed to block some of the hits, give some back, but it wasn't enough, not strong enough to make them give up. She grinded her teeth, feeling blood streaming down her face. Her wraps were already soaked in it, hers was mixing with the abductors', but she wasn't going to give up. Not until they understood.

She prepared for a punch, but the moment she threw it, one of the bulls smacked her head with his fist, taking advantage of her lowered guard on the right side. She staggered, her vision bickering with colors and black, and the moment she almost fell to the ground, giving them opening to finish the job, something whirred, and then she felt like something yanked her up. She had a problem to catch her balance, but the person, because it was a person, helped her to.

The flight on the board was short, but fast and effective. They brought her to the border of Zaun in no time. While landing, she looked at the person who helped her, and she recognized the mask. Firelights. Two more of them landed next to the one she went with.

"What the f*ck?" she groaned, trying to open her eyes fully, but she quickly realized it wasn't possible. Her eyebrow was already swollen, so was her nose bridge. Her cheekbone was sending pulses of pain radiating through her whole face, and the metallic taste she felt in her mouth was, most certainly, blood. She spat, and beside the red stain on the dust, there was also her tooth.

Wonderful.

"Vi, what the hell happened?" She heard Ekko's voice while he took off his mask. His Firelights laid her broken gauntlets down beside her, but their faces remained covered.

"Ol' good brawl, didn't you see?" she scoffed, leaning onto the building, rubbing the back of her neck. "I mean, seriously, I underestimated Zaun."

"What are you doing here wearing this sh*t? You really looking for a beating, or what?" he pointed at her uniform, now torn in some places, skin and bleeding wounds peeking through the slashed fabric, and dirty as hell.

"Don't even start." she grunted. "I hate this as much as them. And you, probably."

"Why are you doing it, then?"

"Because someone has to." she rolled her eyes, realizing it was a really bad idea. "Piltover's not gonna change sh*t, Ekko, but at least I can try. And I kinda have to."

"What did they do to you?" he approached while his companions decided to bail. "An enforcer? You? You know what sort of word is going around?"

"That Jinx killed herself because I left her for the Sheriff?" she asked, feeling the heavy weight of that preposterous lie on her chest.

"Yes."

"Bullsh*t." she shrugged, feeling pain in her shoulder and back. Oh god, the bruises would kill her. "You fought with her. You know what happened."

"I don't know what made her go berserk without a reason." he admitted, so she raised her head to look at him. With a grunt she stood up, took her gauntlets, or the remains, more like, and turned away to just leave.

"Yeah, probably it was my fault." she admitted, feeling her blood boil. "Because she's deprived of her own will."

*

"Splendid idea your mother had!" Caitlyn felt the tremor, and when she raised her eyes from above a report, she saw Vi's gauntlets that slammed her own desk. "If she wanted to kill me, she could just f*cking hang me, no need to make my own people turn on me!"

"What…? Oh, dear lord, Vi, what happened?!" The vast ocean space widened when she saw her enforcer looking like someone threw her under the herd of running horses.

"I just f*cking said it. Zaun happened. Told you, peeps wouldn't be super hyped that there's an enforcer, their f*cking own, no less, around. It was a ticking time bomb, and now you f*cking see how it ended up!" she pointed furiously at her gauntlets. "Five. Five mountains of a guy wanted to show how displeased the Undercity is. Again: are you satisfied?!"

"How did you escape? Did…" she interrupted, as if she thought Vi wasn't aware she had a tail.

"What, the goon you sent after me helped me? No, why would he? It was an old friend of mine. f*cking Piltie bailed at first sight of a brawl, I can say your mother gets the ranting as we speak. I'm telling you, for f*ck's sake, just fire me and send to Stillwater. It'll save us both nerves and time." she averted her gaze, feeling the rage lowering. Why the hell Caitlyn’s concerned eyes had this effect on her?

“I need you here, Vi. I know my mother’s idea was one of the worst she could have had, but I…”

“I swear to whatever is up there, if you’d tell me she had no idea how that could have ended, I will trash your office and MAKE YOU arrest me.” she snarled, raising her eyes at Caitlyn again. She could see she was uneasy. The sheriff sighed, shaking her head.

“I thought about it, but, to be honest, I’d not believe it even if I said it. She had to know what she was doing, however I cannot think of a reason she might have had for that decision.”

“Out of spite, how about that?” Vi scoffed, shaking her head, but she paid for it with a crushing pain in her temples. The adrenaline was lowering already, so she was about to feel it all. “Oh f*ck.”

“Vi, are you okay…?” Caitlyn stood up, reaching out her hand towards her enforcer, but Ace stopped her with her hand raised up.

“What do you think after looking at me?” she growled. “I’m great, never felt better. In fact, I feel like I can go for a Zaun spin once again in this f*cking uniform. OH WAIT! I can’t, your mother would wreak havoc if she sees I destroyed it.”

“It wasn’t you who…”

“And now think of how much sh*t your mother gives about if it was me or not.” she staggered, and sat down, trying to contain the head spinning. She rubbed her eyelids, squeezing the base of her nose. Then she leaned forward, feeling nauseous at once. “f*ck my life.”

“You look like you may have a concussion.” Caitlyn left the space behind her desk, and approached Ace, crouching in front of her. “Let me take care of those wounds, Vi, please.”

“Leave me be, I still have a shift to finish. I’m fine.” she snarled, trying to stand up, but her legs refused to cooperate. She staggered again, but Caitlyn caught her, helping her to sit back down.

“You most certainly are not.” she shook her head, growing more concerned with every passing minute. “Vi, please. Feeling bad is not something wrong. Especially after what you’ve just experienced.”

“And you really think that differs much from what I know?” her voice was weaker, as if she didn’t have much strength to oppose anymore. But, at the same time, she didn’t want to show her weakness. She could do it. She tried to stand up again, and even though she needed to catch the back of the chair to keep her balance, she managed to contain the head spinning. “I’m fine, seriously. I’m okay. Gimme a break.”

“You’re dismissed for today, officer.” The sheriff sighed, seeing there was nothing she could do to persuade her to stop trying to prove something no one needed her to prove. “And Vi… please, just… let me take care of you. You’re bleeding.” she reached out her hand, but Vi automatically backed off.

“I’m fine.” she almost snarled, like a wounded animal. “I don’t need your pity.”

“Bold of you to assume it’s out of pity.” Caitlyn scoffed with resignation, standing up, shaking her head, not looking at Vi who at the same moment glanced at her with sheer confusion. She crossed her arms over her chest, giving Ace her back. She didn’t want to show her the disappointment she had in her eyes. And the disappointment wasn’t even because of Vi. “I can talk to my mother.”

“What for.” Ace managed to limp to the door, experiencing severe nausea, clenching her eyes, and trying to calm down the helicopter that took over her head. “It’s not like it’s gonna change anything.”

“She’s more prone to listen to me than to anyone else. And I can rally my father for that, it’s already more.”

“What…” she grunted, pressing her fist to her forehead, closing her eyes. “What’s telling you he would even want to join you?”

“He likes you. It may sound odd to you, but he really respects and appreciates what you do for Piltover and Zaun alike.” she admitted, approaching her again, and squeezing her shoulder. Even though she did it gently, Vi hissed, like it was fractured. “Vi, please. Let me take you to the doctor."

"No f*cking way."

Of course, why did she even think she'd give it a thought? All that person was… urgh, one stubborn motherf*cker. "You NEED medical attention. And you can’t go alone to wherever you live now."

“That’d be the office in Zaun.” she shrugged, and paid for it with another grunt out of pain. Caitlyn grew concerned even more.

“Then a change of the office wouldn’t be much of a difference now, would it?” she asked, gently pulling Vi to the chair in her office, again. “Please. If you refuse to see the doctor, fine, but let me at least take a look. Don’t make me beg.”

“Why do you care so much?” she tried not to show how much of a relief was for her to sit down again. She shielded her eyes, so Caitlyn couldn’t see it.

“Because I… I just do, okay? That’s who I am. I care about my… enforcers.” she cleared her throat, averting her gaze. “I don’t want anything to happen to you. I need you here. You do a good job. For all of us.”

"Figures, I'm probably the only one not slacking." she scoffed, moving to take off the jacket, but her shoulder and ribs stopped her right there. "Urrrh, f*ck." she mumbled, bending in half, trying not to throw up.

"Careful, please." Caitlyn slowly helped her up and to the couch. Vi almost fell there, but the sheriff didn't allow her to slam the pillows and risk another injury. "How are you feeling?" she asked calmly, assisting her enforcer in taking off her jacket. Vi was wearing a simple white tank top underneath, so all her wounds were exposed. And it was a lot of blood. Caitlyn, however, was quite relieved since the majority of it was already dried.

"Like someone tried to throw me into a meat grinder." she groaned, lying her head back, resting it on the top of the couch's back part. Her eyes closed, but Kiramman could still see she was in enormous amounts of pain. Whatever those wankers did to her, they needed to put up a hell of a fight. She knew Vi did.

"I will clean the bleeding wounds." she said gently, reaching out for the first aid kit, taking out gauze, disinfectant, and pliers. Vi opened one eye, and with a grunt, seeing Caitlyn wondered where to start, she moved her battered arm. "What are you…?"

But Ace wasn't listening. She reached out for her hip flask, took the cork out with her teeth, and then poured a fair amount over the wound that was bleeding most profusely.

"What in a bloody hell, Vi?!" Caitlyn seemed outraged and confused at the same time, but the convict just took a gulp from the hip flask, corking it afterwards. "What was that supposed to be?"

"Cleaning the dirt, so you could see the wounds." she said weakly, feeling the burning in her gullet, her stomach churning, but when she wasn't moving, she was feeling quite okay. She did everything in her power to prevent the head trauma. As far as she could tell, she got only one heavy hit there. "You wouldn't stop complaining about it, would you? Now, wasn't that what you wanted to do, but didn't know how?"

"Are you always so… radical?" she raised her eyebrow, but proceeded to clean nevertheless. Whatever she'd wanted to say, she had to admit the alcohol slid down Vi's skin, taking most of the dirt with it.

"Zaun's charm." she chuckled raspily, but the laughter was deprived of any sort of positivity. "Go big or go home, Cupcake, there's no other way."

"You had it hard, I get it." she nodded, focusing on the slashes. With her jaw clenched, she noticed most of them weren't even clean, like the abductors were using knives with teeth. Most of the skin was torn apart rather than cut. "It can't be easy when your own people turn on you."

"If I didn't have the damned uniform, they'd never tell. And they wouldn't dare to question me getting into a fight to just break it." she sighed, raising her hand to rub her face, but the moment she hissed in pain, Kiramman caught it, lowering it.

"Don't move. I can see the bruises spreading, they didn't have mercy." she said quietly, but Vi just scoffed.

"As if Zaun ever did." she admitted bitterly. "Ah f*ck, I can tell, she wanted me to get the lesson, and have a reason to chastise me again."

"My mother?" Caitlyn raised her eyes for a brief moment from over one of the wounds, looking at the enforcer with concern. Icy eyes were still closed, but the position she was in made the sheriff swallow. The sharp line of her jaw, straight, rough one of her throat, all the curves of her tight muscles, and visible line of her collarbones, even if covered with scars and bruised skin… all of that was making Caitlyn want to touch them. The freckles, now hiding more and more with the black eye she gained, were giving her face the delicacy the sheriff would never think someone like Vi could have.

"She's gonna shred me to pieces." Vi confirmed, and Caitlyn went back to patching her up. Seeing Ace work, swinging the damned gauntlets like they were just merely paper toys was one thing, but being so close, seeing the muscles, feeling them, even if just by patting the cuts with gauze on the pliers… it all made sense now. She was from Zaun. She had to be the way she was, she did all she needed to survive. "After all, I destroyed her property. I mean, city's property or sh*t."

"You're still rambling on about the uniform? Don't bother about it, I'll make sure she never learns." she promised, stitching the deepest of cuts. "That may hurt."

"More than my sister's death and my best friend's accusation that it was my fault? Don't think so." she scoffed bitterly, and Caitlyn glanced at her with confusion, lowering the pliers, throwing away the gauze to pick a fresh batch.

"Excuse me? What are you talking about?"

"Word in Zaun is that Jinx killed herself because I left her." she didn't know why she said it, why was she even sharing those kinds of things with Caitlyn. But the truth was, she didn't give a sh*t anymore. Or at that moment. She'd regret it later.

"That's just preposterous! How could they even think about something like that?!"

She was feeling Caitlyn's gentle, soft hands on her skin, trying to be as harmless and painless as she could. Her touch was soothing, calming her, and Vi had a really hard time to understand why was that. She sighed heavily. "They don't know half of the story after we left Zaun. All they remember are two sisters ready to kill and die for one another. What they need is a reason for Spade to go berserk as she did. Honestly, I can't think about any other reason, sheriff."

"You can't think like that, Vi." Kiramman cleared her throat, reaching out her hand, but hesitating right before she touched Ace's face. Should she? Could she? Would it be appropriate? Ah, f*ck it. The upper part of her hand gently slid over Vi's cheek. Not without a surprise, she noticed the enforcer actually leaning into it. "It's not your fault."

"That's the only logical reason. We parted ways, she knew me before, had her expectations, I didn't meet them, she feels betrayed. It's the monster I created, Cupcake. It's my responsibility she's the way she is."

"Vi, please, look at me." Caitlyn said quietly, and she felt her breath being taken away when the weary icy irises full of pain were uncovered to obey her request. There was something in them that made her not want to stop looking into them. "You parted ways. You agreed on that. She's an adult, she has free will. Whatever reason she had for what she did, it wasn't your fault."

"But maybe if I was there…"

"You cannot take responsibility for actions that are not yours. Nor can you do that with something you have no control over. Do you really think if you were there anything would happen differently? That she would've reacted the other way?" she asked, with her hand still gently caressing Vi's cheek. It was oddly calming for both of them.

"Maybe if my life choices were better, she wouldn't be like this." Ace averted her gaze, slowly leaning forward, covering her face with her hands. What surprised Caitlyn the most was the fact she pressed the back of her hand that was caressing her cheek, to her forehead.

"Vi, she's just born like this, you can't possibly do anything with that…!" she exhaled desperately, feeling her heart skipping a beat while Vi's muscles tensed, and the patches the sheriff was able to put in her body so far, stretched with the motion.

"No, you don't get it." Ace shook her head, letting her hand go, not keen on holding her close against her will. And a moment of her vulnerability was uncomfortable. Probably for both of them. "Villains aren't born."

"What do you mean?" Caitlyn laid her hand on Vi's knee to show her she was still there, supporting her. When Ace raised her eyes at her, the icy irises were seeping an overwhelming sorrow and pain. Pain not caused by her most recent wounds. She was suffering, it showed.

"We're made." she closed her eyes once again, trying to control the tears. "Making her one was my fault. And I can't even make it right, she's gone."

"Vi, please…" Caitlyn was desperate. She didn't know how to help her, or what to say. Seeing her like that was… painful. She had to admit that sort of feeling was new for her. She was compassionate toward someone her mother expected her to be everything but that. Toward someone who, merely a few months before, she'd send to Stillwater without a second thought. "You can't escape the past, I know, but…" she squeezed her knee, wondering if she should continue. Frock it. "But you can't change it either. I know it's worthless coming from someone who knows nearly nothing about you, and even less about where you're from, but… please. You can't beat yourself up for choices that weren't yours to make."

"It's not worthless." Vi swallowed hard, feeling like those words shredded her gullet to pieces.

"Pardon?" Caitlyn was no less surprised, hearing that.

"It's not worthless to me. You're the only Piltie that has ever shown me people aren't that much of a trash. What you say… matters. To me."

"Then just please, if you can't trust me, just try to believe me." she whispered, looking into the suffering icy eyes that were bringing her the memories of winter's mornings in open plains between their cities.

"I do." Vi averted her gaze, feeling like one second more and she'd drown in that ocean. "I just… need to wrap my head around it. It's not easy, you know."

"I do." Caitlyn smiled sadly, reaching her hand for the pliers, to finish what she'd started. "Just please, remember, you're not alone. It's not you against the world anymore."

"Thank you." she whispered back, feeling an invisible hand choking her. She needed to put a lot into not allowing any tear to fall down her face as Kiramman gently went back to patching up her wounds.

Chapter 33: Unexpected Ally

Chapter Text

She couldn't turn down Caitlyn's offer to accompany her to Zaun's office. If she was to believe her, the sheriff had never been there, never visited the enforcers' outpost in that sh*tty hole forgotten by the world, but well known to the crime parlor of chembarons. But they just got in, Vi wasn’t even able to look around when she heard a voice that was somehow familiar to her, but at the same time unknown enough not to recognize it right away.

“I’m glad I caught you, I wanted to… oh good lord, what happened?” Tobias’ eyes widened when he saw Vi’s face, and her silhouette barely kept straight.

“With all due respect, sir, can we just skip that question?” she groaned, sitting down. Everything hurt. Granted, not as much as before Caitlyn forced her to accept her help, but it was still far from perfect.

“You surely heard about your mother's idea? About sending Vi here, to Zaun?” Caitlyn took the wheel, and her father nodded sadly. What surprised Ace the most, was the fact he seemed genuine in his emotions.

“Not at first. When I learned about it, I came here right away, aware of what it might cause. It turns out, however, I’m too late.” he pointed at Vi, and his daughter nodded, obviously angry about her mother's poor decisions.

“How didn’t you know?” Caitlyn opened her eyes widely, and Tobias sighed, shaking his head.

“She’s… stubborn, your mother, you know that. She's not easy to let out something she doesn't plan on. I had to tear that information out of her almost."

"How did you know what to ask about, then?" Vi glanced at him suspiciously. "I really doubt Cassandra Kiramman would reply to a general question."

"Smart, that one." Tobias smiled, nodding. "I noticed you weren't on our streets for quite some time, so I grew concerned about what happened to you. Whatever people may think about you, Vi, I know you’re not the one to just escape like that. Your sense of fairness is something to be envied, even if others do not see its existence at first.” he admitted, looking at her with his deeply blue eyes. She could see where Caitlyn's profound depth of ocean came from.

“Thank you?” she raised her eyebrow, not really catching what the hell was going on. Why was Tobias Kiramman so nice to her? She hasn't done anything good to Piltover. In fact, all her deeds were mostly neutral, if not negative, back to when she was rolling with her sister.

"So I decided to ask about it. Precisely on point, trying to learn what the heck my wife came up with this time. And so, while cornered, she needed to confess. What she said concerned me. I figured you'd probably be around here, since you turned down our offer to live with us…"

"Caitlyn's offer." Vi corrected, but the sheriff snorted with small laughter.

"It was his idea to start with, Vi." she smiled, looking at her encouragingly, as if she wanted to tell her there was nothing to fear from Tobias Kiramman. "The only one who wasn't really convinced was, well, my mother."

"Somehow that doesn't even surprise me." Vi averted her gaze, fixing it on her hands. Her knuckles, even wrapped, were still slightly bleeding. Caitlyn took care of them, yes, but it wasn't enough to seal the fresh wounds after the brawl. And they weren't something she could stitch together. "She never liked me, and I can't even blame her for it. What does surprise me is how it took her such a long time to come up with this idea. She could've sentenced me to death way sooner."

“In fact, she couldn’t.” Tobias shook his head, curiously glancing at the enforcer. “At most, she could issue the order to take you to Stillwater, hadn’t she shot herself in the knee by the promise she made.”

“Well, I knew a person who’d say that ‘to promise is not a sin’, so…” Vi sighed, trying to straighten up, but her ribs opposed quite violently. Although, apart from a grimace, she hadn’t shown anything.

“Cassandra knows better than to break one. Having Caitlyn as a daughter, now also as a sheriff, would make it so much harder to even try it.”

“Now I’m curious.” Vi admitted, her eyes wavering between Caitlyn and her father.

“She’s afraid I’ll leave again.” the young Kiramman admitted, shamefully looking into one of the windows, hugging herself. “She wouldn’t dare to break the given word just because she doesn’t want me to do so.”

“So she can control you?” fuchsia raised her eyebrow, and Caitlyn nodded, but that was all Ace could count for. “That… pardon my demacian, but that barely seems like a healthy relationship with a family.”

“It's… complicated.” Tobias sighed. "But whatever we'd want to say about her intentions, in this particular case the shadow of Caitlyn leaving is on our side."

Vi didn't say anything, but she couldn't really agree. Somehow feeling like whatever would or not happen to her being dependent on fear, understandable or not, was not very comforting.

"She's…" Caitlyn started, but Ace interrupted, scratching her wounded forehead.

"She's not the one to make that promise, though." she pointed out, catching a frown from Tobias. "It was the sheriff to do so. Councilor at most could just agree on the terms. And judging for how Piltover goes around… I'd say she could just say she'd been coerced."

"Why, that wouldn't make any sense." Mr. Kiramman shook his head, but his daughter sighed, wearily leaning on the windowsill.

"Actually, she may think Vi didn't fulfill her end of the bargain."

"Yeah, Spade's dead, but nobody knows what happened to the body. No body - no crime." Ace nodded, not looking at any of them. "She's accusing me of helping her hide, though."

"That's preposterous." Caitlyn scoffed bitterly, but Vi didn't join her in that. She knew where it came from, and, to be honest, she didn't even blame Cassandra for that. "First she distrust you even if I vouched for you, then she sends you to the ticking bomb environment for no reason, and…"

"Since the subject came back, my question is: why did you even listen to her? She's not the one to deploy your enforcers, Caitlyn, and if she tried, which she did, it was an obvious violation of the law." Tobias gently rubbed his way between their conversation, as his daughter glanced at him, her back tense at once.

She clenched her jaws, her cheeks tensing and relaxing as she was thinking. He was right, damnit!

"Bollocks, I'm so stupid!" she gritted her teeth, covering her eyes with her palm, turning to the window with a blush of shame flushing on her cheeks. "I haven't thought about it. It was just so…"

"Obvious for you to dance to whatever she plays?" Vi scoffed, ignoring the pain in her ribcage. Her eyes stopped at Caitlyn's tensed back, somewhere between her shoulder blades, trying hard not to slide anywhere lower. "Figures."

"It's not…!"

"It's okay, cupcake, really." she shrugged, sending a side glance at Tobias. "It's not like she's the one to be ignored, and she makes sure everyone knows it. Learning how to manipulate doesn't make you immune to it."

"What are you implying?" the turn Caitlyn did at once, her ocean eyes sparking anger, foreshadowing a storm. Vi averted her gaze, even if she felt quite compelled to face it head on, wondering what could happen if said storm collided with an iceberg.

"Nothing." She stood up carefully, feeling all her bones. f*ck, those bastards had some quad. "It's just, you know, your mother's an important person in the city. No wonder you don't give a thought when she's trying to barge in your business."

"Let's maybe not go there that harshly now, Vi, how about that?" Mr. Kiramman raised his hands in a defensive gesture, also standing up. "Making a mistake is a human's thing, although I'd rather not have Cassandra making mistakes that can put Piltover's finest in such danger. And no, Vi, I don't only have Caitlyn in mind. That also applies to you."

"Piltover's finest, huh? That's about the first time I've ever heard one of you saying that about a trencher." she sighed, shaking her head with disbelief. "Must've been hard to swallow. But I don't really need that, I just do what the sheriff wants me to. After all, I'm her enforcer." she glanced at her, silently sending her almost a challenging look. What would she say about it? If anything?

"You're the best enforcer I have." she admitted fiercely, with no hesitation, clashing with the challenge, and taking it head on. Vi couldn't ignore the warmth spreading through her chest while hearing it.

She opened her mouth to answer, but whatever she wanted to say had been deafened by an explosion.

Vi slouched immediately, entering fight or flight mode the moment a tremor took over the floor. Something was going on in Zaun, probably very close to them.

"sh*t." she cursed, charging to the door.

"Vi!" Caitlyn reached out her hand, but stopping the enforcer was futile. She wasn't there anymore. "Dad, stay here, please. It'd be safer."

"I can say she may be fancying you, Caitlyn." Tobias cracked a smile when he accompanied her daughter to the door. The sheriff took her rifle, peeking out of the window to see if her current vantage point would give her a good shooting position. Unfortunately, it wouldn't.

"And what if I'd fancied her as well?" she asked before even thinking about it. Her father chuckled.

"I'd have to work on your mother's flexibility in terms of life choices she doesn't have the control over. But please, do give me a sign when to start."

"If she lives…" Caitlyn sighed, not believing she was about to say that. "Maybe right about now."

*

Ignoring the pain bursting in her body, concentrating in the middle of her chest, pulsing somewhere under her sternum, spiced up with a fair amount of anxiety, she was running to The Last Drop. She had no idea if that was the place, but years in Stillwater, and even more years out on the streets taught her not to ignore her guts. And they were telling her she should check there first.

She stumbled over some debris while entering the bar's perimeter. And, again, her gut didn't disappoint her, even if in that particular case she'd really prefer it would. The Last Drop’s door, or more like what was left of them, the hole was smoking, letting thin but deeply black wisps of smoke whirl their way up to the sky. People already started gathering around, not doing anything, just staring. That was something Vi would never miss from any place in the world. The indifference.

“Vander? Did anyone see Vander?” she asked, but people were too absorbed with devouring the landscape. As if there was anything to devour. “What the hell happened here?”

“Why do you care?” someone scoffed, and she turned to him with wrath on her face, smacking his face with her badge.

“Because I’m f*cking entitled to! MOVE!” she started to open herself a way with her elbows, and if anyone looked at her the wrong way, she didn’t strain herself from smacking them even harder. At the same time her head was almost rotating, looking for Vander. He was too tall and too wide not to be seen, even in that thick of a crowd. She didn’t see him anywhere.

She finally got to the entrance, barging inside, and coughing when all the smoke had reached her face, suffocating at once. Vi covered her mouth and nose in the bend of her elbow, and proceeded further, calling her father’s name. When she thought there was nobody around anymore, she heard a loud groan, and as much as she would want to believe it wasn’t him, she was sure it was actually Vander’s voice. The adrenaline in her veins skyrocketed so hard, all the pain she was feeling merely a second ago was now completely gone. She sprinted to the counter, jumping, and sliding over it, landing right beside him.

“Vander, holy f*ck, what happened?” she grunting, helping him to sit up, at once seeing he had a wound on his leg. Bleeding, it seemed to be quite a deep one. She took out her shirt, leaving herself only in the tight top, trying to tourniquet his leg, so it would stop bleeding before she would be able to get him to safety, and organize some help.

“Jinx…” he groaned, trying to straighten his back. Before he was able to say anything else, he started coughing. Vi swallowed, but she knew there was no time to waste.

“Okay, look, I’ll try to get you up, but you need to help me with that, okay? Come on, old man.” she grunted, when her knees tried to oppose the motion, but she didn’t let them. Vander didn’t seem like he really wanted to help her with his weight, but when she barked at him to hurry up, he at least tried.

“Vi, that doesn’t… it won’t work.” He coughed after three steps when she tried to take him around the counter to get to the door. It wasn’t far, but for Vander it seemed like a marathon. “Kiddo, go, please. I’ll be fine.”

“No, you won’t. Not without help. And you know it. Don’t be stubborn, old timer, come on. Help me out here.” she was desperate, but he caught the edge of the counter, stopping her. “Vander, please, come on!”

“Vi, your sister is not dead.” he said, freezing her in place at once. “She… she planted a bomb here. I’m not sure if that was the only one. You need to go before anything happens to you.”

“Vander, for f*ck’s sake, I’m not going anywhere without you, you hear me? Bomb or not, you’re not staying!” She cried out, trying to catch any wisp of sanity she could have left. Why the f*ck Jinx would do something like that?! She tried to yank him out of his stupor, but they heard mechanical clang at their feet. One look down, and both of them swallowed, seeing a ball of neon lights grinning at them in an awful parody of a madman smile. They looked at each other, and she saw the look she knew way too well.

No windows. Just the one doorframe, but with a crowd of people outside. There was no way, and the time was shorter with every beep.

“Please, Vi. Save who you can save.”

“Vander, no.” she tried to stop him from taking the grenade into his hand, but he was faster. Even for a wounded man, she needed to admit he was still quite agile. “You’re the only person I’ve left.” she begged with tears in her eyes. “Please.”

“She said you’d know where to find her. And Vi…”

“No, please, give it back, I…”

“You have a good heart, kid. Don’t ever lose it.” He clenched his teeth, pushing her with the force of a tank outside through the door. She felt the slam when her body hit the ground outside. She rolled, almost up, when her eyes saw a bright flash of colors, and the Last Drop blazed in fire.

“VANDER!” she howled, reaching out her hand, but it was already too late. The shrapnel landed extremely close to the crowd which made a step back. Vi could feel the dust on her face, mixing with tears. She clenched her jaws, raising her eyes, and her blood boiled.

The upper part of the burning building was smeared with neon paint, the handwriting was, no doubt, Jinx’s.

THANK VI FOR THAT <3

Chapter 34: Nothing ever stays dead

Chapter Text

All those emotions. All those bad, sh*tty, overwhelming feelings that were seeping out of every pore of her body. She couldn’t believe it, she could not believe her own sister had done something like that. That Vander…

Vi got out of the place of the explosion right after, before people realized what happened, and what a message Jinx left for them. She had to find her. Not only was she alive, but murdering people around? Murdering the only person who always made sure they had everything they needed? Even if Vi wasn’t doing what she was doing to help, he would provide. She would never think that Jinx could be so ungrateful. So… broken.

One look around, she took two metal plates that could take the place of her broken gauntlets. There was no way her old good friends were usable at this point, she doubted they’d ever be again. However bad of a substitute they were, at least she wouldn’t go to the meeting unarmed. Knowing Jinx’s proficiency with guns, Vi’s bare fists would never bring her anywhere closer. And she didn’t count on Caitlyn to show up. How would she even know where were they?

She finally managed to get to the place holding all the good memories. Cliffs overlooking the valley where Zaun was. The same Zaun that had numerous spots that could bring her underground, making her regret being born there… and at the same time cherish her roots. It wasn't called 'Undercity' for no reason, however Piltovans had no idea why it was called that way. And Vi didn't think that Caitlyn needed to know.

"I knew I'd find you here." she heard from behind, recognizing the voice right away. She clenched her fists, and turned to her sister. The same sister who was supposed to be dead. She didn’t know what was worse - the fact she lost her father, or the fact that she got back her sister who murdered him in cold blood. "So predictable."

"Pow…" she started, but she immediately chastised herself for that. There were two smudges in the dirt covering her face, revealing the fact she cried. "Jinx, what the hell were you thinking?" she decided to charge face on, since there was probably not much time. "Killing all those people? Explosions, sinkholes, bloodshed? Wasn't the death of our parents, and so many on the way, enough? You had to target your own hometown?" Tears in her eyes were not to be held back again. Jinx could see the reflexes in them, as the last rays of sun marked the wetness that covered the icy irises. “And Vander? After all he’s done for us! After all those years, just to prove something, you just…”

“Oh, come on, Vi, that was just a prank!” she chuckled, but Ace just clenched her fists, looking at Spade with disbelief and hurt in her eyes.

“A prank? A PRANK?! Pranks are supposed to be harmless, Jinx! There were people! VANDER IS DEAD!” she howled, not being able to grasp what has become of her sister. And if she had been her sister at all anymore.

"So they weren't lying." Jinx scoffed, shaking her head. "You really did change sides. I can't believe all those promises of us being always on the same side of the barricade were just worthless. Just like your promise years ago that you'd never leave me."

Vi swallowed, trying to push an unpleasant ball of shame and unfair accusations down her throat. She shook her head, huffing, feeling a soothing weight of the plates resting against her leg as she put them down there. She wished she had her gauntlets, but if one can't have what they like, one learns to like what they have.

"How can you say anything about changing sides if you just killed one of your own?!” she cried out, trying to get to her conscience, but she saw there was none. All seemed lost. Trying to talk to her was no longer useful, she needed to understand that. And yet she still had some hope inside her, the naiveté that maybe Jinx would hear her out. "It's not like that, and you know it!" she clenched her fists so hard she could actually feel her short nails piercing her skin through the wraps on her palms. "It didn’t have to be like this, either!"

"What are you talking about?" Jinx rubbed her forehead, drilling her sister with her eyes having a purple underglow of Shimmer. So that was what happened. That was why she survived. Vi knew there was very little to none of the old Jinx there. If there was such a thing as an 'old Jinx', that was. And then it hit her. "Are we… still sisters?"

"Nothing's ever gonna change that." Vi nodded, not breaking eye contact. Even if the Shimmer in there was painful to see, it was still her sister. The one she wanted to protect, the one she wanted to give the best she could to. And the one she despised so much at the moment, even though she was trying not to. "But you need to want that as well."

"You're an enforcer. You can make my charges go away. And…" she looked at her intensely, the purple undertone now visible a lot more. Ace swallowed, somehow scared of what Jinx could say next. "...and you can have Powder back."

Vi froze, feeling the clutches of pain crushing her chest, her spine, and creeping over her body, overtaking it fully. She felt her throat narrower, as the breathing became harder to perform. She opened her mouth, but then she clenched her jaws. What was she supposed to say, ‘okay’? Or what else, ‘sure, Imma check if they maybe want to just pardon you’? She was her sister. She loved her, yes. But what she’s done… and the reason she’s done it for was unforgivable.

She shook her head with a heavy sigh. "I can't."

It wasn’t about trying to take Jinx outta the sh*t she threw herself into. There was nothing that Vi knew in the person standing in front of her, having Powder’s face, Powder’s voice. There was, however, one thing she did know. Simply by looking into the eyes she no longer knew she was painfully aware that Powder was gone. The only one that was, was Jinx. Or even less, Vi knew Jinx. What she didn't know was Spade.

"You can't?" the blue haired bomberwoman squinted her eyes, hissing like a broken pipe. "What does it mean: 'you can't'?"

"Exactly what I told you, Jinx." Vi sighed, shaking her head with disbelief, but still not taking her eyes off of her sister. She needed to play it cool, as if there was any sort of will to help in her still left. Double the damage, since there was none at all anymore. "I'm working there because they wanted me to do something useful for once before they can me back in Stillwater for years. None of them, not the sheriff, nor the council, trust me. Even if I wanted to bring your case to the discussion, they wouldn't let me."

"How about that hat bitch?" Jinx raised her eyebrow. "She's reliable for them."

"You have no idea how wrong you are." Vi mumbled, thinking about Cassandra Kiramman questioning her daughter's actions every step of the way. "And that 'hat bitch' as you called her, is the sheriff. She doesn't trust me, I told you. You should have learned how to listen, Jinx.”

“You’re lying, Vi. I can see that.” The blue haired woman clenched her fingers on her triple-barrelled gun, and looked at her sister with anger. “You’re lying just not to help me. Weren’t you the one to tell me you’ll help me no matter what? That you’ll have my back?”

Vi grunted, shaking her head. She wanted to be delicate, but that didn’t work. It never has. She raised her eyes at Jinx, seeing she had no remorse whatsoever. Moreover, she was demanding help from someone who finally found a place where, even if still treated with reservation due to her past, she was working on the renown according to the deeds she wanted to commit, not the ones life made her do. She finally started living. She couldn’t allow Jinx to destroy everything she’s ever worked for.

In the perfect dream she had, Jinx was just as she remembered her, sweet and innocent, quirky and just curious, sometimes mischievous. Vi, however, knew things were rarely how she wanted them to. And even less there was something called ‘perfect’. Perfect was simply nonexistent. Such a pity Vi had to learn about it the hard way, and yet was still naïve enough to believe something could be different.

But no more. No more being a protective sister of a murderer. Jinx destroyed her own life… but she didn’t have to destroy Vi’s. Wherever that decision would take them both, it had to end there. She sighed, feeling physical pain when she thought of what she was about to do.

“You know, what, Spade? No. I’m done. You want to know how it really is? Here. You changed. You’re killing people, and you don’t even seem bothered by it. I am sick of what you’ve done, what you’re doing. I… even if I wanted to have your back, I can’t anymore. I will not be able to look at myself in the mirror if I helped you get away with all that.”

“You said we’re sisters.”

“Because we are. But sisters or not, you just killed our father.” Vi said forcibly. “He helped us when we were as good as dead alone. He took us in, raised us. And instead of being grateful, I left him, and you… you f*cking killed him. I was with you all the way, standing your… shenanigans with guns, even if I didn’t like them. But that? What you did to Vander, to all those people in Zaun? That’s the last drop that just overflew the whole vessel. If you think I’ll be as nice as I was to you all those years, you’re wrong.”

“You’re the one to talk! I changed? I changed?! Look at yourself!” Jinx scoffed mockingly, drilling her sister with her purple-ish eyes. “All righteous and all, forgetting how you were raised? As a sump rat, no less! Living out of junk on the streets, stealing just to live another day, going for all those shady sh*tty jobs…”

“To ensure you had something to eat.” Vi snarled. “You wanna outbid each other? Yes, I was stealing, yes, I was doing shady sh*t, just because I wanted Vander not to have to work for us all. You were and are my sister, my responsibility! I just didn’t want it all to be on his shoulders, because Claggor and Mylo were there as well!” she shook her head, resting her hands on her hips, and looking down at the plates. Battered, almost rusty, like her gauntlets: reforged too many times to count, fixed, patched… but usable. Holding together only on a sole word of honor and sheer will of the wielder.

Like the wielder, also.

“You claim you cared about me.” Jinx growled, and Vi raised her eyes at her, striking back with anger.

“Because I did, and I still do. But how long can I care for someone who is all the time proving she doesn’t want it? I cannot help you if you don’t want it. And you’re slipping, digging yourself a new low every day. I just…”

“Because you left me!” she yelled, and Vi froze, surprised.

“What? You were the one to leave me the message that it was better for us to part ways! What the f*ck are you on about now!?”

“I’m talking about before. When you went to Stillwater. You told me you’d stay no matter what, and then you left! For years, six long years, and then you didn’t even think about finding me, you…”

“I was looking for you. So long, and I couldn’t find you. Vander didn’t know where you were either.” she admitted, feeling the burden on her shoulders. How was she supposed to pay for something she did to… protect her? “And you say it as if I wanted to go to Stillwater. I didn’t, but it was the only way! And you know it!”

“You could have lied to them! You never had a problem with lying, why having it then?”

“I DID lie to them!” Vi grunted, looking around, feeling like a moment more and she would just plainly jump out of that raise, not even thinking about the consequences that, probably, would be devastating to her skeleton. A problem for, like, three minutes of fall, then not anymore, though. “If I didn’t, who the f*ck knows what would be of you!”

“So now it’s my fault?!”

Vi wasn’t able to hold it back any longer.

“Was it MY GRENADE that f*cking ripped Claggor and Mylo apart?!” she howled like a wounded wolf, looking at her sister with eyes full of tears, screaming with pain and remorse, even if the fault wasn’t hers to bear. “No! It was yours! You made it! You thought it would not work as it was supposed to! And YOU miscalculated!”

“I was a kid!”

“SO WAS I!” Vi raised her hands, entangling her fingers with her fuchsia locks. She couldn’t bear it anymore. It was too much, all those memories, all those days in prison, believing she was protecting Powder from the world, and the world taking Powder, changing her into Jinx, giving her back to Vi in the way she never wished it would. Ace's hands and voice were shaking when she spoke again. “Do you know what prison does to a person when you’re closed in three stone walls and one barred, beaten all the time, without a will to live, and the only thought that’s giving you hope is the thought that somewhere out there is your sister that you’re doing all that for?!”

“Apparently less than a world to a child that was left alone. No wonder my true nature decided to come forth, Vi.” Jinx’s eyes almost lost their glow. “I thought you could love me the way you used to, even though I’m… different.”

“You had Vander, Jinx.” Vi drawled, glaring at her from behind the curtain of tears in her eyes. “You weren’t alone. What you did, the choice to leave, was yours. You did that to yourself. Not me. Not the world. You.”

“I don’t think this conversation would lead anywhere where I’d want it to.” Jinx raised her gun, but Vi stood her ground, not even giving a sh*t about three barrels pointed at her chest.

“It might, if you drop your gun.” An ice cold voice sounded vibrantly from behind Vi, and her eyes widened when Caitlyn emerged from the shadows with her hextech rifle pointed straight at her sister’s head, standing next to her work partner. How did she find them?! “It doesn’t have to end with a body here. It’s your choice, really.”

“You can shoot if you want to, I’m not going anywhere. Not without you.” Ace frowned, clenching her teeth, staring straight into Jinx’s eyes. It was a threat, there was nothing telling her sister Vi wanted to apologize and hug her, making amends. She stepped forward, covering Caitlyn with her own body. Kiramman was tall enough for her rifle not to even touch Vi’s shoulder, but even though she seemed a bit taken aback nevertheless.

“Vi, it’s pointless, she’s not going to listen to you.” she stated, not taking her eyes off of Jinx. “She’s too far gone.”

“You should listen to your girlfriend.” Jinx snickered, still aiming at Vi’s chest. Ace didn’t even budge.

“If we let her go now, we have no guarantee we’ll get her again.” Ace slouched, tensing her back and arms’ muscles. “I am taking her with me. She’s my sister.”

“Oh then you better make a choice, and fast.” Spade shrugged. “I don’t really care who I kill first, but I wouldn’t have to kill anyone if you just let me go.”

Vi didn’t even hesitate. One swift movie, learned by heart, she reached the plates, and clenched her hands on the screws inside, raising them up and striking Jinx’s gun. Its barrels turned to the side, and the series of bullets put a row of holes on the closest tree. At the same time she pushed Caitlyn back, so she was not standing too close to the line of fire. Kiramman rolled on the grass, stopping in a kneeling position, aiming again. Jinx, however, started moving as Vi’s hands wielding metal were mauling the air like hammers. Spade, however, seemed too fast even for her.

“I can’t get a clear shot!” Caitlyn hollered, trying to find any sort of space that wouldn't require shooting through Ace's tattooed back, but Vi couldn’t open the way for her. She wanted Jinx alive. She needed to face her crimes. Death, in that case, would be a f*cking bliss. She couldn’t let her die. Not like that. “Vi, please! She’s gonna…!” The next thing she released was a painful grunt when she felt a bullet grazing her thigh. She staggered, catching the balance by leaning on her rifle. “Vi!”

“I told you to listen to her.” Jinx said, hitting her sister straight to the face with the bulky downpart of her gun. Vi groaned, staggering, and landing on her side, leaning on her arm, trying to stand up. “Now you’re going down. Both of you. But she’s gonna be first, since you decided to pick a Piltie instead of your own sister.”

She aimed at Caitlyn, and pulled the trigger. The gun started whirring, preparing for the shots, but Vi was faster than the bullets.

“No f*cking way!” She charged before Caitlyn, throwing one of the plates at Jinx. Her sister dodged, but she staggered, sliding down on the valley’s shelf.

Caitlyn saw Vi’s body being turned by the impact, and she landed face down on the ground. A scream from down below told her that Jinx was gone. If she was alive, she would probably be injured. She wanted to chase her, but pain in her thigh tore the movement with a sharp sting. She groaned, looked at her work partner, and her heart stopped.

Ace’s blood stained the ground when Caitlyn slid to her, not giving a sh*t about Spade fleeing anymore. She turned Vi around, helping her lay on her back, to assess her injuries. She was pressing her bare, wounded, profusely bleeding shoulder, her breath short and irregular.

"Vi? Vi! sh*t, Vi, stay with me!" she hollered, and the ice colored eyes opened, looking at her from behind a layer of mist, bringing a thought about a slightly clouded morning sky. Caitlyn reached to her shoe, taking a small flare gun, and shooting a red one. The sky lit up with its radiant colors, sending a signal to the units that they needed help.

"I guess that's how it ends, cupcake." she smiled weakly, feeling her hand shaking, Caitlyn pressed the other gunshot wound she got, completely ignoring her own thigh which was also bleeding. It was but a graze for her. Vi had a graze on her cheek as well, same as on her temple, but in comparison to her shoulder and side, they were just scratches.

The sheriff shook her head, tears shimmering in the corners of her eyes. "No." she drawled with pain, pressing her wounds more. Seeing Vi like this had never been in her head before. She didn't want to see her on the gallows, she didn't want to see her die. She needed her… she needed her as a friend. A teammate, right? Ah, bollocks, of course not only that. "No, bloody hell, no! Don't you dare die on me, you hear me?!"

"It is how it is, sheriff." Ace coughed, a thin wisp of blood streaming from the corner of her mouth. "And I'm afraid… this is it."

"What about us?" Caitlyn felt the tears streaming down her face, she wasn't able to contain them. They were on a good way. They seemed to start trusting each other. The thought of losing that criminal scum was too overwhelming.

"Oil… and water." Vi panted, choking. "Wasn't meant to be."

"You're just saying that…" Kiramman's voice was shaking, and broke when she saw Vi's eyes bickering with consciousness. Fuchsia haired bastard was still fighting to stay with her, probably to just break her heart. She saw the orange flare that was telling her someone was deployed. "Please, hold on, they're already on the way."

"Do yourself a favor…" she coughed, blood staining her lips. She clenched her teeth in pain, her hold on the shoulder wasn't that strong anymore, it was barely there. The blood was flowing almost freely, without any obstacles. She touched Kiramman's cheek with the last surge of strength she got, leaving a smudge of blood there. "Go back to that big, fancy city of yours, and just…" she grunted, clenching her eyes for a brief moment, and opening them again was clearly hard, but she managed. "...forget me, okay, Caitlyn?"

Her hand slid from her shoulder to her chest, as her head tilted to the side, her icy eyes were closed, one stray tear slid down her cheek, she was barely breathing, but Caitlyn was far from giving up.

"I won't let you, you bloody plonker." she sniffed, pressing both wounds now. She used her name. Not the title, not the nickname she was using all the time. Vi called her Caitlyn. She couldn't let her do it only once in her life. She wanted to hear it again. Maybe even more frequently, who knew? "Hold on there. I won't let you go that easily. Not like that."

Chapter 35: Oil and Water

Chapter Text

Caitlyn grunted again when the medic was taking out the last shrapnel from her wounded thigh. It turned out that Jinx's gun had bullets a bit different than they expected. She waited for him to finish the bandaging, and she stood up, wanting to go.

"Sheriff, ma'am, you should rest." he held her back, but she shook her head.

"I can't stay here. I need to know how's my officer."

"You mean… Ace?" he glanced at her curiously, catching one of the folders he had on his desk.

"Her name's Vi." she almost growled, sitting back down. "And yes, I mean her."

"As much as I can see here, it's not promising." he flicked through the pages he had in front of his face. "But well, I'll have to give you that, it'd be better to talk to the doctor that's taking care of her directly."

"Can I go there?" she asked, feeling her heart skipping a beat. Enforcer or not now, Vi's face was a common landmark on every city's walls. People couldn't forget about her past just like that. And her duty, as a sheriff, was to make sure all her subordinates and partners were safe.

She failed in a terrible way when Vi just decided to turn into her bulletproof vest. She laid her life, so Caitlyn could make it out as much in one piece as it was possible. All she could do for Vi now was at least make sure nobody would try to murder or capture her in the infirmary. She hoped there wouldn't be anything worse to be afraid of.

She accepted the cane that the doctor offered, seeing her restless eyes forcing him to obey. He opened the door for her. "She's on the very end of the corridor, sheriff. But I don't think you'd be able to talk to her. Her state is pretty… demanding."

Caitlyn nodded, swallowing the guilt, and just moved forward, where he pointed her to. She was praying for Vi to be alive. She had to. Kiramman tried to comfort herself with the thought that there was always more blood than the wound had gravity, but… something was telling her it was not really that way this time.

"Sheriff?" She stood face to face with a doctor that just left a room that was supposed to be Vi's. "Shouldn't you be laying down and resting? Your wound…"

"Is nothing in comparison to the one my enforcer got. Are you, perhaps, the doctor who's taking care of her, sir?"

"Yes, indeed." he sighed, and Kiramman knew right away the news would not be good. If there would be any apart from the worst scenario that could happen. She didn't even want to think about it. He pointed at one of the chairs on the corridor, and Caitlyn sat down, a bit disappointed she couldn't see for herself how Vi was doing. "Well, sheriff, I have an impression that I don't really have good news for you."

"How bad is it?" she wasn't ready, of course she wasn't. She just started trusting Vi, finally relying on someone just having her back… and now there was a very thin line between still having that enforcer, and not having anyone anymore.

"I won't lie to you, it's grievous, the bullets seem to be a different kind than the ones we knew, so the damage that's been done to her shoulder and side is far worse than we primarily thought." he admitted quietly, as if he was apologizing to the sheriff.

"Will she make it?" she asked straightforwardly, expecting the same kind of answer. The doctor sighed, looking at her.

"There is a chance, however small, that she may. But I wouldn't count on that."

"But you're doing everything you can, right?"

"Of course. It doesn't matter who she is or was, a person in need is a person in need. We're bound by hippocratic oath, and such we're carrying."

"Can I… see her?" she hesitated, but she couldn't help not to ask. She felt she needed it. Just to see her breathing.

"She's unconscious, sheriff. You can, of course, but… it wouldn't make you feel better, trust me."

"I don't need to feel better, doctor." she grunted, standing up, and leaning on her cane. "I'm a part of the law enforcement. I… I'm no stranger to wounds nor death. I just ask for a few minutes to see how my officer's doing, that's all."

"She's in the last room." He pointed her in the direction, and she nodded. "I see the guards have already arrived."

"Guards?" Caitlyn raised her eyebrow, approaching the enforcers. "What's that about, officers?"

"Sheriff!" one of them saw her, and both saluted right away. "Since you were… out for a moment, we got the order from councilor Kiramman to…"

"Make sure Vi doesn't escape?" she asked disbelievingly, looking through the glass surface in the door. "Pardon me, officers, not to be rude, but she doesn't seem like she can breathe on her own, let alone go anywhere."

"No, ma'am, we're here to…"

"...ensure she has an honorable last way, ma'am." the other one finished. Caitlyn clenched her fingers on her cane, feeling her blood boiling. How could she?! Already assuming Vi would die?!

"Let's hope it does not come to that." she said calmly after two deep breaths. "As I'm the sheriff, I expect you'd guard this room, so nobody can come around with an idea of finishing what Spade started."

"You can count on us, ma'am." they assured her. "And… Sheriff? We were wrong."

"What do you mean, officer?" she looked at the guard on the left, since it was her to say it.

"We thought she wouldn't take the enforcer's oath to her heart. You know, because… she was a criminal. But we were wrong. She's all right."

"She took bullets for me. It shouldn't have come to that." Kiramman admitted, straightening her back. "But yes, Vi's service was outstandingly better than expected. I'm glad you've come to realize it."

"I hope she'll be fine, sheriff." the other enforcer admitted, looking at his superior comfortingly. "The majority of the precinct has their fingers crossed for her."

"I'm glad to hear it." she nodded, and then left them in the corridor, crossing the threshold of Vi's room. She tried not to think about her mother. Not now. Not when she had something way more important to take care of.

She sighed with pain, seeing her enforcer the way she saw. Drips, tubes, bandages, and still some blood stains. Vi looked so petite and fragile in the white bedding. Once broad shoulders and muscled arms that were making her look like an unstoppable force, always tense, ready to work, ready to brawl… now they were finally relaxed. But Caitlyn wasn't happy to see the tension go away like that.

She approached the bed slowly, limping, feeling the pain with every step. She sat on the edge of Vi's bed, looking at her peaceful face, even if it was marked with scars. She cracked a smile, seeing the freckles shining under the hospital's light. She hesitated, and then took a stray lock of fuchsia hair back, tucking it behind Ace's ear, somehow sadly receiving no reaction. Maybe this time it would be different. She was lying there, like a statue, her chest barely moving in the rhythm of nearly forced breaths. "You can't die, Vi." she whispered, caressing her hand.

It wasn't how she imagined seeing her without the signature wraps. Her skin was surprisingly soft, but at the same time had the tone of roughness Caitlyn expected. At the same time it was completely not something she would assign to a person like Vi. She remembered her first thought about her hands, how they had to be full of calluses and scars, since her arms were so muscled. She was sure a person with enough strength to just wave her gauntlets like if they were Ionian origami was not supposed to be any gentle. And yet she was wrong. Even in all her harshness, she had the rough subtlety nobody wanted to see.

She was the person who helped her mother, so Caitlyn wouldn't have to go through what Vi was through right before this whole situation. Vander, the barman in The Last Drop, the one of many people who died in Zaun… Vi mentioned him. It was her father. Vi rescued one parent from Spade's clutches, just to lose another one from her hand. Such a devil's laugh.

And all Cassandra Kiramman could do in that situation was to send Caitlyn's people to just take the corpse out when the time came. Pathetic. And disappointing, no less.

"How's she holding up?" she heard Tobias' quiet voice after a moment of silence she spent with her enforcer one on one.

"Barely." she sighed, discreetly backing off her hand from around Vi's. Her father might have been aware of who she might be fancying, but she couldn't allow her mother to see it, even if it was way below her dignity to come around.

Or so she thought.

"It can't be that bad, can it?" Cassandra's voice assured her daughter she was more than indifferent to someone's suffering.

"You shouldn't be here." she said lowly, not looking at her, but only turning her head to the side. It was enough to see her mother, all distinguished and proud, standing nearby, with whatever vicious idea she had this time. "It's not your place."

"Watch your tongue, Caitlyn, I'm here just because I wanted to check how you are doing."

"That's why you're in Vi's room?" she clenched her teeth.

"We couldn't find you anywhere else, sweetheart." Tobias sighed, sending his wife a warning glance. She, however, ignored it.

"It figures you'd be here." the councilor scoffed, looking around, as if she was trying to assess if the environment wasn't too high class for someone like Ace.

"Well, since you're so sure she's not going to make it, maybe I just came around to say my goodbyes?" it cost her everything to be able to push those words through her vocal chords without a single shake or break in her voice. Cassandra stiffened, hearing them, and Tobias glanced quizzically at his daughter, and then at his wife.

"What is she talking about?"

"She didn't tell you?" Caitlyn stood up, leaning on her cane, glaring at her mother, poorly hiding the disappointed disgust among the stormy waves of her ocean eyes. Then she moved them to her father. "Those two guards?"

"The security, so Vi's safe, aren't they?"

"That's what she claimed?" she scoffed. "They're here to escort her in the coffin to the enforcer's wake, dad."

"Good lord, Cassandra, tell me she's not… oh my god." he shook his head with disbelief the moment he realized it was no joke. "Cait, let's talk outside, shall we? Vi needs rest."

"It's not like she can't be bothered by our presence, Tobias, she's unconscious." the councilor pointed out, and the sheriff passed by, enraged. She stopped briefly next to her, sending her a very stormy gaze. She was ready for a fight.

"If you really think she's going to die, you're as good as out of here, mother." she drawled, looking her right into the eye. "I don't need anyone doubting the abilities of my officers, and especially not hers, after all she’d done for us. Dad, you wanted to talk. Please, join me when you can, and do make sure she's not anywhere near Vi when nobody else is around."

And she left the room. She couldn't believe it. Cassandra Kiramman, the bloody bastion of Piltover's 'caring' side. The very same one being as far from any empathy as she possibly could. What was wrong with her?! And what, despite Vi’s future, was bothering her so much she couldn’t give her even a crumble of vote of confidence, seeing the enforcer working for redemption more than any of the officers around would.

"You shouldn't behave like that, Cassandra." Tobias' tone was far from chastising, but he was clearly displeased. "She saved your life."

"And did not fulfill her duty." the councilor scoffed. "She should have died, but yet she lives, making a mess of our daughter's head. I don't like it."

"You don't like it, because Vi… oh, bollocks, you know, what? I'm done with your sh*t, Cassandra. Get out of here. At this point I'm starting to wonder if you're not the danger for her." he frowned, taking his wife outside, looking for Caitlyn. "She made sure your daughter is in one piece, and you're still treating her like a trencher."

"That is what she is." Mrs. Kiramman shrugged, adamantly following her husband. "And Caitlyn is injured. So Ace did not deliver as she should have."

"You should be happy she didn't deliver Caitlyn's body." it took him a lot of willpower not to snarl at her. "And you're still so acquisitive you can't see through your xenophobia."

"How dare you!"

"Can you stop already?!" Caitlyn turned around, not being able to ignore her mother for any longer. They were far enough for the enforcers not to eavesdrop on them, but even with that, the councilor was not trying to keep it low. "You're obnoxious, mother. With all your heinous attempts to make me despise Vi the same way you do, without a reason, without learning a single thing about her."

"She's just a Zaunite. A criminal, no less, as predicted. Convicted, by pure chance not barred in Stillwater at the moment. What's more there to learn?"

"Ah, ignorance really is bliss, I see." she hissed like a steam pipe, tormented with guilt over what happened to her enforcer. Her partner. "Need I remind you that if it wasn't for her, Spade would have had your head on a pike by now?"

"You'd make it just fine without her, Caitlyn. Don't give her too much credit for something she wasn't even required for." Cassandra plainly ignored another glare sent to her by her husband, as well as a perfectly used argument. She couldn't allow her daughter to focus on sump rats like Zaunites. They were never anything good, even less a vital part of an action. "She's like a co*ckroach. She'll live even if we don't want her to."

"You're the only one who doesn't want her to live." the sheriff snarled. "Everything could be good if you just knew when to shut up, stopped manipulating or sticking your nose into business you're not supposed to."

"Oh, so now it's my fault she failed to catch her own sister, as you were so sure she would? That Spade went rampage, killing her own kin? That's what you're trying to say?" the councilor decided to let slip the disrespect in her daughter's voice, as well as the choice of her words. She'd touch it another time.

"No." Caitlyn was done. She didn't have the strength, nor the will to put up with her mother's sh*t. Not now, not anymore. "It's your fault you took advantage of us both, deploying her to Zaun. It's your fault you forced her with all your manipulations to wear the uniform where she shouldn't have done it for her own safety. It's your fault she had been beaten up so bad, her gauntlets are no longer usable. And it's because of all of that combined, that she had not had anything better than two stray plates of metal to shield herself from her sister's bullets. You claim you're so concerned about me, but when she saved my life, risking her own, all you can say is that she didn't deliver, because I got the graze." she threw all the things buzzing inside her, out. She couldn't bottle them any longer. "I wouldn't, had she had the gauntlets. And we're going back to the starting point. You're a hypocrite, and a bad person, mother. Zaun is a part of Piltover's jurisdiction. Their people are our people. And if you can't or don't want to understand it, you sure as hell should not be a head of the council. God, you shouldn't even be a councilor. I don't want to talk to you anymore. I'm done. Congratulations, ma'am, you did it again."

"Sheriff? Can I borrow you for a minute? I know it might be a bad moment, but…" the doctor accosted her the moment when Cassandra was about to burst. Tobias decided to stand there and observe if she'd understand, or not. At this moment he was ready to take Caitlyn's side. Again.

"Of course, sir." she nodded, following him further. "What's the matter?"

"We got the results from the tests we ran during the bullet analysis." he admitted, looking at the notes he had with him. "I'm afraid I don't have good news for you. Here, see for yourself." he handed her the folder. She didn't think twice, opening it right away, reading as fast as she could.

"Toxins? In bullets? What the heck?" she bit her lip seeing those words. "But that would make my wound…"

"No, sheriff. The analysis of what we took out from your wound gave us the idea you've been hit by a shrapnel by ricochet. The main impact had been on your enforcer. She took it all, and the bullets were in her body long enough to let the toxin start spreading. She doesn't have much time left, I'm sorry."

"What? No! Come on, doctor, there has to be a way! What do you mean she doesn't have much time left?" she felt like she was on the verge of panic. No, it couldn't be true. Jinx couldn't be that vicious. And that meant she couldn't be working alone. Sevika didn't seem like a match for that kind of ploy either.

And she needed Vi in order to unveil it.

The doctor cleared his throat, but his eyes told her there was nothing he could say that would be any positive. She felt what was coming, and yet she needed it to be said.

“I don’t think we can help her…”

“What does that mean: you can’t? Bloody hell, she’s dying! You need to…!”

“Sheriff, her wounds are big. I don’t think there’s anything more we can do than we’ve already done; we took the bullets out as fast as we could, we managed to stop the bleeding, but… Now it’s either waiting for her organism to respond, chasing the toxin away. There is a chance for it, since she's a Zaunite, the toxins are everywhere near mines and rivers, of course, but those chances are very, very low. The other way…" he interrupted, but she knew what was supposed to be there. And she couldn't disagree more.

“No.” Caitlyn frowned, clenching her fists. “That’s not an option. I refuse to believe it."

She gave him back the folder, limping to the exit, no longer giving a sh*t about her parents fighting over something at the moment. She couldn't care less. Not when she knew Vi could die if she didn't do anything.

But where would she go? What would she do? She wasn't a doctor, and if they were helpless, she was even more. But those were Piltovan doctors. Maybe in Zaun she'd have more luck.

However, Zaunites were also dying out of intoxication. Medic might have been not enough. She needed something better. Stronger than a hope or prayer.

She remembered the purple glow in Jinx's eyes. She was supposed to be dead, and yet she survived. The strange glow… that color could mean only one thing. Shimmer, the drug they wanted to chase away from Zaun for ages now.

And now she'd have to get some for Vi.

"I can do it." she nodded, heading to her partner's last headquarters. If she was going to Zaun, she needed to look convincing. And who had better Zaunian closet than a Zaunite herself? "Not today, Vi. It's not your time yet. Not if I can help it, you wanker."

*

She was in Zaun only once in her life, and not even full scale. Escorting Vi to the office didn't really count, but she knew one thing: the way she was carrying herself was completely not acceptable if she wanted to be authentic, and not be killed right away while on those streets. And so she had only one choice.

She needed to wear a disguise. Simple cloak wouldn't do, she was sure about it. The very first thing Vi pointed out while talking to her after the arrest were her clothes. She needed to borrow something from Vi. Even if not Zaunian enough, it would be more neutral than Piltovan for sure.

She felt bad while rummaging through the little Vi had, but it was for a cause. She'd prefer to be scowled, snarled at, hell, even plainly treated like a thief, but if she failed, fuchsia wouldn't have a chance to do even that.

Caitlyn was skeptical at first, since she had a few more centimeters in height, and as much less in width than Vi, but what she found came out unexpectedly fitting. Covering everything with the good old poncho that Vi lent her back in the day made an impression Caitlyn wasn't a topsider at all. Bruises on her face, the limping from wounded thigh, everything came together quite satisfactorily.

"Time to go." She encouraged herself, but she managed to make but one step outside before she realized she had no idea where to go.

There was no time for wondering. She couldn't ask people about the way, they'd think something was wrong. She knew it. Trying to put on a brave face, she limped forward, promising that she'd be successful no matter what.

Following the crowd which didn't give a single damn about her, she descended to the part of the city she had no idea existed. Looking around she had to let go of the urge to learn about it, she knew where she should go. If anyone would bat an eye at a person asking about something ravaging Zaun inside out, those would be people who didn't have anything else to lose. The ones already ravaged.

"Lost?" She heard a familiar voice behind her, and when she carefully glanced at the person, she couldn't believe her luck.

"Ekko, was it?" she asked, trying not to show how relieved she was. "It's good to see you."

"I'd say the same, but I don't know. What are you doing down here, sher…"

"Shhh, no. I'm incognito." she hissed at him, looking around to ensure nobody heard him. "I'm… I'm in dire need of help. And lack of questions."

"You can find the latter around." he shrugged, taking her to the side, finding a calmer, less crowded place. "But the former? Can be scarce. What do you need?"

"Shimmer." she decided to go straightforward for what she came there for.

"What for?" he tilted his head, but she sighed heavily.

"What happened to 'no questions'?"

"You're asking about the only thing that can bring Undercity down to ashes." he scoffed. "It's only fair I ask. You wanna raid, or what?"

"Spade… Jinx nearly killed Vi." She decided to play open cards, leaning back on the wall, looking at Ekko without fear, with determination, and even a lost spark of desperation. "Her wounds are grievous, she's dying. I don't have much time, and she has even less."

"What about your doctors?"

"I'm here, trying to impose a Zaunite, what do you think?" she almost growled at him. "I'm wasting my time. If you're not going to help, excuse me, but I need to be on my way."

"Fine." he caught her wrist, stopping her from getting out there again, on her own. "I can take you to one place. But I doubt you'll like it."

"What I won't like for sure is Vi dying, Ekko. My comfort at this point is insignificant. Lead the way." she admitted, waving her hand. She might have been in pain, but as at the moment of chasing the stolen cart she had her priorities of Piltover's people… now her priority was her own people. Her enforcer. She was responsible for her as her superior, and if she could do anything to help, she would.

Ekko nodded, and headed deeper into the labyrinth of streets. Caitlyn followed, trying to keep up, but her leg was giving her a hard time.

"You're injured." he noticed, and she nodded. There was no point in denying the obvious.

"Let's just say Jinx didn't come unarmed to the family reunion." she mumbled.

"What happened?"

"You don't know?" she raised her head to look at him, grateful he slowed down so she wouldn't suffer that much. "The explosion in The Last Drop. After that I followed Vi, the casualties were awfully high, I couldn't do anything. I managed to catch Spade and Vi talking, but it was already barely civilized, Jinx could have shot at any moment."

"How's that possible she's even alive?" he frowned, taking a turn, and Caitlyn followed him without questions.

"Shimmer. Her eyes had the purple glow it gives." she sighed. "I've only heard about it, never seen it before her, but… it's not pleasant. Her bullets were intoxicated, Vi ate two of them, covering me."

"And yet you're not in one piece." he snorted. "Vi would never stop blaming herself for that."

"It was just shrapnel, doesn't matter." she waved her hand, dismissing it at once. "Nothing I can't take. Her state, however, leaves a lot to be desired. I need to help her before it's too late."

"Why would a topsider care so much about one of us?"

She averted her gaze, not replying at all. For a moment they were walking in silence, going lower and lower with every minute.

"Sher… erm… lass?" he cleared his throat, suddenly realizing he didn't know her name.

"I get that question a lot these days." she admitted reluctantly. "I just do, okay? Leave it at that. And it's Caitlyn."

"Fine." he shrugged, but she couldn't not notice he sent her quite a curious gaze. As if he wondered if there was something more to that than just a care for a subordinate.

"It was you who helped her after she got beaten, right? She told me it was her old friend. Do I think correctly?"

"Yeah. She got it pretty bad, I haven't seen a fight like that in ages. But well, Vi always had a knack for trouble if you ask me."

"No need to tell me twice, I've seen it first hand as well." she sighed, shaking her head disbelievingly. "Although I must admit it's admirable, her persistence and… hm, determination."

"Funny way to misspell 'bravado' and 'stupidity', I'll give you that." he snickered, pulling her on the staircase, and then putting his hand over his lips. "Not a word. Watch your step."

She didn't even think of disobeying. The time was dire, so was the way to her goal. At this point she felt like she'd do anything to get the little hope she could.

Following Ekko was easy, he was scouring the path, and she went right into his footsteps. Looking around there was nothing but darkness, but Caitlyn could swear here and there she was a dim glow of purple. The surroundings looked like slums, and she realized where he took her.

Oh good lord, that was the lair of all the people afflicted by Shimmer, afflicted irreversibly. She pulled her hood a bit more on her face, understanding what Vi meant before when she said Caitlyn wasn't ready. The sheriff, not without shame, realized she was afraid to see the faces, bodies of those people. She knew Shimmer was a problem. But she also couldn't bear the thought of facing the problem head on.

How was she any different from her mother? Because right there, right now, she felt like she wasn't at all.

"She's a mixologist." Ekko said quietly when they arrived by some small stall all barred and reinforced, probably for no one to get inside and raid the supplies. "Helps with all kinds of things, for a price, of course."

"Everything has a price these days." she nodded. "I wouldn't think for one second Zaun was any different."

"Good." he smirked, but his eyes remained still when he moved the wind chimes by the upper part of the stall.

It took but a moment for the metal plate guarding the small space by the counter to slide to the side. Caitlyn saw a person, their face barely visible, but their eyes almost white.

"Ailment?" The voice that greeted her was of a mature woman who had seen sh*t in her life. Caitlyn swallowed, and seeing Ekko's quizzical gaze, she cleared her throat.

"She's been shot with toxic rounds."

The metal plate slid back with a noise, and Kiramman glanced at her companion. He sighed. "As you probably noticed, folks around lower levels are not particularly talkative."

"Until today I hadn't been aware there are any lower levels in Zaun." she admitted, and he raised his eyebrow.

"What? Why do you think we're named 'Undercity', then?" he asked curiously, but she averted her gaze.

"You don't want to know." she swallowed, feeling the burning shame in her throat and chest.

"Trade." The mixologist was back, opening the small window. Caitlyn could see a small bottle with something in it. Something that wasn't even looking like Shimmer. Ekko, however, nodded, so she decided to put everything on one card. She needed to try.

If he was Vi's friend, that meant she trusted him. She should too, then. Huh, who would have thought.

Without hesitation she emptied the chamber of her hextech rifle, folding it, and then sliding through the window, hoping it was enough. The mixologist looked at it critically, and then she took out a tiny vial that was hanging by her ear. She uncorked the bottle she prepared, adding two drops of the glowy purple liquid.

Shimmer.

She took the rifle, sliding the potion forth. Caitlyn took it. "Thank y…" she started, but the metal plate clanged loudly saying clearly the woman did not care for her gratitude.

"You need to go, Caitlyn. If Vi is as bad as you told me, she doesn't have much time, indeed. She's strong, but Jinx can be vicious. Come on, I'll take you outta here." Ekko hurried her up, and she didn't oppose. That was the last moment she could do anything for the enforcer who did so much for her.

So she followed Ace's friend.

Chapter 36: Easy, easy, easy...

Chapter Text

Her leg was hurting like hell, but she was almost sprinting to the hospital, praying for Vi to still be alive. No matter how much, she had to be still breathing.

She headed to the room where her enforcer was lying, and at first she saw the lack of the guards. Not having too much time to wonder about it, she opened the door, and felt the cold sweat running down her spine. Vi's bed was empty.

Caitlyn refused to assume it was because she was too late, she didn't even want to think about the blackest of scenarios. Investigator was supposed to base her assumptions on proof, information, so she needed to ask a doctor what happened. Maybe they took Vi for some additional tests.

And oh boy, how she prayed it was the case.

"Sheriff Kiramman?" she heard from behind turning around at once. It was the doctor tending to Vi.

"Where's the officer? Is everything all right?" she tried to swallow the despair and distress, clenching her fingers on the small bottle she had in one of her pockets. Or maybe she should have said, Vi's pockets.

"She had been moved to another room, sheriff."

"What happened?" her heart was pounding harder than she expected it could. What occurred that they needed to move Vi? And where did they move her?

"I have to admit it doesn't look so good." he admitted, waving at her to follow him. She did without hesitation, relying on the cane to make it easier to keep up. "She's in intensive care at the moment. We had a situation."

"What kind of situation?" Caitlyn didn't want to keep the conversation going in that manner, that was a waste of time.

"We'd have to first inform her family…"

"She doesn't have any, doctor." she sighed, briefly closing her eyes. "Her parents are dead, her caretaker had been murdered recently, her sister is MIA. She doesn't have anyone… and I am here to help. Also, she's a witness and a proof in an ongoing investigation. I need that information, because I have to know if…"

"She's dying, sheriff." The doctor sighed, shaking his head. He knew Kirammans, Cassandra… he never really liked her. But the daughter? She seemed reasonable and empathetic. Maybe she really cared about that enforcer he had been taking care of.

"Yes, I do recall the toxins from bullets, sir, you've briefed me on that in the morning." she nodded, but a sharp movement of the medic's head told her it wasn't about that anymore. Her heart skipped a beat. "Oh my god, there's something else?"

"Someone got into her room, spiking her drip, '' he admitted. "The guards, we found them unconscious by the door.

"How is she? How bad is it?" she corrected herself almost right away, trying to keep the emotions in shackles, not to do something she could later regret.

"Fever is skyrocketing, she's almost boiling in her own skin. Impaired breathing, twitching limbs… sheriff, I don't want to be pessimistic, but at best she has a day or two left, and that's only if she doesn't wake up." he admitted, giving her a comforting glance.

Caitlyn's chest grew heavy at once, as if someone dropped Vi's gauntlet there to stay. Day or two? That couldn't be. Not Vi. She was a Zaunite, a co*ckroach, Kiramman couldn't…

"Can I see her?" she asked, her gaze begging for permission.

The doctor nodded. "By all means, but I wouldn't hope she'd reply to your words. At this point we aren't sure if she's even hearing anything, even if it may appear so." he led her to the room, and opened the door for her. "I'd suggest you say your goodbyes, sheriff. I know it's not the best outcome, but at this point we can only hope her suffering won't be long."

Well, that's already more than my mother would think. , Caitlyn thought bitterly, getting into the room, hearing the door clicking behind her as the doctor left her alone with the enforcer. She approached the bed.

Vi was pale, her freckles now marked on her face like someone sprinkled soot on a blank paper. Her breathing heavy and erratic, forehead dewy with sweat. Kiramman noticed Ace's hands clenched on the sheets, the pillow wet already. She gently brushed the enforcer's hand's upper part, feeling it abnormally hot and sweaty. It was really bad.

"Hang in there, you bastard." she felt something clenching her throat tight, and she really needed to put a lot into not bursting with tears. "Show them all you're really like a co*ckroach everyone calls you as."

"Cup…cake?" She heard a hoarse and quiet voice, clearly struggling with articulating anything. She raised her head, meeting the weary gaze of icy irises eaten by fever, glistening with too high a temperature. "How's… your leg? You okay?"

She froze. The doctor said she had some time if she didn't wake up. And she did.

Also, no f*cks given about her state, asking right away about Kiramman. Just… so typically Vi.

"Vi, oh my god, I'm fine, but you…" she started, but the enforcer's look gave her a hint to stop.

"Don't have… much time." she rattled. "I'm as good… as dead." Vi needed to make another break, and it broke Caitlyn's heart to see her struggling like that. Even right after being shot by her sister she was in a better state, it seemed. "Get Jinx. You've my blessing." she cleared her throat, but it clearly was painful. "Finish… me."

"What!?!" Kiramman hissed, not believing what she just heard.

"I'm dying." she clenched her teeth, feeling a surge of pain jolting through her veins, eating her muscles, creeping on her nerves. When she opened her eyes after a moment, all Caitlyn was able to see was a gaze of someone who made her peace. "Finish it. I don't wanna…"

"Vi, I can't, I need you. Let me grab a doctor, I…" she tried to stand up, but Ace caught her hand in the last moment possible before she got out of her reach.

"No." she was determined and fierce, despite the pain killing her. "I don't want to… be a veggie. Slow you down. Caitlyn… please." she hissed, clenching both her eyes and fingers. Kiramman felt the tears in her eyes. That wasn't what she had on her mind while thinking she'd like to hear Vi use her full name again. "Put me down to sleep. Spare me."

She froze again, feeling like everything in that situation was wrong. Vi wasn't supposed to die. Not like that, not now, not begging for it. Killing her… it was her choice, she wanted it, but… hell, who was Caitlyn to make that decision? It hurt her to even think about her life without Vi in it at the moment.

"Why… why are you wearing… my clothes?" she asked weakly, and Kiramman got a stroke of a reminder. Jesus, she almost forgot and lost the chance!

"Fine, Vi. I'll respect your plea, but… on one condition." She decided to play the same way as Ace back in the day.

"State your… price, hurgh!" she grunted, as a sudden crush caught her ribcage, feeling like her insides were digested by acid. "But… fast."

"You'll allow me to try something. It can help. If it doesn't… I'll comply with your request. Deal?"

"Yeah. Not like… it can cure me." she coughed as she tried to laugh. Caitlyn didn't waste more time, seeing Vi was getting worse with every minute. She reached into her pocket, taking the bottle, uncorking it.

She gently slid her finger on Ace's chin, pulling it down, and with a warning, she poured some of the liquid in Vi's mouth, making sure she'll swallow.

For a second there was nothing happening. A thought of failure sprinted through Caitlyn's mind like a lance, getting stuck into her brain as a thorn, paining and bothering.

Vi sprung up on her bed, her eyes flashing with purple bursting from below, cracking the ice of her irises in a single strong pulse. Her body went back down in a flash, and she saw her catching her side as if it was paining even more.

"Hey, easy!" she caught her face gently, seeing Vi struggling with either remaining conscious, crying, or screaming. She saw the vast space of deep ocean blue gazing into her very soul, and felt safe at once, even if the Shimmer in her veins was rampant. "Easy, easy, easy…" Caitlyn almost whispered, her face very close to Vi's. Ace whimpered, clenching her hand on her side, and when she wanted to put her other one on her shoulder, Kiramman caught it, squeezing comfortingly. "I'm here, Vi. No one is going to hurt you."

Having her senses heightened, Vi's eyes darted to Caitlyn's lips, and then back to her eyes. She could feel the blood flow in her body, she could hear the crashing waves of it in her ears. She swallowed, as her breathing leveled, and all the way Kiramman was holding her hand, fiercely, putting up with the crashing force of Vi's squeeze.

"I… I think I'm alive…" she panted, trying to understand what the hell happened. Everything hurt. Caitlyn's eyes were shimmering with tears, happiness, and disbelief at the same time. She couldn't help but lean forward, kissing Vi's lips gently.

The enforcer, much to their own surprise, gave it back, sinking in. It seemed like a feverish dream, like… something out of this world. If she died… at least she had something to remember it by before she descended to rule in hell.

"I'm so glad you're… Vi, are you okay?" Caitlyn looked at her, concerned, seeing a bit of a greenish blush on her cheeks. "You don't look that good."

"I'm gonna barf." Ace drawled through teeth, catching the closest bucket, taking it between her knees, and before she dived her head into it, Kiramman saw only her cheeks getting pumped. Then the retching told her Vi didn't say that in vain.

She stood up, going to the door, still hearing the enforcer, so she peeked outside, calling the doctor to come around as soon as possible.

Was it that bad Vi just threw up? Or was it Shimmer's side effect? Did it really help, or just bought her time?

"f*ck my life…" Ace groaned, spitting into the bucket, resting her arms on its rims. She looked a tad bit better, but not as good as they both would want her to look. Caitlyn sat next to her, only to see Vi's eyes going up, and her body slamming the bed as she fainted.

"What 's the emergency, sheriff?" The doctor barged inside the room, and Caitlyn pointed at Vi, standing up.

"She woke up. Threw up… but seems better."

"Hmm, indeed." he nodded, taking the temperature reading. "I have to examine her. Would you mind waiting outside? It will take some time, did you eat anything, sheriff?"

"I… I will now. I'll be back later, doctor, thank you." she nodded, leaving the room, getting out of the hospital. The first bench she found, hidden from the world between bushes, was chosen by her to sit on. She pulled her intact leg up, resting her forehead on her knee, releasing a very heavy sigh, full of anxiety, desperation and pain from recent events. She felt her back shaking, as her eyes started dropping the tears on her lap.

She was okay. She seemed like she got a chance. Maybe she wasn't fully cured or recovered, but even though Caitlyn wasn't a medic, she could tell Vi stood a chance now. At least she wanted to believe she helped. She was happy, genuinely happy that Ace came back.

She touched her lower lip, recalling the stupid fervor of a moment. She didn't expect anything, but… Vi returned the kiss. And it felt so… right.

But it was just a fervor of a moment, an impulse. It could mean nothing. They both were either in pain or stressed, and Vi, for sure, was shaky and confused after escaping from death's clutches.

Was there any meaning to it, then?

Chapter 37: Marks of the past

Chapter Text

Weeks were passing, Caitlyn's leg healed almost fully, and Vi was in her best way to recovery. As much as both Cassandra and Vi didn't like it, she was back to Kiramman's attic, supported strongly by Tobias, who gave the vote for the enforcer to stay.

"She's not fully recovered yet, and she cannot stay in Zaun by any means." he said, closing the discussion his wife would be more than glad to carry on.

The sheriff was spending a lot of time tending to Vi, mostly, though, trying to keep her in one place, not allowing her to escape through the window. Also, she moved to the room right next door to Vi's, just to be sure she was close whenever Ace would need something.

And, of course, Vi never asked for anything.

Now she was lying on the floor, with her head on her sack of wonders, just the way it was when she got out of Piltover's jail. With her eyes stuck to the ceiling, she was pondering. Did Caitlyn really kiss her? Or was that just a product of a feverish mind?

She didn't remember much. Fight with Jinx was the last thing she could recall with details. Then she told the sheriff to forget about her. And then there was a huge dark hole. Next clear thing was throwing up in the hospital bed, fainting, and then waking up a few days after, as she was informed. In between? Only surges of pain, cold, and fear. Nothing more. She wasn't even sure if she was afraid to die, or maybe of something else. But the fact was, the moments of terror she couldn't remember the reason for, were the worst.

Maybe it was better to assume nothing happened between them. After all, what a person like Caitlyn would want to have to do with someone like Vi?

Nothing. Of course, nothing.

She was happy Caitlyn got out in one piece, though. Fine, with an injury, but at least it wasn't lethal. She couldn't forgive herself, she wasn't able to cover her boss better, but when she didn't have any other way, the scraps of victory were better than nothing. And the sheriff seemed fine the last time Vi saw her around, which was… like two hours before? Kiramman closed the window, seeing Ace preparing for the parkour runaway. She knew Cassandra was a factor that was worse than a stray fuse, but Tobias and Caitlyn having her back was making it a bit more bearable.

Still, she felt she didn't belong to that mansion. Hence the ladder by her window, so she didn't need to go through all the rooms downstairs, risking confronting the feral councilor. It was Caitlyn's idea, but she almost begged Vi not to use it just because.

She heard light knocking on her door, as if the person knocking didn't want to wake her up. With a sigh Vi curled up, resting her loins to the sack. "Come in."

"You can't sleep?" she heard Caitlyn's quiet voice, as she closed the door behind her.

"I thought we already established that the last time I've been occupying this place." she snorted. "I'm not very good at that."

"You need sleep to recover, Vi." she sat down in front of the enforcer, but Ace averted her gaze. "Is it because of the lantern? If the curtains aren't thick enough I can bring you something more covering."

"It's not that, cupcake.'' Fuchsia shook her head to stop her before she started raiding the closets looking for some blankets to block the quite dim light of the lanterns outside. "Just… no matter."

"You're having nightmares, don't you?" she asked carefully, not moving her eyes from Vi's face, even though the enforcer didn't look at her. She just nodded. "Can I ask what about?"

"The past." Vi shrugged, clearly not keen on talking about it. Caitlyn respected that, and the silence descended between them for a while. "Well, let's say I don't take losing Vander well. Not the way it happened."

"Do you feel like telling me what he was like?" the sheriff leaned back, resting at her hands, and Ace sighed, wondering. Why would she?

On the other hand; he was gone. And anything she had to say about him was actually good. So much for not trusting topsiders, huh?

"He was a great leader, and an even better father." she started, thinking about something she didn't tell Caitlyn at their first conversation which was not nearly as nice. "He was always taking care of us, making sure we had everything we needed. He was also very attentive, whatever problem any of us could possibly have, we could always come to him. It didn't matter if we needed just to vent, or we needed advice, he was always for us. He taught me everything I needed. With experience I was getting better, but the basics; survival, fighting, first aid… he was the one to give me the lessons."

"I'm glad you had him, Vi."

"Same." she nodded, thoughtful. Before speaking again, she took a cigarette, lit it up, and took a whiff. "I don't remember my parents, not really. He was the one to take us from the bridge when I saw their bodies. And took care of us ever since."

"You saw the bodies of your… oh my god, Vi, I'm so sorry." Caitlyn seemed genuinely sad, but Ace just nodded, acknowledging her condolences, or whatever that was.

"You know the rest of the story, Cupcake. Crime, punishment, more crime, bounty. sh*t went down, and hello, here I am." She stood up, passing by Caitlyn, opening the window, and leaning on the windowsill with the cigarette in her mouth, looking at Piltover. "Never thought I'd be able to see this city like that. You really do a number on a folk who wants to see it only as a lair of rotten snobs, y'know?" she scoffed, smashing the cigarette with her nail, so the ash fell down.

"What do you mean?" Caitlyn turned around, also standing up, so she could join fuchsia by the window. She approached, but before she got any answer, she saw Vi's tattoos, since she had only a top on her. Kiramman frowned, recognizing some patterns. “Vi, these symbols… why do you have them on your skin? I wouldn’t think you’re Zaun or Piltover’s fan.” she said, seeing two emblems on her shoulder blades.

“You serious? Are you even aware of what's going on around here?” she hissed, hearing Caitlyn’s question, turning around at once, as if she wanted to hide the ink. Her front part was not tattooed, but Caitlyn could see a lot of scars, and, well, her tight muscles. The next sentence, however, brought her sight back to Vi's eyes. “Because somehow you always manage to prove to me you don’t.”

“What?” she stepped back, seeing the sudden increase in hostility from Vi’s side. She didn’t expect anything like that. After all, it was just a harmless question, right? “What are you talking about?”

“You rich kids, should have known.” Fuchsia shook her head, catching a shirt, and pulling it on, covering her skin. “You know that there are child labor’s camps everywhere around the perimeter? Not in the very city, but in its suburbs. They mark their ‘slaves’ according to where they work.”

“You have two…”

“Because I’ve been thrown between two of them, god, sheriff, keep up, use your brain. Does that even matter? Past is the past, leave me be.” she turned back to the window, clenching her hand on the sill's edge. She inhaled the smoke so deeply, she thought for a moment she was going to suffocate.

“Vi, I didn’t…” Caitlyn swallowed, reaching out her hand, but the snarl stopped her right there.

“I don’t give a sh*t what you didn’t. Just leave it as it was.”

"Listen, I know you've been wronged in more than one way, and not only you, personally. Zaunites, as a whole. And you still are. But it wasn't mine to cover all those up, pretend it never happened or is not happening, Vi. It's the council, the people that know and willingly decide not to say a word. And I know, I do know, that both cities need healing. Piltover needs to get rid of the mentality that makes it think money can solve everything, and Zaun needs something to stand on its feet again."

"Your point?" Vi growled, but she had to admit it took surprisingly short time to make her believe Caitlyn meant what she said. She lit up another cigarette, using the previous one as a lighter, and released the smoke through her nostrils.

"There are matters I'm not informed about. Either it's because the council doesn't want me to know, or else, but the sad thing is, I'm not aware of them. I've been away from here for a while, so that's also not really giving me a credit. But I know that those ways, the labor camps, mines owned by filthy rich, those are not things that should stay. Zaun deserves to be a city on its own terms, not a playground to exploit. But, Vi, I cannot make it alone. I need you to help me with it. I know it's a long shot, a long process, it wouldn't change overnight, but…"

"Do you really believe anything can change?"

"I do." she admitted fiercely, coming closer to the window, leaning on the sill as well. "But it needs pioneers. Pathfinders. Nothing would happen on its own."

"Nothing ever does." Vi sighed, looking grimly at her cigarette, lazily releasing a thin smudge of smoke. "After I escaped the labor sh*t, and then after Stillwater, trying to find my sister, I landed in Bilgewater. You know Matilda. I wasn't trying to make a living, no, I was hoping, since Zaunwest had nothing to offer to help me find her…"

"You thought maybe one of the customers would know something?" Caitlyn offered carefully, and Ace nodded. "Any luck back then?"

"Not really. After you left the, hm… that building, I decided to bail. I was only wasting time. Then, by the docks, I heard about her. It brought me back here, and I found her. Not as I remembered her, but… she's still my sister, sheriff."

"I know." Caitlyn assured her, but there wasn't much more she could say. Vi sighed, making the ash fall again.

"What's your story, though? Why did you leave Piltover? Seems like you had everything you could have here."

"Everything but freedom, yes." Kiramman rubbed her eyelids, feeling somehow calmer than before. Those past weeks took a toll on her, especially the first one, when Vi's fate wasn't really decided yet, and doctors said, after she had fainted, that anything could have happened. "My mother, as you can probably already imagine, was even more controlling than she's now."

"Hardly believable." Ace admitted, and Caitlyn scoffed bitterly.

"And yet it's true. She really wanted to control my every move, since, you know, she's a councilor, my father's a high ranked officeman, so she wanted me to have the life she imagined for me."

"And you didn't want to let her."

Kiramman nodded, scratching the back of her neck, her eyes stuck on the clock tower of the city hall. "So I departed for Noxus, then just went straight to Bilgewater, catching scoundrels, petty thieves and all. It was okay, but I wouldn't say it was satisfying. Bilgewater wasn't my place, it was full of crime, but I knew no matter how many scoundrels I'd catch, nothing was going to change. And I knew Zaunwest needed change. So I came back after years. And so my mother needs to accept that if she ever tries to pull something like she did before again… then I will take my things and go wherever. I don't know, I thought of Freljord, maybe. But that was… yea, I don't think it's still an option."

"Why not? Cold nights, cold days, snow everywhere, perfect for an Ice Queen like you." Vi snorted with laughter, so did Caitlyn. Her eyes softened as they shifted to the icy irises she liked so much.

"Well, when I planned that I had no real reason to stay."

"And now?" She found the vast space of ocean calming and comforting, as she could stare into Caitlyn's eyes without a break.

"And now I think I might."

Chapter 38: Glass of bittersweet

Chapter Text

"There's no record of anything unusual going on around, do you think that this time…?" Caitlyn looked at Vi from over her notes that she had spilled all over Ace's floor. They were spending the past few nights together, talking, rocking each other to sleep, since the memories of the day they've been scratched by death, Vi a bit more than she should, didn't want to leave any of them. It seemed like the sheriff started feeling comfortable enough to stay around Ace, working, even if she still had the leave, but Vi had nothing against it. Stagnation was her greatest enemy, allowing her to overthink things she didn't want to. That she shouldn't, even.

"She's dead? No way." she scoffed, standing by the window, leaned on the wall, with a cigarette in her mouth, and arms crossed over her chest. "People like to try to offend us saying we're like co*ckroaches, but little do they know that we, actually, kinda are."

"I hate what she said about you, Vi. I mean, my mother. She thinks she's entitled to say whatever, but the truth is, she doesn't even know what she's saying. At least sometimes."

"You still don't talk to her?"

Caitlyn shook her head, averting her gaze. The past weeks were quite hard to come by, and she put another ladder by her own window, so she didn't have to encounter her mother in the house when she was around. Giving Cassandra a cold shoulder didn't seem to change anything, but at the same time the sheriff felt better with herself.

She could understand lack of trust, harshness, or reservations about Vi, fine, after all she's been a wanted scoundrel not that long ago, but Caitlyn had proven that Vi was to be trusted, moreover, Ace herself had proven that more than once! What the youngest Kiramman wasn't able to understand was the outrageous lack of respect from her mother's side. Vi didn't wrong her in any way since she had been captured, she even saved her life. And even that Cassandra didn't think about thanking for.

"Why would I? She's like a double edged sword, thinking that she's cutting me, but at the same time cutting herself even deeper, and she has no clue. I don't need to talk to her, and she's not even keen on talking to me. I guess that's a win-win."

"Well, at least you're not fighting." Vi shrugged with a heavy sigh, throwing the extinguished cigarette through the window. “Though, honestly, I have an impression that all that conflict between you two is making Piltover bleed more than any of you.”

Caitlyn gave her a discreet, but curious glance. Vi wasn’t looking at her, so the sheriff allowed her ocean eyes to linger a bit on fuchsia’s back. What she said was true, she knew that. Did Cassandra, though?

"I guess that's one way to see it." She cleared her throat, moving some notes. "I think she fell off the ledge, I don't know if it could be lethal, or…"

"Let's just keep in mind the 'no body no crime' rule, will you? In case of my sister, especially now… I think it's better to assume she's alive till we find the corpse. After that, her status can change." she leaned on the sill as usual, but looked at her hands, wrapped again, itching for another fight. "We already assumed her death once. We need to be smarter than that this time."

"Legitimate." Caitlyn nodded, noting something. "I still don't get why the hell she's so hellbound on harming you. And your family."

"We have the surprise factor now on our side." Vi shrugged, lowering her head, and closing her eyes. "She thinks I'm dead. We can use that. And my family… well, she's the only one left. If she wants to make a number on me, she'd have to kill herself, and even then I'm not sure I'd mourn again." she admitted, not without surprise realizing it was, somehow, true. She had mourned her once already, why would she do that again, if everything she knew, her sister, Powder, then even Jinx for a short while… was gone? She didn’t know her anymore. Wouldn’t it be a tad bit odd to mourn a stranger?

"We don't even know where she is. And I think if she's any smart, she'd rather lay low for a bit, not attracting any unwanted attention. But if she's still alive…"

"...that means there's still a chance to catch her." Ace clenched her fists, looking at them with sorrow. She used them for so many wrong things, and even if the thing was right, it felt wrong when she was standing against her own little sister.

Where was the sense of justice and justice herself when she needed it?

Trying to answer that question or pondering something like that would probably just turn her insane, but she'd been saved from the suffering when they heard the doorbell ringing. the messenger knocked on the door and Caitlyn raised her head, wondering who was that. Vi accompanied her downstairs, since both of them were aware the house was empty; Kirammans were working, and Caitlyn with Vi had their med leave still.

The sheriff opened the door, seeing a guy they both knew as a council messenger. Upon seeing them, his eyes slid over Vi, and stopped at Caitlyn, as he saluted. The youngest Kiramman strangled the urge to tell him it wasn’t really appropriate to stare, even less to do it the way he did.

"The council meeting is on, sheriff. Mrs. Kiramman sent me to deliver a message, you're expected there as well as your Zaunite assistant." he cleared his throat. "Immediately."

"Of course." she dismissed him with one nod of her head, closing the door right to his face, releasing an annoyed huff. "God, what will it take for her, or them, to finally understand and accept you're not my assistant, not my consultant, but an enforcer and my partner in that!"

"Yo, take it from the other side. It's better to be an 'assistant' than a 'filthy rugrat from the trenches', isn't it?" Vi tried to keep it cool, but her voice was giving away she was not happy with that either.

The only difference was that whereas Caitlyn was plainly annoyed and angry, Vi was more grim and defeated about it. She knew she was never to be anything else but a Zaunian scum. But every time she thought she’d already made her peace with that, Caitlyn was around to bring another batch of doubt, as she was fighting for Vi not to be reduced to something like that.

"I'm conflicted about it, since it's both good, and not at the same time." the sheriff admitted, leading the way up the stairs again. “But right now, that doesn’t really matter. We need to go, at once.”

“She’s not going to go easy on you.” Vi stated something that was more than obvious, but Caitlyn only nodded with a sigh.

“I’m aware. But neither would I.” she admitted, looking at her partner with her eyes full of determination. “We’re in this together.”

“You sure? I can bet my arm on the fact your mom rallied the whole council to kick me back where I belong.” she cracked her knuckles, putting up her uniform, as well as Caitlyn did. It was still somehow not a really easy task to do, her quite fresh wounds were still bothering, but even if Kiramman wanted to help, she couldn’t, mesmerized by the muscles yet again. “Cupcake?”

“What? Yes, I'm afraid that may be the case.” She mitigated herself right away, hoping Vi hadn't seen the delay in her reaction. God lord, she should just stop staring. Having problems with the messenger, and then doing exactly the same thing as him? She was the one to talk, wasn’t she? “But that doesn’t mean she managed.”

Caitlyn changed her attire to the sheriff's one, not noticing that Vi peeked at her, pretending she was dusting off her shirt. Whatever the hell she’d want to say, she had to admit the sheriff was a fine woman. Nice silhouette, so slim for her, wasn’t really giving the credit for the tightness of her musculature that was visible while only in her top. Of course, she wasn’t as buff as fuchsia was, but there was some kind of strength there, and that was undeniable. Maybe Ace actually had her pegged wrong as a princess.

“What if she did?”

“The last word is always mine.” Caitlyn glanced at her with a shade of a smile on her face, winking to her enforcer, but it seemed like she wanted to boost her own confidence more than anything else. “If I have proof that their decision is wrong, I can charge through it, and they’ll have to swallow it. I know it can be a hard pill to do so, but I’m not letting them fire my best unit because of a bloody prejudice, Vi.”

“Thanks, that’s… unexpected.” She admitted, following the sheriff on the way out of the mansion, the normal one, like civilized citizens they were. At the same time, Vi wouldn’t mind using the ladder anyway. “I mean… for someone I’m supposed to work for, that is.”

“I told you, I’m not like her.” Caitlyn snorted, shaking her head, but not looking at her companion. “And I did tell you also that you’re not working for me. You’re working with me, and that’s a huge difference which my mother doesn’t seem to grasp.”

“You do know that in order to grasp something you first need to want to grasp it, right?” Vi sent her a side glance, receiving a weary sigh that only confirmed the sheriff was aware of that. “Well, at least one of you does.”

"I hope it's enough for you to know I really value your work in Piltover. Even if others don't, or just don't want to admit it, I'm not ashamed of openly saying so."

"You don't need to tell me that." Vi averted her gaze, following her boss to the council's seat. "I mean, it's just what you want me to do, nothing more. Spare the flattery."

"What if I want to do it?" she asked, and Ace swallowed, forcing herself not to look at her companion. Oh god, did she really… flirt with her? Or did she have it completely wrong?

"Being in your place I'd be careful not to do it around your mother. You don't wanna have problems of the caliber I have only because you've put your game into something you shouldn't." she shrugged, not able to help but to look at Caitlyn.

The sheriff did the same at the same time, and their eyes met, causing both of them to walk slower for a short while, as if they were synchronized. The moment Vi noticed the ocean eyes briefly slid on her lips, just to go back to her eyes in a flash, and then look in front of their owner, she, again, felt the doubt as the memories hit her.

Did Caitlyn really kiss her back in the hospital, or was that just a dream? Was there any possibility she'd be interested in someone like Vi? And if the answer was 'yes', then why, the hell? What did she do to make the last person who shouldn't be interested in a scum like her…

No, that didn't make any sense to her. It has to be just the product of her delirious mind back then, and now she's been seeing things. Caitlyn probably just looked at her, without any hidden message or sh*t, and Vi just saw what she unconsciously wanted to see.

Why was she doing that to herself? God, she had never been… she's never been close with anyone. And even less as a… couple?

She snorted quietly, not allowing Caitlyn to hear nor see it. Preposterous, totally f*cked up. How could she even allow the thought of the Sheriff of Piltover wanting to have anything to do with nobody like her?

Apart from just partnership in terms of catching criminals, of course. That was something they were good at. Both of them, even if in Vi's case it was quite unexpected.

"Are you okay?" Caitlyn asked right before they reached the temporary council's seat. Fuchsia swallowed, looking at the tall figure standing next to her in the rays of afternoon's sun. "You seem… thoughtful. Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, no need to worry." she confirmed, making sure her answer was not too fast, and the information was given to Caitlyn as casually as Vi was able to. After a moment it seemed that the sheriff took it as truth, nodding. "Are you okay, though? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're nervous. And that's ridiculous."

"Why, because I'm used to being around high class trash of this city?" she snorted, shaking her head, and fuchsia just cleared her throat before a shy nod.

"I mean, yeah, something like that?" she admitted, looking at the building. Even if it was just a temporary seat of the council, the building was already way fancier than a normal one in lower districts of Piltover. And in comparison to Zaun, even the lowest class houses looked so much more expensive and majestic than the fanciest place to live where Vi was from. "Don't get me wrong, I understand being nervous, but… aren't those like, your peeps? I mean, you know them, they know you, you know ways around them and sh*t?"

"Sort of, but not quite. It's still the highest cell in our law, Vi. Whatever I'd want to say, they can question it however they want to, and I HAVE TO answer to them."

"You told me that with a good argument you can pretty much show them your middle finger." she frowned, but Caitlyn just sighed, shaking her head with a slight shrug of her left shoulder.

"That is true, however it does not allow me to just dismiss their demands or requests. If I want to oppose it, I need to have a strong hand. It's like a…"

"...poker game with them seeing all your cards and deck, but with you never knowing what to expect from them." Ace groaned, catching the idea at once, and realizing she didn't like it one bit. Caitlyn sighed, nodding, and then opened the door, not to evade the inevitable for an eternity.

"Ah, finally, I was afraid the message hadn't reached you." Cassandra seemed disgusted the moment she laid her eyes on Vi, even though there was nothing she could actually have a problem with. Ace had her uniform clean, fresh, and ironed the way she'd never even think of, if she was still a part of the Zaunian community. The only thing that was still not that pleasant to look at were patches and bruises on her face, part of her jawline covered by a clean patch Caitlyn put there not that long ago, just to make sure the council didn't have to see the scar that was still somehow fresh and maybe a bit scary.

"It reached us well, councilor." the sheriff turned official at once, as if she didn't give a sh*t she was talking with her mother. Vi didn't bat an eye, after all it was Piltover, and Cassandra was nothing but a bitch to both of them. As an enforcer, fuchsia just stood a bit behind her boss, taking her hands to the back, so nobody could see them in case her fists clenched on their own.

They tend to do that, and Vi was aware of it. Not that it ever mattered to her.

"We sent for you, sheriff, so you could report on the last cases you've been through, but we're interested in one in particular." Vi glanced at the twinky councilor, realizing she actually saw their names back in the day on their doors, but she had no idea how to connect them. Well, that would be fun. The twink glanced at Ace, but her face told him absolutely nothing, since she seemed like a blank piece of paper with freckles to him.

"And about your, hm, questionable personnel choices." Cassandra threw her part into the discussion, and Vi had to keep herself at bay not to laugh at how Caitlyn's mother said that, and how the sheriff seemed like she was threatening the councilor with an open war back home.

"Of course, sir." Caitlyn nodded, clearing her throat, and obviously answering the twink, not giving a damn about her mother. Cassandra Kiramman clenched her jaws, which was very noticeable if someone was looking at her, and Vi had to admit she had absolutely no idea what the hell was she doing around those people.

That was not her place at all. She was the muscle, she was supposed to work with her hands, gauntlets, and muscles. Talking and other kinds of politics was something Caitlyn was for.

"How's the situation with Spade?" Dark-skinned, shaved woman with golden claws asked, looking at both of them, and Vi swallowed. There was something in that person that made her think she wouldn't want to cross her. Was it the fierce look in her eyes, the ticking cogwheels instead of the collar, she had no idea.

"At the moment it is quite stable." Caitlyn glanced at the councilor, catching her attention. "However it's possible the threat is not yet fully eliminated."

"What do you mean?" an old guy, at the moment playing with some toy that looked like something a lot of Vi's kin was passing from one to another after they crossed the magical age of six years old. "Is she captured or not?"

"No." Caitlyn felt the thin ice she entered at the moment, and Vi caught the aura right away. Well, that was quick before everything would go down. "However…"

"So you want to tell me that…" Cassandra cleared her throat, and Ace was ready for everything. That was something Kiramman wanted from the very beginning, and, fortunately for her, it happened before her daughter could present something that would make the rest of the council understand Vi wasn't a pest in the ranks. "...that your enforcer's sister killed a lot of people, nearly killed you, sheriff, and yet you're…"

"If I may, ma'am." Vi's voice echoed in the chamber, catching the attention of all the councilors. Cassandra, among them, was the one who seemed the most pissed off about it, even if Ace tried to sound respectful and not as trencher-y as the head of the council probably would expect her to. "The situation in Zaun was a regrettable turn of events, there's no doubt about that. The casualties included several wounded people, and at least two deceased." She clenched her fists, pushing away the image of Vander's suffering face right before he threw her outta The Last Drop, letting himself be shredded to pieces. "After what happened, with sheriff Kiramman we pursued the culprit, and managed to slow her down. The circ*mstances were however quite unclear, since we had no idea what to expect, of course apart from hostility."

"Officer Vi tried to lower the tension from Spade's side." Caitlyn nodded, picking the story up, seemingly a bit more upbeat than she entered the building as. Vi had to admit it calmed her down knowing the sheriff picked her own pace already. She could leave the rest to her, it would be fine. But she didn't intend to lower her guard. Not yet. "Spade, however…"

"Wasn't there any way the situation wouldn't end up the way it did?" A dark-skinned woman in white robes, her face spotted with freckles and golden make-up looked at both of them, but Vi had an impression her deep eyes stopped at her for a little bit longer.

"She did attempt the negotiations…" Caitlyn started, but then she stopped, swallowing hard, feeling like she just shot them in the knee. Her eyes darted at Vi, but Ace, with a deep sigh, caught her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze, and stepped forward.

"I tried, but it wouldn't work." she admitted, looking the councilor straight into the eye. The nod gave her the permission to carry on. "In fact, she didn't want to make it a deal. She wanted me to use the connections to the law enforcement, so sheriff Kiramman could push the idea of pardoning her."

"Preposterous!" The twink scoffed, but Vi remained unfazed. "Just how did she think it'd work?"

"I have no idea, sir." She admitted, shrugging. "I told her it was out of the table. That she was supposed to pay for her crimes."

"Like you." Cassandra frowned, and Caitlyn's fists clenched on their own, but Vi confronted her mother with a steel spark in her eyes.

"Like me, indeed." she confirmed, which took the head of the council by surprise so much, she turned speechless for a moment. "But I'm not trying to escape the law anymore."

"Sheriff Kiramman, do you really think that giving a position so important as an enforcer to someone like Ace is a good idea?" that was a yordle. Vi's eyes slid at him for a brief moment, but she didn't say anything. Wasn't that one some sort of a scientist? She had an impression she knew him from somewhere.

"I believe in redemption." Caitlyn straightened her back, her eyes shining with confidence, confronting all the council. She was aware all of them wanted to ask that question, but only Heimerdinger was courageous enough to utter his words to do so. "Vi has proven to have nothing but pure intentions of redeeming whatever wrongs she did in her past. She's been serving under my command for some time now, and I have been keeping an eye on her myself. I have no reservations neither towards her work, nor towards her attitude. She's proven to be a loyal, good addition to the team, sometimes working harder than the other officers."

"That does seem and sound like favoritism." Cassandra needed to just pin the needle where it could hurt, but neither of the council's guests reacted to that clear poke.

"There's no favoritism, councilor." Caitlyn's tone was quite aloof and reluctant. "I simply state the facts."

"Facts are usually being backed with results, sheriff."

Vi had to use a lot of her willpower not to comment about how lack of results shows the incompetence of Piltover's engagement with Zaun.

"But of course." Caitlyn took out some notes from somewhere. "Gunslingers trying to take over one of the saloons in the city, arrested and sent to Stillwater. Kidnapping of the head of the council, the culprit fled because of my own mistake, however the councilor had been delivered to the hospital in a good condition, alive. Zaun's streets had been calmer since the deployment which ended up not as happily as it could. After the assault on the council's seat, Vi was the one to go into the crumbling building to ensure nobody was trapped or injured inside. And finally, most recent one, my very own life was at stake, and if it wasn't for her, I'd have been gravely injured, if not dead."

"I think we're all missing the point here." Vi stepped forward, going into the circle inside the chamber. "Spade may be injured, she may be laying low for a while, but that doesn't mean she's outta game."

"What do you mean?" the twink glanced at her with almost clear disgust, but she plainly ignored that expression. She couldn't care less about that guy anyway. About any of them.

"I mean she's been dead." she put an emphasis on the sentence, even though she was almost sure nobody gave a sh*t. "There are witnesses who saw her in the state that would not allow her to survive.. And yet she somehow managed to come back."

"So did you." Cassandra squinted her eyes, and Caitlyn felt the cold sweat on her back. If her mother touched that subject, and it turned out that Vi's been boosted by something as illegal as Shimmer…

"So did I." Ace nodded, trying to control the irritation. "The main difference is: I know her. And I don't want people to die, on the contrary to her. So maybe it'll be a good idea to give a thought about what chembarons in Zaun can do to people to bring them back to life."

"What do you suggest?" the golden make-up lady intertwined her hands, resting her chin on their upper part. Vi sighed, but somehow felt she was the only one person who wasn't hostile enough to dismiss whatever fuchsia had to say.

"They have the whole city in their clutches, working with your people, even if you don't wanna see it. It's there, people are fed with Shimmer, and dying because of it. There's nothing telling us Spade is not working for one of them now."

"Why would she?" the old guy raised his eyebrow, the toy now lying next to him, forgotten for a time being.

"Nothing's free in Zaun." she never thought she'd have to speak truisms at the council's seat in Piltover, but somehow it didn't really surprise her. They were as detached from everything as they came. "If she's been spiked with Shimmer, she had to pay the price. And she wasn't working alone to begin with."

"How can you be sure it was Shimmer helping her recover?" Kiramman was trying to crack the logic, but Caitlyn was there to back Vi up at once.

"I've seen it with my own eyes. Purple glow in hers, it's not something anyone can mistake for anything else, councilor. We know she's been working with Sevika, the bounty hunter. That may be a very good lead."

"And what if you're wrong? We're risking a war with Zaun." The golden-clawed lady tapped the surface of the table with her jewelry. "I'm sure we should think about negotiating…"

"You're risking it every single day." Vi scoffed, seeing that those people would rather sit out everything that could threaten their asses rooting in those chairs than actually take action. "Every moment down there people are dying, fighting over another vial of Shimmer, or simply trying to survive. The chembarons don't give a sh*t about them, they care about their own dirty goons and money. And you're letting them, simply by not doing anything. You can't negotiate with them, they hate everything you do, everything you are, everything you stand for." she looked around, making sure she got to all of the gathered. Judging from their faces, she did. But they weren't happy. Good, they weren't supposed to be. "You want to go for diplomacy, not even knowing with whom to talk."

"And I'm sure you do." Cassandra huffed, annoyed, not hiding her aversion towards the enforcer. Vi turned to her with her eyes cold as freljordan icebergs.

"No, because nobody in their right mind in Zaun would want to talk to a Piltie. But I can assure you, if there was such a daredevil, I'd know it faster than any of you made the right choice."

"Vi…" Caitlyn tried to stop her, but it was too late. The mountainside had received the shot, and the avalanche was just a matter of time.

"You're sitting here, pretending to care, but when someone like me comes to you, trying to tell you something that may be important to both sides of Zaunwest, you're just not listening. You choose to turn a blind eye on things that are happening around, just because it's easier and comfier not to give a sh*t." she turned to Cassandra, glaring at her with steely eyes. "You prefer to take all your frustration on me, because you can't accept that not all Zaunites are bad. You know why they are the way they are? Why is there so much criminal activity? Because high lords like you deem themselves the rulers of it all, taking what's ours, taking the hard work, the fruit of Zaun's labor, just because you're too lazy or prissy to get your hands dirty with honest work. And my people are starving, since whatever little they may have, it's been taken from them. But telling you that is pointless, because all that just makes an impression we're talking to ourselves."

"Guards!" councilor Kiramman visibly couldn't bear the truth any longer. Vi scoffed, shaking her head. "Please, escort…"

"There's no need." she growled, straightening her back, and Caitlyn could see the Zaunian pride emanating from her body. "I remember where your fancy damn door is."

"Vi!" The sheriff followed her with her eyes, and when she wanted to go after her, she heard her mother.

"Caitlyn, a word."

Chapter 39: Dark nights

Chapter Text

She had to admit she wasn't surprised when her mother wanted to push her to understand Vi wasn't the best idea of an enforcer. She wanted to make the council understand Ace had to go, but Caitlyn stood her ground, having her officer's back. She brought to the council's eyes all the assets Vi came with, all she'd done, all she helped with.

She didn't need all of the councilors to be against Cassandra's idea of revoking Vi's enforcer's status. In fact, she needed only one of them to oppose, and that'd be enough.

When she left the council's seat building, she looked around, trying to pinpoint her companion who just paraded out, almost elbowing the guards, not letting them escort her to the exit. After all, as she mentioned, she knew where the door was. Caitlyn sighed, shaking her head, wondering where the heck she went. Why was it always so damn hard to keep her mother at bay, and try to fix what Piltover destroyed during all those years?

And there was this one question haunting her lately:

Was it even reversible? Were Zaun and Piltover's twisted relations to be fixed?

And now, where the hell was Vi?

*

She was aware that Piltover's word and her wasn't meant to be, and she was more than sure that she was as good as f*cked back to Stillwater. The last whiff of freedom could as well be on her own terms.

She took some booze from the closest saloon, paying for it with her own money that she'd be deprived of anyway soon enough, heading to the woods outside the city. After a quick thought she decided to leave a note on Caitlyn's desk, so she didn't think Vi decided to bail and start again as an outlaw.

She was ready to pay for her stupid decisions from the past. She had to, especially knowing how they all led to this moment: when Jinx was rampaging, killing her own family with no mercy, and with a smile on her face.

Vi sat down by the cliff, having trees around her, looking at Zaun down in the valley. Piltover was raving somewhere behind her, still visible, but as if forgotten. All she had, all she'd ever known was down there.

Ace bit the cork, pulling it out of the bottle, and spitting it with a lobe, observing the small dot disappear into the valley. Then she chugged a quarter of the bottle on one sit, looking for her cigarettes. She needed to remember the freedom as it was. Bitter as an alcohol, smoky as the cigs, and fresh as the air.

Her fingers bumped at something she forgot she had with her. With a crooked smile, she pulled out a harmonica, looking at its worn out, scratched metal cover. Ah, good times when she roamed free and unbothered, living the life her and her sister could have if Jinx didn't decide to switch to the murderous side.

But maybe it was, indeed, Vi's fault. If she didn't leave her…

She started playing, the smoke slipping out of the exits, vibrating with the sounds. Vi couldn't believe she still remembered how to play, it seemed like ages since last time she dusted off that old piece of junk. After some slow tones, bringing the memories of sunny days, lazy mornings and chill, yet easy evenings by the bonfire, she felt like she irreversibly lost something. Either it was the passion, the trust of and for her own sister, or maybe she felt the burden of Vander's death, she wasn't sure.

She chugged another part of the whiskey bottle she brought with herself. And it wasn't even dusk. She lowered the harmonica, looking at it sadly. She's seen dark nights, but she knew only the darkest lights could deliver her soul as it was. Stained and dirty but waiting for someone to trust.

"I didn't take you as a musician." Vi heard from behind, and her back tensed for a split of a second. Then she relaxed, shrugging.

"Because I'm not." she admitted. "But since you're here… I guess you've got my note then."

"I did, yes." Caitlyn approached her, hesitating for a moment. "Do you mind if I…?"

"Not at all." she shrugged, putting the harmonica back to her lips, slowly blowing into it, moving her hand, releasing the melody Caitlyn didn't know. She took the bottle, sipping from it, even if she didn't like the taste of Vi's apparently favorite liquor, and just let herself cherish the moment of peace.

"What's the occasion?" she asked the moment Vi finished the song, and took an inhale from her cigarette, reclaiming her bottle. Caitlyn pointed at the instrument. "I wouldn't believe you're here without a reason."

"Y'know, just the last moments of freedom." she shrugged. "I try to remember it as best as I can before all the time in Stillwater that's before me."

"You're not going back to Stillwater, Vi. I hoped at least one of the councilmen would vote against my mother. T'was all I needed."

"So if I'm not going back I reckon you got it. Who was it? The twinky councilman? Or the golden-splashed, stupidly pretty one who actually seemed to listen?"

"It's good to see that councilor Medarda is not only my secret crush." she winked to Vi who blushed hard, averting her gaze, drinking from the bottle, and not commenting. What would she say, anyway? That this Medarda lady could be all beautiful as she was, but nothing would outmatch the sheriff herself? Sure, if she wanted to be fired, perhaps. "But, actually, both of them. In fact, it was a unanimous vote against my mother's idea of revoking you. I think they…"

"Can see the reason when there's a good one? And yours was better than hers?" Vi snorted, and Caitlyn did the same.

"I was going more for the 'they recognize how much work you've put into your doings, wanting to make Piltover a better, safer place', but sure, the argumentation probably fits, too."

"Good to hear." It was quite hard to understand and even harder to admit, but she felt relieved hearing it. Vi knew she deserved the cold nights in the prison, but she felt better working for redemption, if she'd ever needed any, than sitting in one place, useless, counting days merging with nights, and trying to survive. "It's… thank you. For… having my back." she sighed, drinking again. Caitlyn smiled.

"Well, thank you for having my back, Vi. You really saved the day." she admitted, and fuchsia couldn't help but look at her quizzically.

"I ain't done sh*t. Just shut your mother's mouth when she needed it."

"You gave me the headstart I needed. She was doing everything to overwhelm me. She knows I'm getting nervous when there are too many issues addressed at once, with the demand to address them back." Caitlyn averted her gaze for a brief moment, but then her ocean eyes landed at the bottle Vi held. Fuchsia without a word passed her the booze. "When you cut in, I finally started thinking normally."

"And they say the sheriff's cold blooded." Vi snorted playfully, looking at Zaun again, wondering if the people there would ever welcome her as their own again. "Not that much, I see."

"Don't tell anyone."

"I will think about it." She had a mischievous spark in her eyes, but seeing Caitlyn's distressed gaze, she cleared her throat, shaking her head with disbelief. "Ah, well, yeah, you're uptight, I forgot. Your secret is safe with me."

"Thank you. But… speaking of work, that's what I encountered at my desk, addressed to you." She passed Vi the envelope, waxed and unopened. Fuchsia glanced at the sheriff.

"I received correspondence, and you didn't check it?"

"You're not my prisoner, Vi." Kiramman sighed, taking another gulp from the bottle, just because she didn't know if she could do it while being sober. They've been over this topic so many times, and Ace still didn't get it. "It's not mine to open. But judging for the 'urgent' smeared in the corner, I think you should, and quickly."

"Yeah, probably." she nodded, doing as Caitlyn suggested. There was not much inside the envelope after she tore it open. A piece of paper, nothing more. She opened it, reading. Kiramman turned her eyes away, just to ensure Vi was given the privacy she might have needed.

"Ah, well, so much for a moment of peace." she sighed, showing Caitlyn the letter. The sheriff glanced at it, reading scarce words someone put there. No heading, no signature, just two vague sentences.

There's a rumor Dreadnought is coming to Zaun to use it as a base for seizing Piltover. Whatever it is, I think you should investigate it.

"What or who is a 'Dreadnought'?" Kiramman glanced at Vi who was finishing the bottle faster than anyone would deem healthy.

"If I knew, I probably wouldn't need to 'investigate'. And judging from the choice of words, the sender didn't know either." she shrugged, shaking her head, looking at the empty bottle in her hand. Why the hell everything was happening so fast, without a break to get used to it?

"What do you want to do with it, then?"

"Well, I don't think there's much other than investigating. Zaun's my turf, so I guess it'll be best for me to…"

"You're not getting there alone, Vi. We've already seen what happened last time you pushed your luck. And you're pretty distinctive." Caitlyn frowned, but Ace just rolled her eyes.

"Look, I can wear a disguise better than any of you, Pilties. Also, I know the place like the bottom of my own pocket." She cleared her throat. "I'm gonna be in and out before anyone notices I was even around."

"I'm not letting you go alone. I'll accompany you." she was insisting, but there was something in it that made Vi cautious at once.

"Is that because you're afraid I may join that sh*t, whatever it is?" she asked, frowning with her eyes squinted. "You don't trust me, do you?"

"Oh, no, I do trust you, Vi. In fact, with my own life, since you've given me reasons to." she admitted, looking deeply into the icy eyes sparking with distress. "But I just think… you know. You've already…" she cleared her throat, not really feeling like repeating herself. Vi heard the first time. "Maybe it's better to rely on teamwork on this one, what do you think?"

"You know I'm not much of a team player now, do you?"

"I'm aware, Vi, but…" she interrupted for a brief moment, hesitating if to speak her mind or not, but then she decided to just let it fly. "...but maybe now it's the time to trust you're not alone. And that I'm here for you, wherever the road will lead us."

"Why would you care?" she wasn't that suspicious, but maybe she just wanted to know. At this point she wasn't sure what was the reason behind it.

"Because… because I don't want to lose you." she admitted. "You're…"

"The asset to the team, I know." Vi nodded, feeling her heartbeat quickening. She felt stupid, there was no reason for Caitlyn to think about anything else than that, but fuchsia couldn't stop her mind from bringing back the delirious memories, and the doubts that rekindled in her chest.

Did Caitlyn kiss her, did she really do that, or was that just a delusion?

“I… well, not only that, but if you say so.” she sighed, not in the mood of fighting. She needed to convince her to let her go with her, not to make her push her away. "If you'd just give me… thirty minutes, perhaps, we can go?

"What do you need half an hour for?" Vi raised her eyebrows, wondering what was this one's problem. Why did she want to go with her so badly?

"An… errand." she cleared her throat, looking around, and standing up before fuchsia said anything. "Please, let's meet by the gate leading to Zaun. Can I count on you to wait for me?"

"Rrgh, fine. I dunno why you're so insistent, but have it your way. Half an hour. Don't be late, because if you get down there alone, Undercity’s gonna eat you alive."

"If you're the Undercity, I may be down for it." Caitlyn mumbled before she realized she said it out loud. Vi frowned.

"What was that, cupcake?"

"I said: thirty minutes and we're down there." she didn't even twitch, going into the direction she needed to talk to someone by. Ace shook her head with disbelief, exhaling quite loudly, sliding her eyebrows as high as possible, and resting her hands on her hips.

"What the f*ck, Caitlyn?" she asked, raising her eyes to the sky, but since it was silent, she sighed, and headed towards the Piltovan Sheriff' Office to search through her own clothes, so Kiramman wouldn't look too high class.

It still seemed somehow odd to her. She had weird flashes back from the hospital, seeing Caitlyn in her own clothes. Was she around Zaun already? And she lived?

Well, that would mean she was so much better than Vi with her own people. Such a shame.

She grunted, sliding her hands deep into her pants' pockets, heading to the office. There had to be something there.

*

"Cait? What's bringing you here?" Jayce turned around, sliding his protective goggles up in his dirty forehead, looking at his friend curiously.

"Can't I visit an old pal?"

"In the forge? Not likely a place for a Kiramman, there's a ton of soot." he snorted, and she did the same, shaking her head. He knew her way too well. "So? What's the need?"

"Jayce, remember the gauntlets you showed me the other day?" she rubbed her palms together, trying not to seem suspicious, but the moment she mentioned the item, he had a hint what was that about.

"Yes… why?"

"I think we could use them." she admitted, still not looking him in the eye.

"What… 'we'? Who's 'we', Cait?" His eyes were more and more suspicious as the seconds ticked, but the sheriff just sighed, shaking her head.

"Look, I need you to trust me, okay? Do you?"

"You want me to give Atlas Gauntlets to that half-baked enforcer of yours, don't you?" He cleared his throat. "Look, Caitlyn, you're my friend, and I'd do a lot for you, but that…"

"She got a message about a Dreadnought."

It was enough for his eyes to widen, now larger than Caitlyn's aiming disk. She caught his sight, and nodded, confirming Jayce didn't hear wrong.

"But… how? Wasn't he…?"

"Noxian, yes. But you know how it all happens around here. He disappeared like a stone in the water, and nobody could find him. Eventually people forgot. And now he's back."

"It's bad, Cait." the inventor swallowed, and his companion nodded, confirming the answer to his question, even if his intonation didn't give a hint it was one. He grunted. "Fine. I'll prepare them. Allow me two days to make sure nothing's going to blow up right into her face, okay?"

"Thanks, Jayce. You're a lifesaver." she smiled, winking to him, and then sprinted out, looking like a doe on the run, hoping not to be late to the meeting.

*

"Took you long enough." Vi scoffed, seeing her finally popping out from between two buildings. "Half an hour my ass."

"How late am I?" she raised her perfect eyebrow, and Vi lowered her gaze, pretending she looked at her non-existent watch, as her cheeks covered with a slight blush.

"Ten minutes, more or less. I was about to go alone." she admitted, turning around, and straightening up, starting to walk. "So, first things first, you can't show yourself down there dressed like that."

"Wha-" Caitlyn trotted behind her companion, but Vi didn't bother looking at her, still sure that if she did, Kiramman would see.

"You scream 'Topsider' in a ten kilometer radius, cupcake." she stopped by the edge, looking down at the chaos of beams, girders and metal parts by her feet. "And believe me, they don't like you…" she sighed, briefly closing her eyes. "They don't like us ."

"What do you want to do then? There are no shops around that would provide us what we need. If you wish to go down as we are, I think… I heard the bathysphere has a nice view. That could be a good way to get the lay of the land." the sheriff offered, looking at her curiously, but Vi made the decision right away.

"Too risky." she glanced at Caitlyn with the spark in her eyes that could mean only one thing: trouble and chaos.

And before Kiramman said anything to oppose, Vi already jumped down to the landfill of metal parts and beams, swiftly sliding between them, finding her way down as if she was liquid.

"Oh my god." she groaned, but instead of taking the safe way, so to speak, she slid to the edge, and then, after saying her prayers, she just followed her guide. If Vi said it was too risky for them to enter like civilized people…

If ever Ace would try to tell her Zaunites were not savages in their ways, she was going to regret it so much!

Caitlyn knew from the very beginning she wasn't fit for parkour. Seeing Vi's silhouette shadowing in different places as if she was teleporting from one spot to another, she wondered if Ace finally felt really free and unchained. She carefully dropped down to the lower ledges, seeing the figure of her fellow enforcer sliding down the ladder as if it was nothing. She swallowed, but even if her steps were a tad bit wobbly, she didn't even think about giving up. She needed to know what was happening in Zaun. It was late, too late to make it right all at once, but even the deepest wounds and oldest broken bones if put into care had a chance to mend.

While the sheriff was still struggling on her way down, Vi already landed on the ground she knew so well. One whiff of the stuffy, heavy air brought her back to the very childhood way before Vander had The Last Drop.

"Well, hello. I haven't seen you here before, beautiful." she heard from behind, and rolled her eyes, but waited for the idiot to come closer. His fingers slid over her exposed shoulder, but her face remained expressionless.

"Uuh, nice poncho." she smirked, seeing what he had on. Dark red, with leather rims, as well as some metallic applications. It really caught the eye.

"Eh?" He made a stupid face, but then she didn't wait for him to do anything else. One precisely landed punch sent him to the ground unconscious, and then there was nothing more that could stop her from taking what she wanted.

"Hey!" that was a woman's voice. One look at her and Vi was sure she had Caitlyn's build. Hm, nice coincidence, that she needed to admit.

Kiramman landed quite roughly, slipping from the last beam she stood on, slamming the roof of some small abandoned building, and then catching her balance in the last moment possible not to land face flat on the ground. She leaned her back to the wall, trying to calm down her pounding heart. The attempt to understand what the hell Vi saw in activities like that one was… well, a failure, to put it euphemistically.

She turned her head up, trying to assess how big of a distance under Piltover's level she was, but before she managed to have at least one thought, she felt something fairly both rough and soft hit her face and chest. She caught it, preventing it from falling to the dust, and then glanced at the one who tossed it. She frowned, seeing Vi adjusting a poncho on her shoulders, making the hood behave on her back. She swallowed, finding out that the colors really fitted her companion. Dark colors really brought forth her icy eyes, and Caitlyn had to force herself to stop staring.

"You wanted to kill us or what?" she asked, trying to get out of her throat something that wouldn't be a forlorn sigh of attraction or whatever the hell she was feeling at the moment. Even though she didn't want to sound like a bitch, she lost the ability to think straight for a moment.

Vi, however, smirked, looking at her mischievously, sliding her hands into her pockets, and shrugging. "My sister could do it when she was eight. All of us fissure folks can. Don't you wanna blend in?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't…"

"Don't sweat it. Put that sh*t on, and… well, welcome to the Lanes." she walked past her and Caitlyn needed to change fast if she wanted to have Vi in her line of sight. Not that Ace disappeared anywhere, she was just waiting around the corner for her, respectfully giving her the space and time to change unbothered by her eyes.

Funnily enough, Vi's icy irises were the only ones Caitlyn wouldn't mind having around while changing. That sole thought made her cheeks burn, and her heart flutter, chastising herself all the way through changing her clothes. What the hell was she thinking? Vi didn't even remember the one time she kissed her because of joy that she was still alive. Or maybe she did, but didn't want to pick that topic. After all they were, as she called it, 'oil and water'. And that meant…

No, she didn't know what it meant. She barely wanted to know. All she could hope for was that it wouldn't mean the end of their co-working. They were good together. Very good. Effective.

"You done daydreaming, cupcake? We don't have a whole day." she heard munching, and one look at Vi told her she managed to get to one of the food stalls to buy herself some snacks. From the looks of them she decided not to ask what those were.

It appeared she didn't even have to. Ace reached her hand with the bowl towards her. "Want some?"

Caitlyn grimaced, so Vi just shrugged, stuffing her mouth with… whatever that was.

"We didn't come here to eat slop." she hissed, but Vi shrugged again, finishing off her food, putting the bowl by one of the windows, and forgetting she ever carried one. "Any leads?"

"As you probably saw yourself there was no notion of any sort of place to meet the informer." she grunted, clearing her throat to mask the burp. "So I guess we're gonna go the old-fashioned way."

"Which is…?"

"Old friends." Vi smiled, following the path that Caitlyn didn't see at first. She rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything, keeping close to her guide.

They were walking for quite a while when Vi caught Kiramman, forcing her to dive behind her into some nook.

"What the hell…?"

Ace pressed her index finger to her lips, turning her head towards the path, and Caitlyn, with a frown, did the same.

"Ace? Here? After all that sh*t that happened to her? Doesn't make sense." a deep baritone said, and Caitlyn saw Vi clenching her jaws so hard that her cheeks moved a bit. She swallowed, but listened further.

"I don't know how legit that is, but you never know. Think that if we catch her and bring to Silco he would give us a prize?"

Kiramman glanced at the enforcer who seemed like two words more, and she'd break her own jaw bones. And the voices were coming closer. There was, also, nowhere to run.

"Vi…"

Ace shook her head, looking around for some way to escape, but it seemed they were trapped. If they were caught, fine, Vi could take a beating, again, but Caitlyn? Cassandra would have her killed for less than a hair fallen outta her daughter's head, not to mention f*cking lack of all teeth.

If they were merciful, that was. After all, if they found out she was the sheriff… there was no guarantee she'd get away alive.

"Vi, put on your hood." she heard, and that made her look at Caitlyn. She already had her own hood on, shielding her face from being seen.

"What?"

"Come on, if we pretend, they'll pass us by." she pulled her closer, feeling her heart skipping a beat, but she knew it was too late to just call it off. Also, she knew she would not be the one to pretend. Vi swallowed, all of the sudden tense and scared, but when Caitlyn caught her poncho, pulling her even closer, and the enforcer felt the soft and sweet scent of berries she had, she swallowed, wondering if she was more relaxed or aroused. "Unless…"

"What do you wanna do?" Fuchsia asked, but Kiramman already pulled her hood up, making sure her face remained unseen. She slid her hand, slightly shaking, on the side of Vi's neck, gently pulling herself closer to her companion..

"They wouldn't mind two people…" she cleared her throat, as her ocean eyes were looking for Vi's iceberg ones. "Kiss me."

"Wh-?" Fuchsia choked, feeling cold sweat running down her spine right away. "You want to…?"

"If you don't want to…"

"I…" she swallowed, not really sure how to decipher the situation. She'd… she'd never had anyone before, and… she didn't really know how.

"May I, then?"

"I guess…?" she said quite aloof, but there was no time. Caitlyn acted the moment those guys were passing by. She kissed Vi like she'd never kissed anyone before. She felt… different. And it felt so real.

It was a different experience than she had in the hospital. There it was a second, all in emotions, uncontrolled. Now, even if it wasn't the ideal moment for intimacy like that, she had the impression it was something they both wanted.

Vi gave the kiss back, quite shyly, which surprised Caitlyn. She never had Vi for someone who wouldn't have that confidence she was radiating all the time. After all… there had to be something she wasn't feeling empowered in. And that 'something' seemed to be interpersonal relations.

Caitlyn couldn't resist. Vi's lips tasted so good, like smoke, sweet and salty snacks, and fruit. She slightly opened her mouth, to give Vi a sign that if she wanted, she was open for something more.

Ace hesitated. Sheriff's lips were so soft and nice when they brushed over her own, when they met, she could feel the warmth so long forgotten. Caitlyn was a person, she was a real person, a beautiful woman, someone who could have absolutely everyone…

There was nothing telling her Kiramman would ever choose her. The moment, that sh*t they were in at the time, it was a decoy. It had to be a decoy, what else could it be? Caitlyn's hands seemed to seek Vi's, her waist, her shoulders, and even if Ace fell for that at first, craving some closeness, now the flashes took over her head.

It wasn't real. Caitlyn was doing her job. They needed to do that in order to survive. They already got to know an important thing - Silco was looking for her. She remembered that name, yet the memory of it was bleached and blurry.

She broke the kiss, stepping back, swallowing. It was… it wasn't right. Doing something like that to survive in Zaun was making her sign her death sentence in Piltover. And for what it was worth, she was more Piltovan in terms of place of living, than Zaunian.

"We need to go." she said, clearing her throat, trying not to see the flash of pain of rejection in Caitlyn's eyes. "We can't party here forever. Come on."

And she almost sprinted forth, making it hard for the sheriff to keep up. At the same time she had only one thought.

Who the f*ck authorised the feelings that kiss had awoken in her?!

Chapter 40: How many walls

Chapter Text

"I thought we'd be able to get to know something." Caitlyn admitted after they managed to bunker somewhere near the border between Zaun and Piltover. She swallowed hard, trying to calm down her pounding heart and the buzz in her head.

So did Vi, but she had quite a different reason for it. "I thought you'd be paying more attention." she admitted. "Because we actually did."

"What, you mean the mention of Silco?"

Ace's eyes darted at her at once. "What do you know of him?"

"Not much." Kiramman shrugged. "He's one of the chembarons. As far as I remember, one of the most powerful ones. Lately he wasn't posing any threat to Piltover's business, so the council decided to leave him alone."

They started climbing up the hill to get to Piltover, trying to stay out of sight as much as it was possible. "You sound as if you'd ever pursued him before." Vi snorted, and Caitlyn cleared her throat.

"Well, there was… an investigation." she admitted, looking around, scouting the perimeter. The soothing weight of her good ol' rifle was calming her down with every step. She had something to hold on to. "I mean… he's an industrialist. The council ordered an investigation on him at some point, but it yielded nothing harmful…"

"Towards Pitover." Vi briefly clenched her fists, and Caitlyn sighed, nodding.

"Towards Piltover." she confirmed, feeling somehow bad about it. She had never thought that what was going on 'topside'... was harming Zaun so much. In fact, she never thought about it too much. The council always had the best business in mind when it came to Piltover, but Zaun was supposed to be a part of its jurisdiction. They should have cared, helped… they should have done something. Whatever. They had the means, and the power.

And yet they decided not to. Her own mother decided not to.

"Well, I guess that's that." Vi dismissed it all with just one shrug, as if it didn't even bother her. Whatever she wanted to pretend, however, Caitlyn had a hunch. Ace wouldn't say, but she would bottle it up. As painful as it was, it was already too late to stop whatever Silco was doing or planning… if there was anything.

And if Kiramman knew anything about chembarons, there was always something. Even if she was unaware of it for way too long.

"What are we going to do?" she asked, hopeful, but Vi just pushed forward, leaving Zaun behind. She shook her head, but didn't look at the sheriff.

"Nothing. Aren't you good at that?" she cleared her throat, feeling like she might have been pulling the wrong string, but Caitlyn didn't comment on that. Somehow she felt Ace had the right to say something on that line. "Whatever he's up to, we don't have enough intel. And being down there for too long would bring us something neither of us want. You need to be careful."

"What about you?" she shot the question without having second thoughts.

"Uh?" Vi briefly glanced back, but seeing Caitlyn she turned her eyes away. Kiramman felt a sting, but convinced herself not to take it personally. They'd have to talk about what happened sooner or later anyway.

"What about you? Why would I be careful, and you…?"

"Because I don't have a mother clinging to me like a madman, cupcake." she sighed, sliding her hands into her pockets, finding the cigarettes, and then lighting up one of them. "If she found out you've been down there, she'd kill me faster than you'd even be able to say anything."

"It wasn't you who forced me to go there." Kiramman protested, but Vi just scoffed, chuckling almost menacingly, as if she cynically took it as a good joke.

"And now think about Head Councilor Cassandra Kiramman." she almost spat the name, as if she was afraid of the poison attached to it as she spoke. "And realize finally she doesn't give a sh*t about who did or did not make you go anywhere. What counts to her is that you did go, and that I was there with you. Seems clear enough for someone so close-minded as your mother. And don't mention what we did to keep the idiots off our asses, because then she'll torture me, kill me, and probably proceeds to kill you."

"Vi…"

But Ace didn't listen to her anymore. They reached Caitlyn's office, where Vi found a letter left on her workbench. She frowned, taking it.

No recipient on it, nothing, just an usual envelope. With a sigh she opened it, hoping it wasn't another prank from who knew whom, but when she saw what was on the piece of paper inside, she started hoping it actually was a prank.

"Ah, f*ck." she mumbled to herself, reading the letter over and over again, managing to do it around three times before Caitlyn caught up to her in the room.

"What happened?" she asked right away, looking at the enforcer who seemed like someone who just was told to take a bath in a whole cistern of horse manure.

"Wanna long or short version?"

"Erm… short?" What was there that Vi looked like she was about to beg for her to be arrested again?

"sh*t's f*cked."

Well, that told Caitlyn about nothing. Somehow she was ready for something like that, yet she hoped Ace would actually give her something.

Anything.

And she was aware her heart was out of the table.

"Good lord, Vi, fine, long!" she huffed, waiting for ANY detail.

"sh*t's very f*cked."

What was that about hope being a mother of stupid people, again?

"Violet!" she groaned, using the full name she found somewhere in the depths of archives. She shouldn't have done it, probably, but… it was stronger than her. She just wanted to know.

Vi looked at her quizzically, then Caitlyn could see a flash of pain in her eyes, but it faded faster than the sheriff could make sure it was even there. But her eyes seemed empty now. Distant.

For a brief while Ace was caught in the moment of her memories she never wanted to live through again. And that one word invoked them back like a boulder smacking Vi with its enormous weight, hitting straight to her chest, pushing out any air she had there.

Sun in the sky, not a single cloud around. Hot day, but yet there are some blows of fresh breeze from time to time. Birds joyfully chirping around as if nothing's happening.

And a cry. A loud, desperate cry tearing the peace like predator's claws tear through its prey's flesh. Powder, a small figure under the sun, a child, with her eyes full of fear and pain, with something reflecting the sun rays in her hand.

"Violet, please! Don't leave me! Violet! VIOLET, PLEASE!" Her cries grow louder as Vi gets further, with her hands cuffed, with the guards escorting her to the cart that's going to take her to Stillwater. "Vi…!"

Powder cries again, choking on her own words. The smoke raises as the explosion goes off. Guards pushing Vi back after the loud boom, birds scared off fleeing up to the sky. Her sister's wailing mixing with Vi's own coughing, her eyes, now full of tears, able to see Claggor and Mylo - her two brothers - now on the ground, lifeless. Claggor's goggles land by her feet, stained with blood. She can't control herself anymore. Tears start flowing down her cheeks, as she reaches for the goggles to pick them up.

A single hit in her stomach makes her bend in half. Her hands caught, almost broken while forcefully taken up… then only the lonely darkness of the inside of the cart, and the overwhelming feeling of her empty hands.

"VIOLET, NO, PLEASE, DON'T GO…!" fading with every second. Her hand over her face, her teeth clenched so hard, her head starts to hurt.

She left her. She left her alone.

"Vi? Are you all right?" Caitlyn's voice pulled her out of the nightmare. She glanced at her, shaking her head to ground herself. That moment changed everything. Nothing was the same anymore since.

"Yeah. See for yourself." she passed her the message, turning away, resting her palms on the workbench, and clenching her eyelids. She could feel her muscles tensing, her heart pounding… and her hands shaking.

She didn't want to go back to that time. Thinking she made her peace with it, that she already was past it, was a lie, and that moment proved her right. All she was doing was run, she was running all the time. From memories, from pain, from responsibility. She knew back then Powder had Vander. Even if Claggor and Mylo were dead, her sister wasn't alone.

Hell, even now, being Jinx, she wasn't.

But Vi… she felt like she was. She couldn't tell Caitlyn, she didn't want to tell her. What good would that confession do? Besides probably making the sheriff feel sorry for her. Tsk, she didn't need anyone's pity. She didn't need anything from anyone. She just…

For the first time in what seemed like ages, she felt like she wanted to be back to being Ace. Not Vi, not the enforcer… Ace. The criminal putting all Zaunwest on alert. She never pondered why she started being that. And now she knew. To escape from memories she was too scared to have. Too scared to remember. From memories making her vulnerable and in pain she couldn't ease with neither medication, nor alcohol.

"A… gala?" Caitlyn frowned from over the paper. "What the hell?"

It seemed odd at least. The Council making a gala to show Piltover their successes and all things that happened through the year before, but… now? At the very moment when their main concern should be pursuing Spade?

"I dunno, ask your mom." Ace shrugged, scratching her wrapped wrists, now giving her the feeling of cuffs she had there not so long ago. But even knowing that, she was aware that the weight on them at the moment was the same weight she felt all those years ago, when she lost her sister, and created a monster. "You'd have a chance to do so at that gala, probably. I bet she's not going to snarl at you or start a fight among all those high class bitches."

"You're… you're not going?" it was a stupid question, Kiramman knew that, but she felt like she had to ask. Vi glanced at her from under the mane of fuchsia hair.

"Do I look like a good person to attend high-class parties?" she raised her eyebrow, pointing at herself. "I don't think so. I don't do parties."

"It'd be a good place to make an impression." Caitlyn pointed out, still observing her interlocutor. "To show people that Zaun and Piltover can work together, successfully. That your people are no different than our people…"

"Don't do that." Ace scoffed, shaking her head. "First of all, you don't even believe what you just said. Second, they all know who I am. And I know what they think of me, cupcake. I'm still a convict for them, and that'll never change. I'm an omen, not a sign." she averted her gaze, scratching her arm. Caitlyn couldn't say if it was because of anxiety, or because it was actually itching.

Vi, however, knew she just wanted to feel more physical pain than mental one. The scratch, even if left no mark, hurt.

"If they don't see you around, they will never understand you're a good one." Kiramman insisted, but Vi wasn't convinced.

"And I don't give a sh*t what they think of me, god, what's so hard to understand? They can go f*ck themselves while thinking I'm jerking off my dick while thinking about another heist for all I care." she huffed, rolling her eyes. Caitlyn swallowed hard. "Question is: why do YOU give so much f*cks about it?"

"I…" she started, but then hesitated, averting her gaze while her cheeks welcomed smudges of blush. Vi understood even without her saying a word.

"You wanna prove to them your judgment and choice was right, don't you?" she asked, but didn't even need the reluctant nod Caitlyn gave her after a second. "You want to wave me around giving them slaps in their faces that you managed to tame a criminal."

"It's not like that!" the sheriff opposed right away, but even if fuchsia waited for the explanation that should have come next, it didn't.. "Just… please. Come with me there. I need you."

"I'll see. I don't know if I have any attire your old timers will see as appropriate, and as funny as it can be, I don't think I'm in a mood to fight the head of the council again. She's giving me a headache."

"Are you sure it's not a hangover?" Caitlyn raised her eyebrow, but Vi shook her head.

"I know hangover. Your mother causes a migraine… but worse."

"The gala starts at dusk." she glanced at the enforcer, but Vi just rolled her eyes.

"I told you: I'll see. It's not like you can't do it on your own."

"Vi, please…"

"Sheriff, if you wanna make them understand your choices are good and right, you shouldn't have to bring the zoo with you." she growled, looking at her from over her shoulder. "They're supposed to respect you and your decisions no matter what they are. As long as you're effective, they're good. And me, whatever you'd want to say, I'm a f*cking proof you're not effective. Spade is out and about, even if lately she decided to lay low. The f*ck if we know what she's plotting, but we're both aware my presence there would be… cupcake, you want me there as an exhibit, so people would stick to me, poking, spitting, whatever the f*ck they want and think they can. So you'd be safe."

The sole act of understanding that cost her a lot. The sting she felt spread with gurgling hiss on her chest, like an acid splash, when she realized that she really tried to delude herself there was anything between them because of the way the distraction happened down in Zaun. She was nothing but a decoy for Caitlyn, from the very beginning. A bait, a decoy, a distraction, a part of Caitlyn's personal zoo.

She never really had a chance. And any thought that she might have was just wishful thinking that was bound to bring her more pain and disappointment in her own naiveté.

"Vi, I… it's not…!"

"Fine, I'll do it." she played it exactly the same way she did the moment Caitlyn offered her partial freedom for help with finding Jinx. Then she sold her sister, now she sold her dignity. She had nothing to lose anyway.

"What…?" Sheriff's eyes widened as the information tried to settle inside her head.

"I'll do it. Give me time to think of something they'll not be able to mock… ah, well, whatever, they will nevertheless. Just, time. See you soon."

"Violet!" Caitlyn called her when she was leaving the room, but Ace turned around, and her glare could kill.

"Never call me that, you understand?" she snarled, clenching her teeth and fists.

"I'm sorry, I thought… that's your name, isn't it?" she asked carefully, startled by the sudden hostility from her enforcer's side.

"For you I'm whatever the f*ck you want, but you stay away from my full name. I don't call you Cait or Caitlyn, you don't call me Violet." she growled, but Caitlyn frowned.

"Well, I wouldn't mind you calling me that instead of this ridiculous 'cupcake' of yours." she admitted, but Vi just scoffed.

"Well, I would. That's a hard pass; do it again, and you'd have to send me to Stillwater with charges of assault on the sheriff. Look at me." She emphasized the last sentence, so Kiramman raised her ocean eyes at her, meeting the impenetrable frozen walls of the iceberg. "I'm not joking. You know I will do it. So watch your tongue."

"Officer, if you're trying to…"

"Threaten you? No, I'm just issuing a warning." she spat, boiling a bit more. "But whatever the f*ck you'd wanna do now, you need me there more than I need you. So you'll let it slip. This time, and any other time when my presence as your scapegoat would be necessary for your obnoxious mother not to pick on you all the time."

And she didn't allow Caitlyn to respond, she left, slamming the door. Kiramman grunted, hitting the desk. It wasn't supposed to be like that. It wasn't supposed to go like this, it all went so wrong, she was so misunderstood in her intentions!

And yet she didn't have the courage to tell Vi the truth. And now, after that short exchange of anger from Ace's part, she had an impression their relationship went back ages. Like they had to start anew to build trust, closeness…

"Bollocks!" she kicked the desk's side, making it tremble. The pain hit her like a hammer, but she knew she well deserved it. "Why do I always screw everything up?!"

*

She could have told her, sure. But what would it change, apart from the fact that Caitlyn would look at her like she was weak? Powder, and what happened to her, what set her on the journey to become Jinx, was her responsibility and her problem. Kiramman didn't need it, hell, Vi was sure she wouldn't even want it.

She was just another barking dog in the sheriff's training pen. And sometimes it happened she barked on command better than the ones trained for ages.

"How much I'd give to have you around." she sighed, sliding into the ruins of The Last Drop, trying not to look around. All the ashes, debris, and soot covered walls brought her very bad memories. She should have been here with Vander till the end. If he said no to the rescue, she should have stayed with him. Jinx was beyond redemption, and Caitlyn was fine without Vi.

She took one of the dark, burnt up beams, throwing it to the side, making a way to the trapdoor behind something that was once a wall. And the trapdoor was leading to the lair she used to occupy with her brothers and sister before… yeah, before all that.

She slid down the stairs, the same way as so many times back in the day, remembering how many times Vander was impatiently huffing at her, trying to make her understand it wasn't safe, but she never listened. In fact, if someone told her they were racing her to the entrance of a building, she'd be able to just launch herself from the window on the fourth floor only to ensure she'd get there first.

Her eyes turned out way wetter than she expected or wanted them to be when she saw an unscratched living area. All the flashes from before had raced in her head, leaving nothing but sadness and void in her chest.

She stepped in, looking around after trying to switch on the light. She took the matchbox from her pocket, and put the fire to the oil lamp always staying by the stairs. Dim light bringing very wavy shadows enlightened the room, and Vi regretted it right away. The ball that Mylo was using to piss her off by bouncing it off the wall every once in a while, complaining about sh*t. Sack that Claggor was using to bring the loot they managed to get, along with his goggles…

"Someone brought them back?" she swallowed, approaching them, and dusting off the glass. A weak smile slithered onto her face, as the nostalgia stabbed her right between her ribs. And then she saw the rabbit.

It was patched, the patches had taken over so much that there was barely any original fabric left. Vi remembered that bastard, it was her favorite toy back in the day. Some dicks threw it into a place she was not able to take it down from, so she used to sit on the rooftop, between the buildings in Zaun, looking there, hoping and praying for a lick of luck that would take it down and back to her. She wasn't always as tough as she was now… and the fact she wasn't able to stop her bullies back then from taking her toy was proof of that.

But she retrieved it to give it to Powder… right before she had been taken. She knew she would, so there was nothing stopping her anymore. She wasn't afraid to fall down and die spiked on some debris. Nothing mattered, nothing apart from her sister remembering her as someone she could always lean on. Someone who would never leave her, even if they were apart.

And she failed.

Vi tossed the plushie to the wall with all the strength she had. It bounced off the surface with a creak, landing miserably on the floor. Vi approached it, taking it back, and dusting it off. "You're never gonna stop haunting me, would you?" she sighed, tucking it behind her belt, and opening the wardrobe she smashed it into. After a moment she brought the lamp with her.

Looking at the old clothes she saw there, her chest and throat felt as if someone just caught them in thongs. Vander's garments, his usual ones, suits, coat… they never had a lot, but it was always enough. Whatever didn't fit on him anymore was passed to either Claggor or Mylo. Clag was a bit bigger than Vi, so she wouldn't be able to use their vestments, but Mylo's…

She looked at the black vest, plain and simple, with golden-ish leather rims, some chains connected to the pocket watch that never seemed to work… there were two of them in the closet. And Vi, seeing those, felt like falling. She took the bigger one, and slid down on her knees, pressing her face into it. She couldn't stop the tears that rolled down her cheeks.

She never thought Vander would keep them. It was the vest he bought for her as a gift when she was 13 or so, but it was a bit too big back then. He wanted for them to have something distinctive as people from The Last Drop. He was always wearing his, opened, let loose, since his wide chest wasn't really something that was able to keep a lot of clothes closed. But he was always a man of culture and good taste. She wanted to be like him, she wanted to fit, but when she was convicted, all she could think of was the fact that she disappointed him.

And yet it seemed she didn't. He was waiting for her to come back. And then she disappointed him for the last time, allowing him to let her live.

"I miss you, dad." She clenched her eyelids, trying not to allow more tears to drop, but they were as stubborn as Vi herself, and even more forceful. Two streams shone in her cheeks in the wobbly light that accompanied her. "I wish you were here to tell me what to do in this mess."

But he wasn't. He wasn't there, he couldn't tell her anything. He couldn't give her advice when she needed it. It was all because of Jinx, and…

"Silco is in charge of Shimmer's factories." she opened her eyes, raising her head, and looking inside the closet as if she had found an answer in its depths. "Jinx has to… f*ck." she grunted, shaking her head with disbelief.

It was only logical. Only Silco would be able to provide that much Shimmer to make a dead person alive again. And that could mean her sister had allied with someone who would tear Zaun apart from inside.

"f*ck. Damn you, Spade." she grunted, standing up, feeling even worse. Her father dead because of her sister, and now the possibility she just joined front with a f*cking chembaron? Wonderful. f*cking wonderful.

And she was more than sure Jinx would try to get Piltover down. Breaking and burning walls was, as it seemed, her new black.

Vi caught a shirt she found in the closet as well as pants she remembered were there at some point back in the day. She took it into Claggor's sack, threw his goggles there, as well as the rabbit, and Mylo's ball. After a short thought, she also took the cast iron gauntlets Vander was known for back in the day, praying for them not to be needed.

She extinguished the lamp with its loud hiss, and then slammed the door behind her, running to Kiramman's mansion.

A flicker of purple tore the darkness as she opened her eyes, looking around, even if she wasn't able to see anything. A smirk spread on her face.

"I'm glad you can still think on your own, sis." she snickered. "Go, fetch the scraps to your uptight sh*triff. See you soon."

And she left the room as well, leaving traces of blood on the doorknob.

Chapter 41: In the crowd of thousand

Chapter Text

"Oh, finally, you're here, my dear." her mother's voice was like a bucket full of ice spilled right over her head. Caitlyn shivered, turning around to face one of her nightmares of the past weeks. "You cleaned up nicely, I thought you'd…"

"Start having a Zaun style? If it detached me from the family you're making me ashamed of, well, that sounds like a boon now." she admitted, and Cassandra frowned right away. She was not amused, and it showed. Unfortunately, though, Tobias wasn't around yet to calm down the waters.

"There's no need to be so mean, my dear, it's a celebration of your good work, after all."

"Not only mine." she huffed, rolling her eyes, and adjusting some folds of her dress. She was a sheriff, but she was also a woman. She liked to feel like it from time to time. In the meantime she discreetly looked around, trying to find that one person she hoped to see.

"Oh, please, that stray wouldn't do even one good deed if it wasn't for you, Caitlyn." Cassandra did seem like she knew it all when she had no idea what that was all about. "Also, my dear, you know, banquets are for the citizens, and she…"

"...lives under our roof, mother." she forced herself not to snarl at the head of the council. They've been talking for literally five minutes, not more, and she already wanted to just leave this place and forget she ever came here. "And by the law, all the Zaunites are equal citizens as we are. That's what jurisdiction is about."

Keeping it tied down wasn't easy, and Vi wasn't there. Kiramman knew her presence was uncertain, even though she agreed to come at the end, but… the sheriff couldn't shake away the absurd fear that she wouldn't show up. At the same time the anxiety she would, was nearly killing her.

"Well, if she's such a citizen, why don't I see her around? Is that because you did not invite her to come here with you? Isn't that proof you're accusing me of hypocrisy, and yet you're the one committing it?"

"Good evening, councilor, it's nice to see you're well." They both heard the hoarse voice, but Caitlyn was able to see her before Cassandra did. "Sheriff, a pleasure."

"Officer!" her eyes shone with joy, as her heart fluttered. The relief spread through her body, seeing that Vi actually cleaned up very nicely. Way beyond Kiramman's expectations.

Cassandra turned around immediately, glowering at her with criticism Ace was ready for. She would be lying if she said the head councilor's surprise that took over her face wasn't satisfying. After all, she didn't look like a trencher… thanks to Vander. Even if Mrs. Kiramman wanted to comment on how Vi looked, she didn't have much to chastise.

Ace's black vest went very well with the burgundy shirt she decided to wear underneath it, and which was fitting her muscled arms and frame pretty tightly, yet not defiantly. The shirt was tucked into the black striped trousers, caught together with a nice, thick leather belt bearing a silver buckle with a crest Cassandra had never seen before. Heavy boots somehow matched the rough yet very pleasantly presenting attire, and the only thing Cassandra could comment on were the wraps Vi had on her hands all the time, if it wasn't for the fact they seemed to be fresh and clean. Even her usually uncontrolled mane of fuchsia hair was in place, tamed with taste she would never think a Zauntie could have had.

"It's quite a surprise to see you here, Ace." Cassandra admitted, deciding that if she couldn't say anything about her looks, she'd at least use the name Vi wasn't keen on anymore. What was her surprise when she realized her interlocutor didn't even twitch hearing it.

"As it is for me." she cleared her throat, sending a quick glance at Caitlyn, dressed in a long, sky blue dress in Ionian style. "I hope it wouldn't be much of a nuisance to have me around, after all the invitation has been found on my workbench." she smiled a tad boisterously, and Caitlyn returned the smile from above her mother's shoulder, unnoticed.

She couldn't believe Vi came to the banquet. Moreover, she couldn't believe it seemed like her best enforcer prepared for any sort of mean comment from Cassandra.

"Oh, of course not, although I'd be grateful if you refrained from approaching too many people around." she sipped from her glass, so did Vi. The difference in choosing the drinks was quite strong, same as the differences between their roots. Cassandra was savoring champagne, whereas Vi chose to treat her taste buds with finest whiskey in Piltover.

"No need to worry, councilor, I wasn't planning to." she admitted, shrugging, which visibly pissed the councilor off, though she couldn't display. "However I can't promise I wouldn't talk to anyone, since it would be impolite to refuse a conversation if anyone approaches me."

Cassandra mumbled something to herself, glowered at Caitlyn, threw her an angry "deal with this", and she just left them, going to the company she seemed to feel more comfortable with.

"That was… impressive." sheriff Kiramman admitted, but Vi just shrugged, downing the drink.

"f*ck me, cupcake, I lost more sanity than I'd loose being barred. How the hell are you able to live here and keep up that straight face? It's like taking a spitting head on, and pretending all the time it's raining."

"Ah, well, after some time you just get used to it." Caitlyn sighed, shaking her head, swirling her champagne. "But you played it very well with my mother. And… well, you look… ehm… handsome."

"You don't look bad either." Ace nodded, not commenting on the compliment. She didn't think it was anything apart from just a convention. After all, Kiramman was born and raised in places and on events like those. "But that's nothing new, of course."

"I was worried you wouldn't come around." she hesitated before saying it, but after talking to her mother Caitlyn decided that speaking the truth was more important to her than trying to keep the mask glued to her face. "And that I'd…"

"...have to deal with all of them alone?" Vi scoffed, getting a quick refill of her drink. "I told you already, you shouldn't even need me here. If you show them you don't give two sh*ts about their opinion on you, you've already won."

"What if I don't have the courage to do so?"

"Then that's your problem, and maybe a small poke to actually do something with it. It's not like you can't change." she shrugged, sipping from her glass. That stuff was strong and way better than anything she had ever had a chance to try in Zaun.

Yet another difference dividing the cities, placing them in the rich-poor hierarchy.

"You say it as if it was so easy." She fixed her eyes on the bubbles in her glass, but Vi's icy irises didn't leave Caitlyn's face, observing her vigilantly all the time.

"Nothing's ever easy, sheriff." she sighed, raising her eyebrow, and her glass to her lips, tilting it, so the amber liquid washed them, leaving a glowy layer for a short time. "And especially not change. But tell you what; you can't change someone who doesn't want it. But if it's about you, and you'd want to make it different, nothing's standing in your way… but you, that is."

"Well, yes, maybe for someone…" she interrupted, realizing what she wanted to say. "Anyway, where did you get those?" she pointed at Vi's vest, mainly, but meant all her attire. "It's a great quality fabric."

Ace didn't even twitch, but the seed had been sown in her head. Caitlyn dodged the topic in the least subtle way possible. Of course she did, why would any of those rich Piltovans want to change anything? They weren't keen on changing the city, changing themselves would be even more in already too much to ask for. It was too comfy for them to be where they were, and do what they were doing to want to change.

Vi just knew those kinds of people. Too comfortable to make something better, because it will tilt their world. And even the smallest inconvenience was unacceptable. Such was Piltover.

And children of Zaun were starving and working their asses off. Such a nice painting they had, right? And her, instead of working, trying to find a way to make it easier for them, to take advantage of her position… she was attending some crappy banquet she didn't even want to be at, with a person she had mixed feelings for.

Sounded like a dream, didn't it?

"Found where I wouldn't expect it to find." she shrugged, getting another refill. "And for f*ck's sake, what do you want to make an impression of?"

"I don't want to…" she started, but some old guy came around, waving his half-full glass of wine, greeting them with jovial laughter.

"Sheriff Kiramman, what a nice surprise! I thought we won't be seeing you here tonight!"

"Mr. McCoy, how do you do? I wouldn't dare to miss it!" she joined him into the upbeat conversation, and Vi just clenched her fingers on the glass, trying to to look out of place.

"I've been following all of your pursuits in the press, and I have to admit it's admirable! Taming a convict to work for you? It's really something!" He raised his glass, cheering at her, but Caitlyn didn't move at all, feeling a drop of cold sweat swirling down her spine. Oh no.

Ace, hearing that just internally sighed. Well, here they go. She knew it would come up sooner than later, but she had a glimmer of hope it would come to the table later.

Foolish, wasn't she?

"And who could your charming companion be?" he tilted his head as if he wasn't really aware who she was. The enforcer saw Caitlyn's back stiffening, and she clearly had a hard time to think of anything to say.

"I'm an enforcer. Vi, sir. Pleased to meet you." fuchsia nodded, and when the guy reached out his hand for her to shake, she did it just as he wanted. Kiramman shivered. That would not end up well.

"Vi? I don't recall an enforcer named Vi." he frowned, scratching his chin. "You're new, aren't you?"

"Indeed, sir. You may have heard of me, most of the people call me Ace." She just dropped the bomb, and watched his face change colors faster than a kaleidoscope. First it was yellowish, then it turned red, then pale, and then she could have sold her soul that his skin had a slightly green undertone.

"A-Ace?" he swallowed, bravely (in his own head, probably) withstanding her slightly smiling eyes. He couldn't know if she was mocking him with them, or if she was genuinely happy. Something, however, was telling him the second option wasn't very likely to be true. "That… that couldn't be! Ahahaha, no, that's a very good joke, milady, you're way too well-behaved to be a redeemed criminal."

"Oh, sir…" she started, but Caitlyn caught her free hand, squeezing it beggingly.

"Don't do that."

"Make me." she hissed back, and then smiled at their interlocutor almost cordially. "I wouldn't say I'm redeemed, not yet, if ever, but I do enjoy working in the law enforcement. Quite entertaining, isn't it?"

"Well, I have heard of your crimes." he admitted, looking at her vigilantly, but without as much judgment as Vi would expect a Piltovan to have.

"Few haven't." Vi admitted, looking at him indifferently, and Caitlyn observed that conversation with anxiety peaking in her chest. That was exactly what she was afraid of. People judging Ace, talking to her like that, and Kiramman not being able to say anything, since she felt her mother's eyes on her all the time.

"You seem to be proud of them." he squinted his eyes, but Vi's face remained flat.

"Then you don't know how resocialization works, sir." she snorted bitterly. "Sheriff Kiramman didn't allow me on probation because I was boasting about how many people I've killed."

"And how many did you kill?" his eyes were carefully observing her all the time. She didn't flinch either.

"None, sir." Her tone was so sincere that the McCoy guy couldn't believe she might have been lying. His gaze slid to Caitlyn, who tried her hardest not to sweat like a pig in a pen waiting for the slaughter.

"Sheriff…?"

"That's true, sir." she confirmed, forcing her vocal chords not to tremble, and her voice not to break. "It's all Spade's doing."

"You're out there to catch her, right? On it?" he asked, again looking at Vi. She nodded.

"Of course. The trail is hot, but we can't provide any information, since it's an ongoing investigation." Vi felt like years before, playing with her brothers. Back there they were trying to make the other person yield under the overwhelming power of passive-aggressiveness. It seemed like a national sport in Piltover, so Ace decided to play it. She might not have such a high-class vocabulary as they would prefer her to have, but she could prove a very equal opponent.

"I've seen what you did for Piltover." he admitted, clearly conflicted on if he should despise her, or rather admire. "I have to admit I'm quite impressed."

"I'll assume it's a compliment, so I'd thank you for it, sir." she slightly bowed, pressing her glass to her chest while Caitlyn tried not to end this conversation right away, and then make Vi understand what she was playing with.

At the same time she really did enjoy her partner putting this guy in his place, and she didn't even think about using her fists, which would be the usual way she was taking care of things.

"Well, if only more of the criminals prove worthy of another chance, I think we'd be way better," he admitted. "After all, the vast knowledge of Zaun and the criminal minds is an advantage in fighting against them."

"You can say that, yes." Vi nodded, sipping from her glass. The conversation started boring her a bit, and she was getting annoyed because the whiskey decided not to have any sort of impact on her. At the same time she knew that those damned Pilties could make a beverage tasting the same as the whiskey, and yet having nothing of the percentage it should. After all, those people had no idea how to respect alcohol. "Excuse me, I will go for a refill. Sheriff, would you like some more?" she pointed at Caitlyn's glass, now empty, and she nodded.

"It would be lovely, thank you." She sent her a bit of a nervous smile, and Vi made her distance, leaving Kiramman and McCoy together, freeing herself from the unwanted company.

"So… she is from Zaun, right?" McCoy asked right away when fuchsia disappeared somewhere around the bar. Caitlyn confirmed with a nod. "It's unusual to see one so… well-behaving."

"Not every Zaunite is a savage, sir. It's usually due to the rough conditions on the streets, and brash upbringing that they manifest the way they do. Generalization was never anything good, and yet it's hard not to do that, it seems."

"You claim they're civilized?" he seemed somehow doubting, but she took over right away, keeping her personal opinions to herself, not to attack this idiot up front.

"What do you think, sir, looking at her?" she asked , giving him a chance. McCoy glanced at Vi who was talking peacefully with the bartender who happened to be a Zaunite as well, even though nobody really knew that. Nobody, except for Vi.

"Well, if I didn't know all that I do about her, I'd say she's a very civilized person. Not the kind I'd like to have around all the time, since it seems we wouldn't have many common topics to talk about, but from time to time, she'd be able to keep me entertained. Though, if you know what I mean, sheriff, she's not quite my type." he winked at her, and she felt queasy at once. Did she really just hear it? From a person that was, what, forty years older than her?!

"I don't think you'd be her type either, sir." she said, trying to push back the disgust she had for him at the moment. McCoy laughed cordially, as if it was nothing.

"Ah, nonsense, sheriff, who wouldn't want an affair with a rich and handsome man of my position?" he asked, and she fearfully noticed he was not joking.

Whoever has their brain in its right place. , she thought, swallowing, and discreetly looking in Vi's direction. She seemed to have quite a good time by the bar, now talking with the waitress as well, even though both of them knew the conversation would have to be brief, since she was working. However, Caitlyn couldn't blame Ace for escaping like that, McCoy was as two-faced as they came.

Also, she was the one who wouldn't want to have anything to do with people of his kind. She didn't answer his rather rhetorical question, not to provoke further discussion that could take them into uncharted waters which she would have to stir just to get rid of him.

"I have never bedded a criminal, left alone one of such a reputation as Ace." he admitted, as if he was really pondering the non-existent possibility. "That could be a completely new experience, don't you think?"

"I doubt if she'd be interested." Caitlyn hid her hands behind her back, so he couldn't see her fists setting on their own. What was that, really? Vi wasn't interested in anyone, it seemed, why was Kiramman worried so much? She proved she could take care of herself, didn't she? "In fact, she doesn't seem interested in anything apart from pursuing Spade."

"Ah, yes, a committed woman." He smiled dreamily, and Caitlyn needed to swallow again, not to allow her stomach's content to slide up her gullet as it was trying to do while he was talking. "I think I may take my chances. I don't believe she'd refuse me. Rejecting something like that is simply a waste."

"Caitlyn, it's so good to see you!" she heard the voice, and she felt relieved right away. With a smile on her face, she glanced at her father's radiant face. "McCoy, sir." he nodded, so did the guy. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. My dear, where's your plus one?" he asked, emphasizing the last three words so McCoy would understand there was nothing there for him.

"She insisted on bringing us a refill, father, but it seems the bartender's charm kept her there a bit longer than expected. Would you be so kind…?"

"Of course. I hope, Mr. McCoy, that you won't mind me keeping you company as my daughter seeks her partner?" he grinned, but Caitlyn pushed down the smile trying to get on her face the moment she saw the blush on their interlocutor's face. She nodded, excused herself, and just escaped, taking the chance before it decided to slip through her fingers.

"Vi, what's taking you so long?" she almost hissed, approaching the bar, greeting people on her way. Fuchsia glanced at her with weary eyes, swirling the amber liquid in her glass.

"That's Thieram." she pointed at the bartender who waved to her amicably. Kiramman nodded with a slight smile, but then her quizzical glance landed back at Ace. "The only friendly face in this rotting crowd."

"Friendly? What do you mean? What about me?" she asked before she thought what that could imply. Vi, however, didn't seem to give a damn about it.

"You're a topsider. So is your father." she shrugged, sipping from her glass, and smiling at the bartender who slid the glass with sparkling alcohol towards Caitlyn. She nodded in gratitude. "And believe, in terms of Pilties who don't want me dead or bedded here, that's about it."

"What do you mean?" Was it really possible she heard how the conversation with McCoy went?

"When you were keeping your old friend busy, I've got around ten to twelve threats that I'd be hanged as soon as Spade's in custody, fifteen veiled offers of more or less kinky sex, and let me mark that, at least five people came to me with both." she sighed, getting a compassionate look from Thieram. "I can't make a f*cking step around here not to bump at someone who wants or 'needs' to talk to me."

"And staying at the bar doesn't make her look better in their eyes, either." the bartender added, polishing one of the glasses. Caitlyn sighed as well, shaking her head.

"But at the same time this zone is the safest of them all." she said, waiting for confirmation she didn't really need. Both Zaunites nodded. "God, Vi, I'm so sorry."

"I told you it would be that way." She gave her a side glance, tilting the glass and scratching its side with her eyes following the wavy motion of her whiskey. "How is your evening, though?"

"As dull as it can be." she shrugged, sitting next to the enforcer, sipping from her glass. "People coming and going, accosting me, congratulating me on…"

"Taming a convict." Vi nodded, averting her gaze. Caitlyn swallowed, but didn't say anything. Both of them knew it was the only truth.

"I don't think like them. They can talk, I let them, but it's all they do. Most of them only talk, nobody acts. You're safe." she wanted to sound convincing, but the thing was, she wasn't sure herself. Vi snorted, downing the drink, the half melted ice cubes clanged at each other and the glass as she put it down on the bar.

"Do you want to prove to them you don't think like them, or you're just here to make me believe you, and then be like that lot, not doing sh*t?" she asked suddenly, startling Caitlyn at once. Kiramman swallowed, looking at her quizzically, but when she gave a quick glance to Thieram, he just shrugged, not sure what she had in mind.

Figures.

"What do you mean?"

"You tell me they only talk, but at the same time you don't do anything else than that, either. You nod, listening to them, giving them allowance to carry on with their bullsh*t, and then come around to just feed me the sh*t that you're different from them. I'm asking you: do you want to prove that, or are those just empty words I should believe the same way as I believe my sister she's gonna change?"

"I'd like to prove it, but how…?" She started, but Vi didn't allow her to finish. The orchestra started playing, of course it had to be an orchestra, Piltover was everything about being extra, so Vi stood up, reaching out her hand. Kiramman stared at it as if she was offering her the newest variant of Shimmer.

"Sheriff Kiramman, may I have this dance?"

Despite the surprise, Caitlyn acted automatically, placing her hand in Vi's. The enforcer pulled it closer, kissing it gently as her wraps brushed the sheriff's palm. She felt a blush spreading on her cheeks, but said nothing, as the way to the dancefloor was clear and waiting. Some of the people were already there. Cassandra Kiramman among them.

Caitlyn allowed Vi to lead her there, take her into a waltz, face to face, chest to chest, their bodies' warmth clashing as they swung slowly in the rhythm of the music. The whispers started circling among the gathered, both of them knew what they were about. A Zaunian criminal leading Piltovan sheriff into dance that was so intimate and close. Caitlyn wanted to hear what were they saying, but even if she was able to catch one or two words from time to time, she found it very hard to focus on, when she had Vi's icy eyes in front of her, looking at her with something Kiramman didn't believe she saw there before.

Softness. Softness and support. The firm, yet very gentle grip on her waist, even though Vi wasn't supposed to know how to dance. After all, Piltover always thought Zaunites were primitive, in terms of those kinds of entertainment especially. She could hear her mother hissing to someone, sounding like a wrathfully buzzing hive of Noxian hornets. Vi caught it as well, pulling Caitlyn a bit closer.

"If you at any moment feel bad about that, tell me, or just stop yourself. I don't wanna push your limits."

But Kiramman felt good and free. Her decision was to give Vi a second chance, and she hasn't regretted it since. Of course, the road was rocky, and they encountered a few bumps on the way, but all in all, they were working. They shouldn't, maybe, but they did.

And at that moment, in this dance, Caitlyn really felt like they worked more than fine. They were complementing each other the way nobody ever could. Caitlyn had worked in a lot of places, had a lot of partners, but none of them made her feel so right as Vi was.

"I've never felt better." she admitted, closing her lips to Vi's ear, making her slightly shiver, but she didn't show it anywhere. "I've never felt so right." she smiled as they swayed, provoking even more buzzing from the crowd. One look and it was more than obvious that they were the only couple on the dancefloor, the one that would probably be the talk of the town the next day.

"I'm glad to hear it." Ace relaxed significantly, smiling into Caitlyn's shoulder, as she was leading her still into the dance. It was coming to an end, but she decided to take the most of it. She didn't need to be liked, she knew she never would. But knowing Caitlyn had her back, that she agreed on the dance without hesitation, it was enough to keep her going.

Enough to believe she could mean something to the world again, and this time not in a bad way.

"Vi, I think I have to tell you something." the sheriff whispered to her ear, a gust of her warm breath making Vi shiver again. "After all we've been through, I thought that there wouldn't be a good moment for that, but… frock it. Vi, I… I think I'm in lo-"

Her sentence had been forcefully cut the moment she finally gathered enough courage to articulate it. The whole building shook under the impact of an underground explosion. The chandeliers swayed aggressively, and the guards started taking care of the evacuation. Vi and Caitlyn looked at each other, knowing there was no time. If something exploded underneath, there was a big chance it wasn't the only explosion that was supposed to happen.

Leaving the crowd to the guards, they barged outside through the backdoor, looking around. Vi took out her vest, knowing that if she had to fight, she wanted it to be in good shape after. Then she took Vander's gauntlets she decided to take with her, and leave somewhere around, just in case.

"Caitlyn!" they heard Tobias' voice from the door. They both looked there, and their eyes widened. He was carrying the shotgun.

"Dad?"

"Be safe, pleeeeeeeeeeeeease!'' The word had been forcefully prolonged by another tremor caused by an explosion. He looked at them both, and his eyes landed at Vi. "You too."

"Sure thing, sir." she nodded, sure as hell she wouldn't. He saw the vest, and took it, patting it as he laid it on his forearm.

"It's gonna be safe, I'll make sure of it. You'd find it after in your bedroom, Vi. Watch out for each other. You're now the hottest gossip around." he sighed, and when another tremor came, Vi tightened the last belt on Vander's gauntlets. Caitlyn reloaded her weapon, checking the aim. She nodded.

"Fastest way would be through a mine." Vi waved her gauntlet, running forward. She heard a sound of ripping fabric, and when she looked at Caitlyn she felt her face blushing as she saw Kiramman just plainly shortened her dress so she could run easily. "I know there are some around."

"Follow me." The sheriff nodded, taking the lead.

Chapter 42: Down the City

Chapter Text

"Do you really think…?" Caitlyn panted as they were running, but the flash of memories from previous patrols took over, and Vi realized where they were going. The entrance to the mine was nearby, she was sure of it. Kiramman still couldn't understand how her partner was able to even walk with that weight of the gauntlets, but Ace didn't give a sh*t, taking the lead. At this point the sheriff had the impression she should have stopped thinking about that particular thing every single time while seeing it, because it wasn’t bringing her any closer to the answer.

"I don't think right now, I need to make sure she's not gonna kill people." she admitted, taking a sharp turn.

"She's already killed, Vi."

"I meant MORE people, keep up, Cupcake, would you?" she clenched her hands inside the gauntlets. It wasn't the moment for fruitless squabble, but maybe Caitlyn had a different idea. “This sh*t could’ve been absolutely anything.”

“Any guesses?” She couldn’t help but ask, turning left, and following her enforcer. “Jinx? Silco? Dreadnought?”

“You know something I don’t, do you?” she asked, with the corner of her eye seeing that Caitlyn’s back tightened for a split of a second, so did her neck. “Yeah, that I thought. f*ck you all, Pilties. You always do sh*t the way other people regret.”

"What?!"

"You know I'm right." she spat to the side, not even looking at Caitlyn, still pushing forward. "So maybe it should be me to ask YOU what is your bet to find down there."

"I have no idea." she tried to sound surprised, but she was aware Vi was, indeed, right. She knew more than she told her. "Look, I…"

"Sheriff, need-to-know basis is a need-to-know basis. I don't need to be briefed to know how to smash faces." she panted, catching one of the broken rails on the closed sideway, and, with sparks flinting from under her gauntlets, started sliding down feeling the aggressive constant blowing of air as she did. Caitlyn, with a grunt, followed her, and a loud metal wheeze gave Vi the idea that she used her rifle as a rappel anchor.

Wonderful. Heckin' wonderful. , thought Caitlyn, tensing her arms' muscles while sliding on this insane ride down. Sometimes she really regretted she wanted to be a part of law enforcement, working 24/7, and even if having a break, not really having one, staying vigilant all the time… that was something she had in her heart. But she always thought she'd be working alone. And now Vi and her abrasiveness was NOT making anything easier.

She wondered if she was offended and if yes, would it affect her work? It wasn't like she knew much more than Vi. Dreadnought's roots, yes, she knew them, somehow, because she read about them. Of course Ace couldn't do that the same way, those files were classified, and she was as on the furthest side of the law enforcement as she possibly could, but… didn't they actually expect that?

Vi didn't comment on anything anymore, focusing on sliding down the mine, as they went into the roaring belly of the Zaunian beast. The more they were approaching the drop point, the more bellowing and weird noises they could hear. Caitlyn wondered what those sounds were, and as soon as they landed, she actually understood.

Cries and yelps for help. There was a commotion, and before she knew, Vi dashed to the very middle of it, dropping her gauntlets as she entered the crowd. Wounded people were the majority. A lot of rubble and debris of some machinery. Kiramman looked around, trying to find her enforcer, and there she was, already down on her knees, taking a wounded child on her hands, having two others gripping her shoulders, evacuating them right away to the entrance of the mine. It couldn't be far.

Caitlyn followed her, trying to help with first aid as much as she could, so when Vi was back, she could take the most suffering first. Sheriff started ordering people to evacuate with Vi, and years of training paid off; people listened. Or maybe it was because Vi was one of them? She wouldn't know, but at the same time that wasn't the most important thing to do at the moment. People needed help.

"How's the situation?" she asked when fuchsia was back for another person that couldn't make it on their own.

"The medics are outside already. I told them not to come inside, this sh*t can do the flap at any moment. It's not safe." she strained, carrying a wounded miner. Caitlyn took another person with her, but Vi took him on her other shoulder. "Stay with the ones still here."

"It would be faster…"

"Don't leave them alone. Please." she added after a moment, and Caitlyn nodded, seeing the desperate plea in her eyes. She cared about those people. And those were her people. It wasn't Kiramman's place to make that call.

She turned to the small group that remained, four people, and she smiled reassuringly, helping two of them up, letting them lean on her shoulders the moment she saw Vi on the horizon. Fuchsia took the remaining two, and they both evacuated the rest, helping them to the medics.

"What happened here?" she asked right after she made sure everyone was as safe as possible. She looked at the ones who didn't suffer that much from injuries.

"There was a quake, we thought it was just a routine, they happen all the time." One of the miners replied to her, sitting down on a pile of scrap metal. Cailtyn looked around.

She was there once, of course, she was in an even worse place than this, but it was still almost impossible for her to fathom that any people could live like that. Scraps, metal, danger everywhere. You got drunk and unlucky, and you'd end up impaled on the side of the walkway. And those people seemed completely at peace with it. She frowned, as Vi was questioning the survivors, trying to understand what had gone so wrong that Piltover and Zaun ended up on two different sides of the same scale. Where did Zaun go wrong if Piltover was always reaching out for progress?

Was it really at Zaun's expense?

"Yo, cupcake, you there?" she felt the poke and saw Vi waving her wrapped hands before her eyes. "Daydreaming much? Move, we have sh*t to do."

"What happened?"

"Good question. Quake, but harder. Seemed like it came from one of the side digs. I need to check it, and sorry, but I'm not leaving you here alone. You'd get yourself killed."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Caitlyn murmured, averting her gaze as they entered the mine again, and Vi found her gauntlets. It's not like she didn't remember where she left them, though.

"It's not about a vote of confidence. It's about how you look at the surroundings. Even if you don't want to show it, your eyes say everything. I know what you're thinking." she admitted, looking around, trying to get any sort of orientation in the digsite.

"And what that may be?"

"Oh, come on, Cupcake, you're really gonna make me say that?" she snorted, heading into one of the corridors. Caitlyn rolled her eyes but followed.

"By all means."

"You wonder what went so wrong that Zaun ended up like this when the topside is so filthily rich." Fuchsia shrugged, and Caitlyn felt like she was slapped. How could Vi know so well?! How was that possible?! "You see how it looks down here, and you can see it all, the ugly truth. Drunk people, poor people, sick people, beggars, miners, unemployed. All mixed, all constantly in danger of death in a hundred different ways."

"How…?"

"Because that's what a rich person would think. But you know, what went wrong?" she turned to her, and Caitlyn abruptly stopped not to bump into her companion. "Piltover went wrong."

"I don't…" she started, but an enormous rumble shook the whole perimeter, and both of them were sure it wasn't only the mine that was in danger of falling apart. The thing was, they were the only ones still inside.

A huge boulder detached from the ceiling and Vi rammed into Caitlyn, sweeping her from her feet, as they rolled on the graveled ground, painfully bumping the rocks, but it was still the safest option. Fuchsia punched two smaller falling boulders, throwing them to the wall, where they cracked into parts.

"Go find Ekko. Ask him to lead you to the factory plant." she panted, looking around.

"And you?"

"I will find the source of the tremors. No f*cking way they're natural." she coughed, getting rid of the dust that swirled in her nose.

Caitlyn looked around, terror in her eyes. The lights were dim, a few lanterns were broken, deeming them unusable. There was no way she would leave Vi there all alone.

"Not a damn chance."

"I'm not asking for permission. And I don't need assistance. This is my turf. I know it best." she snarled, giving Caitlyn a side glance that turned her blood into liquid ice. "And you have your sh*t to do, too. I'm gonna check here. You go find Ekko. He's usually somewhere around Jericho's. Big sign, hard to miss. Tell him to take you to the factory plant. I'll meet you guys there."

Caitlyn wanted to yell at her to stop being always such a soloist, as she observed Vi tightening the straps of her gauntlets. They were dented, she could see it even in this crappy light, they seemed like they wouldn't hold for much longer. Caitlyn at least had the rifle she got from the riflemaker, the rifle she renovated after years of usage. It was a weapon of good quality, made from finest materials. And Vi's gauntlets seemed like she scrapped them from a landfill. She wanted to slap the enforcer, tell her they were the team, that they were supposed to trust each other and work together, but…

"What do I tell him if he asks why?"

"Tell him I'm in the mines and I ask for him not to ask, for the sake of old friendship." she said, cracking the cartilages in her neck. "No time to waste. See you soon, Cupcake."

And she dived to the side corridor. Caitlyn wanted to f*ck it all, dash after her, but yet another tremor detached a giant boulder from the ceiling once more, blocking the path for good.

"Bollocks." she cussed, looking around and heading to the entrance. "You better be there when you need to be, Vi, or I will find you myself and bring you to justice."

Chapter 43: I'm on the case

Chapter Text

She barely stepped outside the mine, and right away she felt overwhelmed. It wasn't her place, and the only person that should be with her at that time was risking her life in an environment that could get her killed in less than two seconds. She wasn't feeling sorry because she was feeling uncomfortable in Zaun. She was worried, and as much as she didn't want to admit it, she knew she was worried not only because Vi charged into a grave risk, and it was already happening for the third time since they started working together.

Caitlyn was worried because she felt she cared for that Zaunian scum way too much to still delude herself it was only professional. After all, she almost confessed to her while they were dancing at the banquet, but…

She sighed, looking around, trying to find the sign Vi was talking about. Jericho's, right? Nothing like that caught her eye, and she couldn't properly focus because of the thoughts swarming her head with the blackest scenarios. She didn't want her to die, she wanted her to get back in one piece. She remembered how it felt when she saw Vi so vulnerable and helpless on that infirmary bed, and she wouldn't wish to see her like that ever again. She wanted to make sure this one would not have to face hardship ever again… and to help make a difference, so Vi's people wouldn't either.

But at the moment all that had to wait. She needed to find Ekko, because without him she wouldn't be able to get to the factory plant, and asking random people around wasn't the best idea she could have had. She may have looked weird and out of place, but at least she was dusty and scruffy enough not many people cared. If it wasn't for the fact she didn't want to turn to violence, she'd probably get some clothes from random folks the same way Vi did back in the day.

But she was different from Vi. And she was the one to show the good way when it was lost, even if it seemed impossible at times. She never put much trust into violence, since she knew the display of it was bringing more and more brutality to the table. And some matters were better handled peacefully.

She headed forward, wherever it was, really, to find something she didn't know the location of. Any direction, however, seemed better than standing in one place, not doing anything, when Vi was down in the mine… god knows if still alive.

Bollocks, no, stop thinking that, for hell's sake., she reprimanded herself silently, knowing that fatalistic thoughts wouldn't make anything easier, and could even hinder any action she was in the middle of. She had a mission, the objective was clear: find Jericho's. She needed to trust that Vi was competent enough to move around the mine and not allow anything and anyone to kill her. She knew what she was doing, she was in her element.

Unlike Caitlyn. She circled the whole area, and the mentioned sign was nowhere to be found. She had no idea if Vi just missed a vital clue in her briefing, or she pulled a prank on Kiramman just to be able to escape and vanish into thin air. As much as Caitlyn knew her mother would prefer to believe the latter, she was almost sure it had to be the former. After all, fuchsia was too familiar with all the surroundings, she could just omit something she didn't think was important… and for her maybe it wasn't.

Trying not to appear too nervous or desperate, she started moving around, looking for any clue. She was a sheriff, for f*ck's sake! A detective, no less! She could figure this sh*te out, couldn't she? However, while she was trying to find some waypoints, she couldn't get rid of the impression Vi might have just planned to do that whenever the chance hit. Leaving her in an area she didn't know, among people who would make her regret being a Piltie, if they found out she was one… it could be a ploy, even if Vi didn't seem like a mastermind to her… or to anyone, really. But could she do that?

Caitlyn chastised herself right after the thought crossed her mind. Of course, trust issues were kicking in when Vi wasn't around, sure! She couldn't believe it was like that. It seemed like whenever fuchsia was around where Kiramman could see and keep an eye on her, everything was more than fine. But it took only Vi's disappearance to do something that could benefit Zaun, and Caitlyn grew suspicious. She didn't like it, feeling like that was something her mother incorporated in her a very long time ago. The vision that Zaun and its people equaled trouble and betrayal. She couldn't believe it was so deeply rooted in her.

She shook her head, trying to get rid of it. She couldn't, she shouldn't think like that. She was fighting for Vi to be respected in the precinct. She fought for her to be the enforcer, he was the one to say she was trustworthy. If she was to doubt her own words… what impact did they have?

"Jericho's." she murmured, looking around, frown on her face, trying not to attract any attention to herself. Her eyes wavering between the left and right side of the street she just entered, but there was no sign even resembling the one Vi mentioned. She huffed, annoyed, and then just accosted one of the passersby.

"Excuse me, Jericho's?" she asked, her eyes so deprived of will to live nobody questioned if she was a Zaunite or not at that point. The guy shrugged and pointed to the elevator with his thumb. Caitlyn nodded, passing by him, and glaring judgingly at the thing he showed her. It looked like a platform on a chain, and the whole construction seemed like it could just get her killed anytime. She swallowed hard, but she didn't really have any other choice. Vi was god knew where, and Ekko could bail from the food place any moment, if he was there at all. Yet another mystery she was almost sure was just some words.

Chastising herself for thoughts like those wasn't working, and she hated herself for that, but she couldn't just stop. Clenching her teeth, she caught the lever inside the elevator and pulled it, feeling the shaking as the whole construction rushed up. Caitlyn tried not to close her eyes, but it proved hard when the shaking intensified. An intense moment of praying for her life later, she finally ended up on the ground that allowed her to sigh with relief. She also noticed the air seemed to be a bit lighter and cleaner than the one down where she came from. With a frown she looked around, hoping to see the sign, and fortunately, there it was.

Big, indeed, as Vi said. Flashy and quite noticeable with the neon making the poor fish lose its head over and over again by the blade of a butcher knife. Caitlyn sighed, seeing that crude display on the streetfood stall mirroring Zaunian reality so well.

And there he was, leaning over the bowl, munching on something Kiramman probably didn't want to know the origin of, sitting on the high chair, with his mohawk of white dreadlocks. Ekko, in person. Absorbed with his food so much the outer world didn't seem to mean anything to him.

"Evening, Ekko." She decided to approach and start the business right away. There was no time to waste, Vi could've been dead or long gone from Zaun, running for her dear life towards Noxus or Demacia.

Or Bilgewater, if she wanted to be as cryptic as they came. On her way to Shadow Isles probably never to be found again.

The Zaunite glanced at her and choked on his food as he recognized her face under layers of dirt, soot, and probably blood.

"Caitlyn? What the hell are you doing here?" he went back to hovering over his bowl, holding onto it for dear life, as Kiramman sat next to him, trying not to look at the food. For her palate anything from down here would be pure heresy. It looked at least repulsive, but she decided to keep her opinions for herself, since the big fishy guy behind the counter was slicing and dicing using the butcher knife like a pro. She didn't want to see if her arteries would open as willingly and quickly as the fish he was preparing at the moment.

"Vi told me to find you." she admitted, trying not to look at the grill that held something resembling tentacles on toothpicks. "She wanted me to ask you to take me to the factory plant."

"And where is she?" he looked around, as if he expected to see his friend somewhere around. Caitlyn shook her head.

"In the mine. Didn't you feel the tremor?"

"Not that easy on the upper levels." he shrugged. "But now that you mention it, yeah, something actually shook around. That your doing?"

"Hell if I know. And hell if I know what's Vi planning, but that's probably why she told me to find you." she groaned, tapping the counter's surface impatiently. "We need to move."

"Yo, easy, sweetheart." he snorted, shaking his head and slurping something Caitlyn didn't want to know what was. "You're not from around here, so maybe you don't know that, but the thing you have respect for down here are people who can f*ck your ass, medics, and food. It's my dinner time, and I ain't gonna move it, because you need to. Didn't I help you enough already?"

"It's not like I wouldn't prefer to be with Vi wherever she's now." grumbled Caitlyn more to herself than to him, actually. "Yes, you did, Ekko, and I can't thank you enough for your hospitality. But thing is, we need you now, and Vi explicitly told me to find you." she leaned towards him, almost hissing. "And you're here, not really giving a sh*t, eating slop."

"Respect my food time, and I will respect yours." he shrugged, slurping the remains of soup or something from his bowl. Then he put it down, knocked in the counter and waited for the cook to get to him. "Once more the same."

"Ekko…" Kiramman didn't know if she had enough willpower in her not to want to kill him if he decided to down another bowl. People's lives were at stake, shadow of threat that was Dreadnought's name out there loomed over them all, and he was choosing to sod it all, because his Zaunian stomach needed its calories? What the heck!

"To go, Jericho." he sighed, shaking his head. "Toss some springies. Vi would kill for them." The cook cleared his throat and growled something unintelligible, but started working the order right away. Ekko glanced at Caitlyn without much friendliness, and when he finally got the package and tossed some coin, he stood up, taking the food. "There. Happy?"

"Relatively."

"Let's go." he rolled his eyes, heading somewhere. At this point Caitlyn knew she had to trust him he wouldn't try to play her. "What's the rush, though? Some fire in the hole?"

"I hope not." she cleared her throat, looking around as if she was just waiting for someone to just jump on her and start beating her up. "We're trying to prevent it, if that was the case."

"What happened then?" he was walking quite fast, getting them out of the trade center of the city. "And what's with the attire?"

She sighed. There it went.

"We were on a banquet, and something exploded. Tremor was strong enough for us to feel it, so we decided with Vi to investigate."

"Banquet, huh? You sure have fun life topside."

"If you think those banquets are for fun, Ekko, I don't know if to congratulate your innocence, or pity your naiveté." she said, looking at his surprised face when he glanced at her briefly. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not a partier. I'm a person of action."

"And yet you allow sh*t to happen down here." he snorted humorlessly. "Even to your own officers."

"It wasn't my decision." she drawled, having Vi's beaten up face right before her eyes, and that memory was nowhere near the nice ones she might have had. Patching those wounds was painful even for Caitlyn herself, and she had never received beating like that. Heck, she barely received any. Perks of being an excellent shot, not a contact fighter.

"Sure." He dismissed the topic as if he wanted to give her the idea she could think whatever she liked, but he knew what he knew. She didn't intend to change it. She wanted to make a difference, not only talk about it.

"You know not everything in Zaun happens because of Piltover, right?" she asked after a while when they finally left the center, and gotten somewhere closer to the suburbs. Even then she needed to admit that Zaun itself looked like outskirts anyway after she spend almost her whole life in a place like Piltover.

"Tell that to chembarons who f*cked us over catching chances given by the Pilties." he snorted, shaking his head. "Look, I get it, you're trying to be okay or stuff, but you don't know half the sh*t you're talking about. Appreciate the will, but seriously, don't make an idiot outta yourself."

"What do you mean?" she frowned. Vi's words mentioned something similar. What the hell were they on about? "What happened here that it went to bloody mess when Piltover went to progress?"

"Exactly that. Piltover's progress happened." he shrugged, waving his hand to keep her attention while following.

"All of Zaunites are like that?"

"Like what." he's gotten defensive at once, and she sighed, shaking her head. It was so hard to understand why all of them had that mentality, as if every single question was meant to attack them in some way.

"Like when people ask 'what happened', all of you just say 'Piltover happened' or 'topside progress happened' and think it takes care of it all?"

"You don't know?"

"If I did, I wouldn't be asking." she huffed, annoyed. "But i have to admit it's kind of hard to believe you do at this point, since none of us was even alive when it was supposed to happen, right?"

"Come here. Look." he caught her sleeve without warning, pulling her behind him. She couldn't do much but follow, descending into something she wasn't sure she'd live to tell about afterwards. "Can you see it well enough?" the last word he said with mockery uncalled for, but she paid no mind, given what she had before her eyes.

The picture that opened with its vastness was a quite a big crack of a canal conducting water so filthy Caitlyn was almost sure dipping one toe in it would end up in developing another set of them. The smell wasn't really alluring, but, surprisingly, it wasn't even that bad. She observed several points over the 'river' occupied by some workers wearing masks, so she assumed they were responsible for the worst tasks there.

"My dear god." she swallowed, trying to understand what occurred. Ekko snorted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, can you imagine that before your 'progress' this river was crystal clear? f*cking Piltover decided that throwing away their toxic waste would do no harm and go just fine with our business. And while the topside has better filtering, we entertain our dates by playing I found the biggest dead fish in the tank ." He was far from being satisfied or anything. Cailtyn was even further from understanding her own city, but at the moment she could understand why Zaunites hated Piltovans so much… if anything Ekko said was true. "After that the wastes took over and with the temperature, started polluting the air. Perforations in the rock walls did their job as well. Along with the mines it made us end up where we are now. And that's NOT a good place."

"I had no idea." Caitlyn sighed, shaking her head. The view was even more painful if she imagined the river was clean and without the industrial posts that were supposed to make the job for those workers there easier. The landscape was really nice; long, grassy shore, tree formations here and there, blue sky and a small waterfall nearby… all polluted and dirtied by the rich of Piltover. Back in the day it must have been a place where a lot of people were spending their free time at.

Bollocks, it looked like a place she'd gladly take Vi to… or any other person. Because she wouldn't take her enforcer there, would she? No. Vi wouldn't give it even one thought before declining, so what was the point in thinking about it?

"Figures." Ekko shrugged, rolling his eyes and waving at her so she followed him when they went back on track, heading to the factory plant. "At first we tried to fight with Piltover to stop wasting our resources, but they didn't give a f*ck. Then Poingdestres made an union with Finn, but he was just f*cked in the head, so they turned on him, making their own industry, cooperating with that Glasc chick for a moment, but now you can't really hear about them anymore, whatever the reason." he cleared his throat, sliding down a slope, so they could reach lower levels from outside Zaun's center.

"Poingdestres…?" Caitlyn frowned, wondering where she heard that name before. It seemed so familiar, yet she couldn't quite place it anywhere.

"Yeah. sh*t went down because of them, since they decided to just make money out of that pollution, crushing the population under their heel, getting a monopoly on meds supposedly helping with side effects of the wastes. Bullsh*t, that's what I call it, anyway."

"If they were so important, how don't you know anything about them anymore? They disappeared? Died? Descended into shadows to ploy?"

"It's so visible you're a Piltie, for f*ck's sake." he chuckled, but it was quite chilly. "Such melodrama in words when the answer is so easy. Nobody knows. They were on top, and one day they just disappeared."

"But you need to know something about them?" she insisted, feeling that if she got some information, maybe she'd be able to recall where she heard or saw that name. Ekko huffed, shaking his head, but didn't make any comment on her persistence.

"Look, Caitlyn, the only thing I know is that they were a family with a lot of connections. The Factorywood here? It was their turf. That's why it's deserted now. They had forges, laboratories, who the f*ck know what else. Everything looked normal, like it usually does around Zaun. The parents disappeared, the only thing we knew was that the twins were going around Zaun stirring sh*t. And there was supposedly another person in that family, a sister of those twins. Stupid legend says she actually moved to Piltover to hang out with them. I call bullsh*t; none of us would do that voluntarily."

"Do you remember Vi?" she reminded him carefully, but he just snorted, shaking his head.

"If 'voluntarily' means 'having a choice between gallows and work for the enemy' in your dictionary then we should really stop talking before I lead you to the edge and kick down the cliff to the toxic water." he admitted, and Caitlyn swallowed, realizing he could be on it as they spoke. She didn't know Zaun. She had no idea where they were going. What if he was leading her to her demise, and she was naïve enough not to suspect anything?

Bloody hell.

"It doesn't. But she doesn't seem unhappy with what she has now, either."

"Being a Zaunite teaches you some things, you know? Like, for one, that adapting to sh*t is better than death. Survival is superior to anything else."

"Figures." Cailtyn mumbled, shaking her head. "Wait. You said that one Poingdestre went to Piltover?"

"Are you even listening? That's a f*cking urban legend. No Zaunite would go…"

"What if?" she cut in, and he glanced at her with disbelief. Did she really believe that sh*t, was she for real, or maybe she was just messing around?

Judging from her face, he would have to say she believed, but then again, she was a Piltie, and a sheriff no less. They were two faced by design.

"Then what's another traitor to you?" he shrugged, descending even lower than she thought they would have to go. She followed nevertheless, but felt the sudden change in density of the air. Breathing became somehow harder for her out of the whack. "What, feel the fumes?" he snickered, hearing her coughing as she tried to catch a deep breath.

"Oh god, I didn't think it was that bad." she admitted, catching the air, feeling like she was almost underwater.

"The lower you get, the worse it is." he cleared his throat, Caitlyn noticed he didn't have any problem with breathing. A moment later she felt a hit, and then something clanged by her feet.

A gas mask.

She took it without a second thought, desperately pressing it to her face as the filters whirred clearing out the toxic fumes from the air inside it. After a couple of seconds she could take a deeper breath without feeling like she was inhaling sand.

They finally made it to the factory plant, and Caitlyn stood on one of the pipes, following Ekko. He sat down, with his legs swinging over the edge, looking all over the place. She sat next to him, noticing one ring of light in the whole shroud of darkness veiling that place.

"What's that?" she asked, and Ekko snorted.

"That's the only light you'd get to see around here if you don't get inside the building." he straightened her back, and then casually lied down, as if he was on a beach. "Even though it's supposed to be abandoned, all folks know sh*t happens there anyway."

"And nobody does anything with that?" she raised her eyebrow, wondering what the hell was wrong with this city.

"Why? It's not like it'll f*ck us more than we already are. Also, it doesn't do sh*t to us. If it's abandoned, it might as well be used, right?"

"I guess." she shrugged, abandoning the topic, since she knew she wasn't really the best partner to carry it. Her eyes stopped at the etching on the pipe illuminated by the halo of light sent by the object she couldn't identify. And she recognized the symbol. With a hard swallow, she poked her companion. "Ekko, what's that?"

"That sh*t? That's Poingdestre's crest. Why?"

She swallowed even harder, feeling cold sweat running down her spine, as she realized why she recognized it. The last puzzle of the whole picture finally jumped into its place, and she felt dizzy at once when she realized.

Poingdestres did have another daughter. And the urban legend, as Ekko called it, wasn't a legend at all. In fact, she would know that woman personally if what she thought was true.

And hell on earth, she'd prefer it wouldn't.

Chapter 44: Punch first, ask questions while punching

Chapter Text

The tremors seemed to calm down as she proceeded through the mine looking for anything that would tell her it wasn't her sister. Or something that'd tell her it indeed might have been Jinx. It's been some time already since they stood against each other, but Vi wasn't sure if she was ready to face her sister again after what happened.

She was angry with herself because of that thought. 'Not ready', pffft. What was that even supposed to mean? She's been through some sh*t during her life and being on the brink of death was hardly a stretch. Or was it?

Nah, she knew Jinx was batsh*t crazy after what she was pulling while they rolled together. She saw how her sister behaved when she and Sevika tried to capture Caitlyn outside Piltover. She was unhinged, way more than Vi remembered. Rigging the mine in Zaun started to be a perfectly stable plan if she thought about it.

Wonderful, another addition to the long list of charges waiting for her to come and be hanged for. Amazing. That was what Vi always dreamed of, having her sister executed for her own f*cking stupidity.

She pushed all those thoughts away, following a trial of crumbled rocks on the ground, trying to find anything. She was an enforcer now, and even if she couldn't care less about Pilties, she did care about Zaunites. Those were her people. And the threat in the mine was a threat to their workers.

She proceeded through the mine knowing that Zaun didn't have many working perspectives apart from it. What did they have? Brothels. Shady bars. And mines. Everything else was just reserved for Piltovans who really liked to fester their city with their enforcers at a time.

"Way to go, Vi." she grumbled, slamming her hand to the wall and following it almost in darkness. "Now you're the enforcer festering Zaun. You proud of yourself?"

She didn't reply to her own question, knowing it didn't make sense. She was from there, and coming back as a representative of the law force was both a chance, and a betrayal. Such a sad thing she felt more of the latter most of the time.

"Where the f*ck did you…" she mumbled, tracing the wall with her fingers. "A-HA!"

It was hardly a squeak of joy, but the moment her fingers felt the wires, she knew she was going the right direction. At the same time she knew Jinx probably prepared something f*cked up, again. There was never a moment of peace with this one, unfortunately. And lately not even in a good way.

Following the rigging, she wondered how much she actually missed her sister… and of course, there were things she did miss. Their time together, just having fun or simply not talking to each other, but existing in the same space. The empowerment she felt every time she could stand and defend her little sister. The pride filling her chest every time Jinx invented something that worked and helped them in whatever endeavor they were pursuing at the moment. Sure, she missed her sister, but she missed her little sister, not the… not the monster she created.

“It's always my f*cking fault.” she growled, feeling her hand bumping at a very sharp piece of rock. A short, stinging pain crossed Vi's palm, followed by a very slight trickle, and fuchsia already knew she must've cut her skin. One or two waves of her hand, and she decided she was as good as new. Ah, hell, she got a damned concussion in Zaun, and now she would cry because of a bit of blood? Puh-lease, she ain't a puss.

She felt the wires again, and the corridor finally took a turn. Vi followed it, clenching her teeth, and cursing at herself for not taking a damned flashlight with her. She was just praying for the wires at some point not to lead her to the mine's generator, because she'd never forgive herself that level of stupidity. Her fingers met something metal, and she felt a short, yet quite intense zapping going through her body.

With a loud hiss, she jumped back, or maybe it'd be rather more fitting to say she had been ejected from the place she was standing on, and her back slammed, quite painfully, against the wall on the other side. With a loud groan she slid down, trying to regain functionality, feeling as if she got a short circuit. She managed to catch a breath, even if a very shallow one, and she clenched her eyelids, trying to force her limbs to move according to her wishes. It took some time, but finally she managed.

With a grunt she propped herself up, using the wall as something to lean on, and she swallowed, noticing her mouth was as dry as if she was eating sand for past hours. Her head still slightly spinning, her hands shaking. The one still with the gauntlet seemed almost limp at the moment, her legs wiggly and totally not bastions of balance.

“Come oooon.” she snarled at herself, trying to force her body into obedience. The current must have been strong, it wasn't her first encounter with electrocution, but it felt a bit different from what she knew.

Vi finally managed to convince her nerves to work as they should, and came closer to the box again, but stayed in a safe range, so to speak. There was no light source, lamps, if there were any, were, most likely, brought here by the miners, and they moved with them. She frowned, but then she reached into her pocket, taking out the lighter. Okay, maybe it wasn't much, but better that than turning into a fried chicken. Especially that she knew she left Caitlyn in Zaun. Fine, the sheriff wasn't alone, but if Ekko was to be trusted, and he was, of course, Kiramman would be now in the depths of this sh*thole with him. However much she trusted her friend, Vi wouldn't want to make Caitlyn stay in Zaun more than she had to. In fact, if she could, she wouldn't want her to visit that place at all. It wasn't the best option for someone radiating Piltover's energy.

She gave a quick glance around to see, in the very dim and flimsy light, if there were no explosives in the vicinity. Just now she realized how stupid her idea was; if there were any, she would have probably just been blown up along with half of this damned mine. Luckily for her, she didn't spot anything out of normal… but then again, the light was barely able to show her anything more than her hand holding the lighter. She hovered over the box that zapped her, and raised her eyebrow. Of course, chalk. Jinx had to be here, there was no discussion on that, but… why the hell did she rig the whole place? Why would she want to target her own hometown?

Fine, maybe she wasn't much of a local patriot. If she was any patriot at all.

Vi carefully moved, following the wires, trying not to extinguish the flame, since any stray spark could cause a blast. After all, she wasn't sure where the explosives were, even though she was fairly certain they were around somewhere. They had to be if it was Jinx, and not a f*cked up imposter.

Her hand carefully slid by the wall, feeling the wires. This time she was more careful, avoiding zapping as much as she could. When she saw the wires hanging from the wall, tucked by stones, she closed her lighter. The air was heavy as it was, she didn't need to feel anything more to know when she was around explosives. They had to be close.

And they were. Not that much further, Vi's fingers stumbled upon a crack in the wall. She was blind at this point, but her fingertips had to suffice. She might have been a brute used to feeling with her fists, usually the bone structure of random people's faces, but she knew how to use the touch for something more than inflicting pain.

Funnily enough, she thought that maybe Caitlyn would be a person who could appreciate that.

She shook her head, not believing something like that sprouted in her head in the middle of what she was in. Not that she'd expect it to sprout at any point, but somehow she wasn't that surprised.

“Whatthef*ckever.” she snarled at herself, trying to feel if there was anything behind the crack, or her sister just used one as a decoy. Considering the fact Jinx was no idiot, it might have been the case.

And hell, it was. Vi sighed, although without a surprise. She expected nothing less. Her eyes wandered up and to the sides, as she made sure there was nothing she could see. The darkness still didn't give her much chance to spot anything around, but somehow something caught her eye. A spot seemingly brighter than the rest of the surrounding.

Upon coming closer, fuchsia shook her head disbelievingly. Come on, really? That was too easy, even for Jinx.

A part of the crack was smeared with something that resembled chalk residue, but Vi just slid her finger over it, and smelled, getting the idea of what it was right away.

Her sister's favorite glowing powder. One of the few things she could light up without making everything around explode. But it needed a helping spark… and exactly it at that. Vi bit her lower lip.

“f*ck.” she swallowed. If the explosives were somewhere close, one stray spark would light up not only the residue, but also the whole f*cking mine. It was like playing roulette against a gunslinger; they were so fast they could turn their wrist the moment the bullet was leaving the chamber. “f*ck my life, and f*ck you, Jinx. Jesus.” she gritted her teeth, feeling her heart pounding.

She looked around, and with the corner of her eye she caught a sight of a dim glow. With a frown she turned there, slowly and carefully approaching whatever that might have been. One sniff told her everything; it was fluorescent paint. Closer look at it, and she clenched her teeth, seeing it was the same one Jinx used for the Last Drop back in the day when Vander died.

“Damn you, Spade.” she gritted her teeth, briefly closing her eyes, trying to slow down the outrage she felt at the moment. Whatever might have been stirring inside her, there was something she needed to do first. And that paint could be of use.

She didn't have a flashlight, but nobody told her she couldn't use the paint as such. She spotted a piece of cloth, took it, and smeared the paint across the insides of her gauntlets; it was enough to actually light up the nook nearby, and…

“Holy f*ck.” she swallowed, seeing the amount of explosives lying around. It wasn't good. And even worse was the fact it seemed sloppy at best. The first thought Vi had was that her sister left that here as a decoy. “f*ck.”

There was not much to do, she knew she needed to get rid of those. As sloppy as the work was, truth was merciless; one of the explosive canes was able to blast through two corridors in the mine. And there was a pile of them. A pile reaching to Vi's belt.

She started calculating the options she had, while looking around. Without much thought, she left the gauntlets nearby, putting her hands into the paint. The wraps soaked it like a sponge. She wiped her fingers, and used her wraps as a flashlight, looking for anything useful. Luckily, a few meters outside there were some wooden boxes left by the miners, probably leftovers after the dynamite they used.

She didn't think twice, catching them, and packing the explosives there, carefully checking every single cane of it. Some of them had some wiring, so Vi made sure they were harmless while landing in the box. With a sigh, she closed the containers, and looked around, trying to find a way to any sort of shaft. A quick round of scouting, now easier thanks to the paint, showed her a place that seemed like an abandoned corridor, ending up with a shaft. She frowned, looking down, but then she saw the sign calling for caution.

“Hazardous material disposal?” she snorted, raising one corner of her mouth. “Huh, happy day.”

And she pushed the boxes down there. There was a long moment of nothing, followed with a splash, and that allowed Vi to sigh in relief. If there was water, -and she wanted to believe it was water- those explosives were useless now. She hauled the next boxes she managed to fill, and all of them ended up the same - submerged. She grunted, straightening her back.

“Time to go.” she turned back, catching her gauntlets, getting closer to the entrance of the mine, and then taking a turn to follow it down.

She knew that some of those paths weren't to be forgotten.

Chapter 45: Belly of the beast

Chapter Text

The way was oddly calm and silent. There were no tremors, not even a slight roaring like she was used to hearing around the mines. Vi wasn't sure if she should be happy, or rather even more cautious. She needed to find the elevator -or whatever the hell was left of it anyway- and then just get down around two levels or so to get out where the plant was.

Finding the plant itself wouldn't be any sort of a challenge, since the whole building was big, and even if supposedly unused that much lately, some neons around should still be working.

Vi sighed, shaking her head. She wasn't there for such a long time. It was, of course, possible that a lot of things had changed. If not everything.

Not waiting too long for a stroke of good luck, she found the elevator and, as she suspected, it turned out to be out of order.

“So this part was shut down. Mhh, good to know.” she sighed, taking a look at the possibilities, and choosing the same way as she did while coming from the mine up close to Piltover.

* * *

“You okay? You look like you saw a ghost.” Ekko grounded Caitlyn by waving his hand in front of her face. It startled her, but at the same time brought her back to earth… or the Undercity.

“Yes, yes, I'm all right.” she swallowed, looking around. “You think Vi knows the way?”

“Yeah, she does.” he shrugged, stretching. “We've been hanging around here from the moment we could walk without colliding with anything.”

“Doesn't seem particularly safe…”

“We're in Zaun.”

“Touché.” she sighed, defeated. She should have remembered that Zaun wasn't anywhere near Piltover when it came to taking care of children. Or so she thought. “Vi, where are you?” she asked into the ether, raising her eyes, as if she thought fuchsia was somewhere there. Alas, no response.

“She knows her way around here, no worries.” Ekko gave her a side glance, but didn't move, still sitting on one of the higher pipes. “She sometimes takes her sweet time, but she usually shows up.”

“Oh, tell me about it.” Caitlyn rolled her eyes, knowing it better than anyone else in Piltover. On the other hand, she didn't mind that much… maybe there was some charm to that, however now… “I just hope nothing happened to her. She went into the mines, and the seismic activity there, whether natural or artificial, wasn't very promising.”

“Very fancy words for saying she may be f*cked.” he snorted, shaking his head. “Look, she ain't a first timer here, okay? She'll be fine. Give her ten minutes more, and she should be here.”

“How can you be so sure? After what happened last time…”

“Last time some idiot told her to wear a uniform. And she -as the idiot she is- complied to that.”

“Not that she protested that much…” Caitlyn mumbled, but she was aware that it wasn't the case. Vi had her hands tied; she either did what she was told, or she was out to Stillwater. Considering the situation that had been developing recently, Kiramman couldn't really blame her partner for not wanting to go back there when her sister was rampaging around, wreaking havoc in Piltover and Zaun alike. The head of the council, however, even knowing both the stakes and circ*mstances, wasn't making anything easier.

“Didn't seem like she wanted to put it on, though. At least to me.” he shrugged, releasing a heavy sigh. “I mean, maybe I'm wrong, but she isn't happy with this whole business you're having.”

“I wouldn't be either.” she admitted. “She's waiting for a partial pardon. There's nothing better she can get, at least she wouldn't have to go back to Stillwater.”

“Have you seen her?” he raised his eyebrow, looking at Caitlyn almost mockingly. She returned his gaze, though there was confusion in her eyes.

“More than you, at least recently, I dare to assume.” she nodded, and he snorted, but in that sound there was no joy whatsoever. “Why?”

“She doesn't fit the uniform. She doesn't fit the topside.”

“She also has her own mouth and can speak for herself, Ekko. I didn't force her to become an enforcer, she agreed to be one. Fine, some decisions the head of the council made were pitiful, and I will not try to cover that fact. But whatever Vi does, for Piltover, for Zaun, is something she chose to do, not something that had been imposed on her.”

“You always try to use such a flowery language to beat around the bush, or is it only with us here?” he cleared his throat, looking at one of the neon signs. “Because, breaking news, it's not working.”

“Of course it's not, because you actually listen.” she scoffed, averting her gaze, and surprising her interlocutor. That discussion was dangerously going into places she would prefer it not to go. “I'm sorry, Ekko, but I don't really feel comfortable talking about Vi and her decisions in Piltover while not having her around. It's not mine to tell how she feels, if she fits or not.”

“But you need to have an opinion.”

“Oh, that I do.” she rolled her eyes, still not looking at him. “But my opinion is only mine, and I do not try to impose it on anyone else.”

“And what do you think of her there?” he insisted, even though he clearly saw she wasn't very keen on carrying on with that topic.

“She's my best enforcer, sometimes I have an impression she's an absolute unit. I can never be sure what she would do or how she would resolve a conflict at hand, but as I managed to get to know her a little, I can see she's not at all bad. And whatever you think, whatever she may think of her stay in Piltover, it still doesn't change the fact that she has worked hard, and for me being able to say I'd want her to be my deputy at full scale.”

“Excuse me?”

“Not that she'd accept that anyway.” Caitlyn shrugged, feeling a bit stupid saying that out loud, down in the trenches, wearing a hecking dress turned into something that might have resembled a harem pants, and a gas mask. Bollocks, it had to look so ridiculous. “So well, I think she's exactly where she should be, but that doesn't mean she thinks the same.”

“And you have no problem knowing she's a criminal?”

“She was, yes, but not everything stays the same all the time. She may have not made amends per se, but she did make Piltover safer. And she is a good person, who made wrong choices at some point in her life.”

“And you're all right with all that?” if he was able to raise his eyebrow even higher, it would get launched to the sky. Kiramman sighed, rolling her eyes again.

“Yes, because I am a grown up adult who doesn't need everyone to agree with me. Have your opinions, I'll have mine, and as long as we're civilized about it, I have nothing to say about either.” she waved her hand, but then froze for a moment, hearing something like… knocking?

In a metal tube?

“f*ck!” Vi slammed the pipe Ekko was chilling on, coughing, spreading clouds of soot and dust. “My goddamn f*cking god. Sorry for the delay.”

“I'm glad you made it, Vi.” The sheriff finally relaxed a bit, seeing a familiar face.

“Not that we needed you, we had a nice conversation.” he shrugged, but Kiramman didn't say anything. Vi just dismissed it all, looking around, dusting off her pants, and pulling out her gauntlets from the tube she fell from.

“Wonderful, you wanna take my spot?” she asked not even looking at him, and Ekko just sent Caitlyn a meaningful look. She clenched her teeth, but didn't react otherwise, and Vi didn't notice that subtle communication between two of her companions.

And even if she did… like hell it was her business.

“What do we have?” the sheriff asked, her eyes looking for the icy peace in the stormiest of irises. Vi grunted, scratching the back of her neck.

“Not much, to be honest.” she admitted after a moment of hesitation. “The mines were rigged as I thought, but this sh*t looked sloppy as f*ck.”

“I don't hear you saying it wasn't Jinx, though.” she crossed her arms over her chest, and Vi nodded confirmingly.

“It was her all right.” she sighed, crouching next to her, somewhere lower than Ekko was scooped. “Or at least it seems like her, but the whole thing was way lower than the standards Jinx has.”

“What do you mean?”

“How is it possible she's still alive? I saw her explode.” Ekko squinted his eyes, but Vi just rolled hers.

“Shimmer.” Vi shrugged.

“But that would imply…”

“Well, I'm glad you're able to add two to two, bro, now use that information to make a conclusion.”

Ekko's face went pale in a flash, but only for a brief moment. He then frowned, scratching his marked nose. “You wanna tell me she's a chembaron's dog?”

“Silco's, no less.” Vi nodded, provoking the Zaunite to choke on his own saliva.

“I knew Pilties were delusional, but I didn't know you were too.” he coughed, trying to catch his breath. “That's…”

“The only explanation. We overheard some cronies talking about Silco looking for me.” her face was as flat as it possibly could be. She looked way too unfazed for someone who should actually be afraid for her life if what she just shared with him was true. “So do your math, Ekko. You're not an idiot.”

“How would that even…?”

Caitlyn was opening her mouth to say something, but Vi barged into it, stopping her right there. “Does that f*cking matter? She's not the person she was before, she's a f*cking killing machine that threatens everyone, no matter if they're rich asses of Piltover, or us trenchers here in Zaun.” she snarled, looking at Ekko with eyes sparking anger. “Packed on Shimmer she's gonna kill us all and dance over our graves, and we can either do something to have a chance to fight back, or just stand here and act surprised, like my sister's madness is something out of ordinary.”

“I must admit I didn't expect you to say that about Powder.” Ekko glanced at her carefully, but Vi just signed, shaking her head, lifting her gauntlets.

“There's no Powder anymore, Ekko. She got lost when I went to Stillwater. Then she was gone, stepping aside for Jinx. And now even that's gone. All that's left is Spade.”

“You…”

“Jesus, enough.” she growled, and then just slid down the pipe, heading to the factory plant. “Move, we don't have a whole eternity.”

Ekko and Caitlyn shared a look, but they didn't say anything, following fuchsia down the road. The sheriff tried not to break anything, with the emphasis on the bones in her own body, as Ekko just followed Vi as it was his usual walking path.

“Touchy?” he tried when he reached his friend, but there was no answer. She glanced through the windows, but they were too dirty to reveal anything from inside, and way too few to hope maybe another one would be different. “Vi?”

“Don't.” she finally huffed, not even looking at him. “We have a job to do.”

“What job, exactly? And why am I here?”

“Yeah, that's a good question, Ekko, because I thought you'd just drop our sheriff off here, and be on your merry way. Either way, thank you for your help.”

“And?”

“And if you want out, you can go. If I live, I'll make sure you're gonna get your compensation.”

He rolled his eyes, observing Caitlyn landing somewhere near them, and approaching. Then he scoffed, shaking his head, but said nothing.

“May I ask why are we here?” Kiramman glanced at her enforcer quizzically, and Vi just sighed.

“That's the main place where Jinx always liked to get some of her fancy stuff.” she shrugged. “It's also rented by Silco, so I reckon maybe there's sh*t we can find on him as well.”

“Good thinking.” Caitlyn nodded with appreciation, and stepped forward, clenching her fingers on the rifle. “Lead the way.”

“Shouldn't you be like… a leader or sh*t?” Ekko glanced at her, but it was Vi who had Kiramman's back.

“She is, and a good one knows when to pass the leadership to someone else. She doesn't know Zaun at all, and she doesn't make a fuss over it.”

“I trust Vi.” she confirmed. “There's no time to waste, let's go.”

Ekko frowned, but remained silent, wondering if Caitlyn was originally from Piltover. Not a single person from there would allow a Zaunite to take the wheel at any moment. Something was weird… and how came Vi got her trust? Last time he checked…

Oh, hell no. His back tensed at once as the thought struck him. The moment she came around Zaun for Shimmer to help Vi. He should've understood back then already. She fancied his friend.

That was even more absurd than he thought it'd be.

“And you're okay with that?” he raised his eyebrow, but Vi just sent him a quizzical side glance spiced up with an angry spark.

“With what, being trusted?” she scoffed, looking around, assessing the surroundings. “I don't think that's something bad.”

“With being an enforcer.” he groaned, and fuchsia rolled her eyes, not believing it was actually happening now. “Like, choosing it and all?”

“I never chose it, Ekko.” Vi snarled, gritting her teeth. “It was either that, or not having a chance to talk to Jinx.”

“You said yourself Jinx is gone. What's keeping you there then?”

Caitlyn discreetly sent her enforcer a glance, but the only thing she could see was her broad shoulders and tense back. Kiramman never thought it would come to that, but at the moment she really hoped the answer could be her own name.

“Contract.” Vi crushed the hopes with one precise word thrown into the sheriff's heart like a harpoon. “I gave my word. And even if the circ*mstances changed, the arraignment didn't.”

“Gods, you even speak like them Pilties.” Ekko had to put a lot of willpower into not spitting under her shoes. She clenched her fists, but didn't say anything, leaving his frustration open and hanging. “Won't you say anything?”

“She fulfills her duty, and gets a pardon. That's the agreement we made.” Caitlyn decided to get into the conversation, since it went awry anyway, and they needed to focus. “Either way that doesn't matter now; as Vi said before, Jinx is a threat to both our cities. We don't have time for petty arguments. And if we don't act now, there's a high possibility that we won't even have an opportunity to argue, at all.”

“She's right.” Vi backed her up, and Ekko had to step back from the attack. He waved his hand, as if he wanted to just dismiss everything, but both women felt his disgust.

And Vi felt the same way, up to some extent.

“Wait.” Caitlyn stopped, frowning and looking around. “I heard something.”

“Did you try therapy?” Ekko snorted, but Vi just kicked him in the ankle. He hissed, but shut up.

In silence, they started looking around, slowly advancing by the building's walls to the entrance. The Zaunites didn't notice the sound Caitlyn spoke of at first, but the closer they were, the more obvious it became, buzzing like a whole nest of hornets.

“Oh my f*cking bitch.” drawled Vi, briefly closing her eyes. Ekko clenched his teeth, and sighed heavily.

“Leave it to me. Give me five, and then get in.” he pulled a small device, with one click turning it into a hoverboard. Then he placed his Firelight mask on his face, jumping on his vehicle.

“You sure?”

“Only if you come back to where you belong.” he glanced at her, and Vi sighed.

“After I'm done.” she clenched her fists, and he nodded.

“It's enough for me.”

He kicked the board, and boosted through the main door, causing a stir. A moment later something resembling a small army of constructs ran behind him, passing by Vi and Caitlyn hidden behind one of the bigger pipes around.

“You really want to go back?” Caitlyn whispered, and fuchsia just sighed.

“Wouldn't you? Zaun is my home. Only here I'm not an outsider with a dirty blood.” she mumbled more to herself than to her companion, but Kiramman heard it all right, and she felt the sting. “At least I was. And there's nothing keeping me in Piltover. No reason to stay.”

If a broken heart could be heard, they would hear a loud crack, as Caitlyn's snapped in half upon hearing it. She knew she shouldn't have hoped for anything, but the mixed signals sometimes were leaving too much of an open space for assumptions.

“Right.” she choked out eventually, observing the last bot leaving the building. “I can understand that, yes.”

“Come on, let's go.” Vi caught her wrist, surprisingly gently since she had the gauntlets on, and then she pulled Caitlyn inside as the door was closing. Moment later darkness surrounded them, and Kiramman swallowed.

“What's the plan?”

“Plan? I don't need a plan.” Vi snorted quietly, wiping the dust layer from her gauntlets to bring back the fluorescent paint she used before while in the mine. “At least we're not gonna go in blind.”

“I… did not expect that.” Caitlyn admitted, blinking in disbelief. Vi was proving extremely resourceful every time the sheriff thought there was no way to do so.

She followed the enforcer into the belly of the building, an eerily quiet building. After Ekko baited the bots, Kiramman was almost sure they'd have to put up with the guards of this place but it seemed there were none.

“It's too quiet to be true, innit?” she whispered, and Vi nodded, still looking around.

“Yeah. I guess it's either deserted, or something is happening deeper in.”

“Deeper?” the sheriff frowned, wondering. They were already quite deep underground, was that even possible the structure went even deeper? How?

“Yeah.” fuchsia sighed, catching one of the pipes, and sliding down, leaving a drilling, metallic sound in the air. Caitlyn clenched her teeth, but followed her without a comment. If they were supposed to be there incognito, she was fairly sure they weren't anymore.

What was her surprise when they landed in a small pipe room, alone, and without anyone around to be alarmed.

“I don't understand…” she started, but Vi put her finger over her mouth to shut her up. Kiramman slightly blushed, but pulled herself together right away. She heard it as well.

Metal clanging as if someone was hammering something. Voices murmuring words they couldn't distinguish. Fuchsia crouched by the door, pressing her ear to the surface, trying to catch something.

“He's here.” she stated eventually, straightening up. “Urgot's here, Cupcake. Somewhere in this complex.”

“We need to find him. It's…”

“Doesn't matter what it is. Bitch messes with Zaun, he gets the treatment.” Vi shrugged, clenching her hands inside the gauntlets, gripping them tight. “We go out, sheriff, you go look for some vantage point, and I will cover the low ground. Sound?”

“How can I know I'm going the good way?”

“Well, you know what stairs are, and you can spot a railing, can't you? I'm sure there's some sort of upper lab for experiments with the subjects on a lower level. You just need to find that place. You're not stupid, I believe in you.” she sighed, popping her vertebrates. “We'll see how that goes.”

She was about to bail, but Caitlyn caught her wrist for the last time, gently stopping her. “Vi, please. Be careful.”

Fuchsia snorted, shaking her head. “No promises, Cupcake.”