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“You’ll forgive me, but for such a smart man you can be incredibly stupid.”
“Hm?” Jayce blinked, his teacup rattling in his grip at Caitlyn’s rather rude interruption of his runaway train of thought. “What was that?”
“I was accusing you of stupidity,” Caitlyn repeated, setting her own cup down on its saucer. “You can’t just be testing these things without safeguards.”
“I have safeguards.”
“Gloves and a welder’s mask hardly count.”
He stared at her a moment, brow furrowing, eyes narrowing. “You’re a child.”
“I’m your assistant,” she corrected rather forcefully, straightening her already impeccable posture. “And my mother would have you hanged for the working conditions you subject me to.”
Jayce scoffed at that, polishing off another pastry. “Someday, when I have a lab aside from the apartment your parents so graciously provided me, I’ll…” he trailed off when he noticed he’d completely lost his companion’s attention. “Cait?”
“Yes, quite,” she responded with words that almost made sense.
Curious, Jayce turned his head, tracking her eyes over his shoulder to a flower shop beside the restaurant’s outdoor seating. Oh. “Uh, hold on a moment,” he paused their already waning conversation, rising from his seat and taking his coin purse with him. Their somewhat-political nearly-marriage was an odd one given their presently tenuous age gap, but surely, he could get the girl a bouquet of flowers.
Jayce cleared his throat as he approached the vendor, waiting for the teenaged girl in front of him to finish paying before requesting one of the display bouquets.
Cait’s cheeks were flushed upon his return, her smile bashful. Though she wasn’t looking at him, just quietly down at the hands neatly folded in her lap.
“Here,” he offered with a smile of his own, placing the flowers in front of her.
Seemingly confused, Cait raised a dark eyebrow. “What are these for?”
“For, um—,” huh. “—putting up with my unsafe working conditions.”
“Oh,” Cait’s head tilted curiously. “That’s kind of you. Though I’d prefer the situation simply be remedied.”
“How is it you’re 14 but can sound just like your mother?”
Cait kicked him in the shin below the table. “How is it you’re 24 but haven’t a braincell more than the Neanderthals I go to school with?”
Jayce laughed at that, tossing a few coins on the table as he gathered his coat. “Come on, we’ve still got a full day’s work ahead of us.”
“I’m supposed to be paying for this,” Cait reminded him.
“You are. This lunch was funded by your mother’s allowance on account of my brilliance.”
“At least one of us believes you’re brilliant,” Cait replied with a wry grin.
“Yes, the one with the pocketbook,” Jayce teased in return.
/
“Caitlyn, Jayce, I’d like to formally introduce you to my esteemed colleague, Councilor Medarda,” Councilor Kiramman announced with a flourish, indicating the legitimately breathtaking woman standing beside her. “Councilor Medarda, this is my daughter Caitlyn and our brilliant sponsor, Mr. Jayce Talis.”
“Charmed to meet you both,” the younger councilor smiled graciously, her features an absolute masterpiece of human anatomy. “Caitlyn, your mother tells me you took first place at the shooting club’s annual competition this weekend, over our very own Sheriff Grayson, if I’m not mistaken.”
Caitlyn did not, at all, appear ready for a response, her mouth opening and closing a few times before her words found sound.
“Yes, I—well, we—the Sheriff and I, I mean—I’m sorry,” Cait cut off her own stammering, awkwardly curtseying rather than attempting to finish her sentence. “I suppose I should bow when not in a skirt, I’m—,”
“Goodness, Caitlyn, it would seem all that gunpower is getting to your head,” Councilor Kiramman chuckled uncomfortably.
Jayce glanced over at Cait to find her face bright red, and based on the temperature of his own skin, he was sure he appeared similarly affected.
“So sorry,” Cait nearly whispered, ducking her head and avoiding Councilor Medarda’s gaze.
With a soft laugh, the woman turned her attention to Jayce. “And Mr. Talis…if the briefing materials I’ve received are correct, it would seem we’re on the precipice of a significant breakthrough with your technology.”
“We, uh—well, yes, we certainly could be if—well, there are a few pieces left in the, um—,” he wasn’t fairing much better than Caitlyn had. “Equations left to be solved, I mean. A few loose ends before we’re ready for a formal demonstration.”
“Of course,” she smiled at him again, warm but…dangerous. Knowing. All too seeing. “Well, if you’ll excuse us, Councilor Kiramman and I have an assembly to attend, but it was truly a pleasure meeting both of you. I’m sure our paths will cross again.”
“The pleasure is ours!” Caitlyn spoke up, having found her voice again, sounding oddly enthusiastic given her typical demeanor.
“Right, don’t let us keep you,” Jayce seconded, earning another quiet laugh from the gorgeous councilor as she turned her back.
Mrs. Kiramman shot them both a strange look before following her colleague into the assembly room.
Jayce waited until they were both gone to ask, “Are you feeling alright?”
“Are you?!”
/
“Caitlyn!” Jayce shouted across the quad, attempting to pull her attention away from the girl in front of her.
Evidently Caitlyn didn’t hear him because instead of turning around to acknowledge him, she took a step closer to the girl, shifting her books to one hand so that she could tuck a strand of blonde hair behind the girl’s ear.
He started at a jog towards her, finally near enough to hear their conversation when the girl said, “Don’t look now, but I think that’s Piltover’s Man of Progress here to sweep you off your feet.”
Cait scoffed in response, appearing unbothered by Jayce’s presence. Her voice softened when she asked, “Will I see you tonight?”
“I don’t think so, Kiramman. Seems like you’ve got your hands full.”
“Hey, Cait,” Jayce greeted again, close enough now to be sure she could hear him. “I had your mother’s office clear your afternoon; I have something to show you.”
She turned then, wearing something like embarrassment on her face. “My entire afternoon?”
“Yes,” Jayce beamed. “We’re playing hooky from that stuffy awards ceremony; I got your mother to agree witnessing a once in a lifetime scientific advancement takes precedent.”
Cait breathed out a chuckle, sounding suddenly relieved, not sparing a look back at the girl before taking his arm. “Let’s go then.”
/
“Caitlyn! Cait, you won’t believe what—,”
Shoving open the bedroom door had been a mistake. A big, massive, colossal mistake that Jayce wished, wished he could take back more than anything. He should have knocked. He should have knocked!
Cait’s moan died mid-way up her throat, eyes wrenching open, grip first clamping down harder in the other woman’s short hair before letting go completely, scrambling to pull the sheet over their naked bodies. “Jayce!” she exclaimed, skin flushed, chest heaving. “What are you doing in here?!”
“I’m, uh, you…” he trailed off, swallowing as the other woman—Vi. Of course—extracted herself from between Cait’s legs, back muscles rippling beneath her tattooed skin as she turned to sit up against the headboard.
“Morning, pretty boy,” Vi greeted, nonchalant. “I feel like doors are made for knocking.”
“I’m so sorry, it wasn’t my intention to—well I wasn’t expecting this when I—,”
“Deep breath, pretty boy,” Vi encouraged, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “What’s so urgent you had to—,”
“Yes, what’s so urgent you had to barge in here without notice?!” Cait demanded, having regained some semblance of her confidence.
Jayce was shaking his head. “No, really, it’s nothing. Nothing that can’t wait until you aren’t otherwise, um…occupied.”
“I’d actually prefer you just spit it out,” Vi decided. “Doubt we’ll be picking up where we left off.”
Cait rolled her eyes, grabbing a pillow and hitting Vi in the face with it before settling back against the headboard herself, arms crossed. “Out with it.”
“It’s, uh…” Jayce had never found Cait’s ceiling so interesting. “Well, it’s about Mel’s mom, she…I fear she’s becoming less diplomatic.”
“Who’s this?” Vi wondered.
“My girlfriend, Mel—,”
“Oh, the one who’s way out of your league?”
“I don’t—,”
“Vi, be nice,” Cait scolded. “…but yes. Anyway, carry on.”
“She’s becoming more aggressive towards neighboring regions and although we’re better equipped technologically, the Noxian forces are unparalleled in—,”
“Have you talked to Mel about this?” Vi cut him off to ask.
“I’ve…well, we’ve broached the subject once or twice…”
“And…?” Cait encouraged.
“And she says she has it under control.”
“What, you don’t trust her?”
“I do,” Jayce assured them. “I just…I have my doubts, I’ve met her mother and…I’m not sure anyone can truly have her under control.”
Vi nodded sagely, like he’d come for her advice rather than Caitlyn’s. “Sounds like you’re in a tough spot, man,” she agreed with a sigh. “I'll tell you what, give me another 15 minutes and I’ll send Sheriff Cupcake out there with a clear head.”
“Violet,” Cait swatted at her playfully, biting her lip to suppress a giggle. “I told you not to call me that.”
With a grin, Vi turned back to her, yanking Cait down on the bed and moving to hover over her. “And I told you—,”
“OK, message received, it’s clear I’m not wanted here,” Jayce announced, turning back to the door.
“Yeah, way to read the room, pretty boy."