Chapter Text
Vi unlocked Heimerdinger’s garden gate. It was early enough that Piltover’s ritzy residential district still slumbered. Vi trusted she would be hidden in shadow in her dark clothes these gray hours before dawn. She closed and locked the gate behind her and jogged across the grounds. Heimerdinger’s house was well-lit, as it remained at all hours, but she surprised Heimerdinger’s majordomo in the east wing. Not so used to company these days. The woman relaxed as soon as she recognized Vi.
“She still asleep, Trudy?”
“She’s started her day.”
Because Powder didn’t seem to sleep.
“In her room?”
Trudy nodded.
Powder’s ‘room’ was a domed theater with a half-glass ceiling that she could open to let in sunlight. She’d strung up a hammock as her bed and had a variety of cluttered tables, benches, and blackboards scattered around the room. The uncomfortable couch Vi used for intermittent overnight stays, watching her sister work or swing listlessly from the hammock above. Heimerdinger either didn’t care or decided not to fight the graffiti that Powder scrawled on the inside of the room.
Hell, one of the paintings within was a priceless original Liang that even Vi recognized. Powder had improved the iconic two-hundred year old portrait with a wide grin and fuzzy fluorescent green eyebrows. When he first saw it, Heimerdinger had sagged, but he regrouped to mutter that the man pictured would have enjoyed the joke. The only thing spared Powder’s artistry was a Valdiani music box Heimerdinger either gifted her or Powder snitched from another part of the house. Vi wasn’t sure Heimerdinger or Powder saw a distinction between the two situations anymore.
Vi’s knock when unanswered; she eased open the unlocked door and stopped in the doorway to survey the room. Powder had the window covered; the room was cloaked in darkness aside from the spotlight she had shining on whatever she was fiddling with. She nodded along with the music, pausing to sing the solo, using her pen as a microphone and bouncing her shoulders to the faster beat of the bridge.
The music wasn’t particularly loud on Powder’s terms, but it was brash and unpleasant, music that Vi had tolerated better as a kid. Now it made her skin itch; she shook off the sensation that skittered down her spine when she heard the clack of a cane in the pulsing beat. With care, Vi shut the door behind her firmly, which made Powder spin on her stool.
She lit up when she saw Vi.
Relief was abrupt. Sometimes it was a tossup if she’d earn a frown and nervous look away or a wide grin and immediate open approach. Today seemed like it was a good one, but good days could still have bad moments.
In all her impossible dreams in Stillwater, Vi hadn’t been able to picture her sister any older than she’d last seen her. Though Powder was different in ways she’d never guessed, some things had remained exactly as Vi remembered. Powder loved physical touch, even more than she used to, and now she nearly glided to Vi to wrap her up in a hug.
Not a good moment for a tight hug. Vi tried to prepare herself for her sister’s firm grip when she got close enough, but her brain and body had frustratingly decided after days of safety and soft touches to suddenly remember this kind of touch was a precursor for a choke or cane strike or knee to the gut. Vi flinched despite herself, then exhaled that fear, purposefully relaxing.
Caitlyn didn’t always predict Vi’s irregular response to physical intimacy, but she was always patient and careful. She handled Vi with kid gloves at times, and despite her frustration with herself, Vi knew she needed it. In contrast, Powder blundered through Vi’s flinch as always. She rested her chin on Vi’s chest and grinned up at her, achingly young in the moment.
The shadows under Powder’s eyes had faded, and the sharp edge of her cheekbones had softened. Today Vi could imagine she could see the flash of gray under the pink of Powder’s irises. Vi touched her cheek, which earned an achingly sweet snuggle. Then Powder pulled away and turned back to her work, leading Vi to her bench with a firm grip on her wrist.
Vi gestured towards the record player, and Powder nodded her permission.
Silence made breath come easier.
“What’cha working on?”
“Hinydingy’s teaching me about radio waves. We can only do it short distances for those stupid I’m-important-enough-to-have-speech blah-blah-blah stuff through airships, but what if we could find a way to send that signal farther, even transmit to other continents?”
“Sounds more efficient than tubes and cheaper than the hexgates.”
“Exactly,” Powder replied with intensity. She grinned wide enough to show the gap between her front teeth. Then her smile flickered away, and her head tilted abruptly. “Did you hear that?”
“No. What did it sound like?”
Powder’s expression tensed. “Can I turn the music back on?”
“They bothering you?”
She shrugged—that meant yes—climbed off the bench, and turned the music back on twice as loud. Vi focused on watching her work and not the sharp sidestick in the beat. When the song changed, some of her tension eased. Vi reached below the table to a book discarded on the floor.
Theories in Energy Transmission wasn’t quite Hounds of Frankfurt , a signed mystery novel Caitlyn had gifted Vi several months before its official release, but it held her attention through the time Powder needed to focus on her project. When the needle finally fell off the record, Powder set aside her work, rested her jaw on her fist, and watched Vi read.
“Any breakthroughs?” she teased dryly.
“A third of one.”
Powder tilted her head and furrowed her brow, her nose scrunched in confusion. “Why a third?”
“I understand about a third of the words. Kinda dry to be honest.” Vi set the book carefully on Powder’s workbench, smirking when she caught Powder’s exaggerated eye-roll. “Better?”
She offered a half-shrug.
“You sleep okay last night?”
“Like a baby.” Powder rested her elbows on the table and leaned her chin on her palms. She opened her hands, wiggled her fingers, and raised her brows high in question. “What’s up? Need help with your gauntlets?”
“No, they’re fine. I don’t plan to need them for a while anyway.”
“You need more gemstones?”
“Not now. Not sure when they run out.”
“We could steal some.”
“Or we could not steal some.”
Powder rolled her eyes. “You really took the enforcer thing to heart, Vi. You’re sooo boring now.”
Boring was the word. She’d been in Piltover Enforcer Academy long enough to earn her first paycheck and was already bored stupid. It didn’t help that Doc Renee wouldn’t clear her for physical training for another week. Hard to believe this kind of training had spit out the figments of her childhood fears.
“Powder?”
“Violet?” Powder echoed in a sing-song voice.
Vi sighed, her heart twisting at the reality of what Powder’s retort meant. It still hurt to reflect what that meant about her own impact on Powder’s life and her illness, the moment she’d lost control and slapped her, called her— “Jinx. Sorry. I forget.”
Powder looked over her shoulder, her brows raised in question.
“I’m leaving in a bell to go with Caitlyn out of town for a few nights, remember?”
Powder tensed, and the look she shot Vi was accusatory. “You said a night or two.”
“Yeah.”
“So which is it? A night or two nights or a few nights?”
Stability, Vi reminded herself. Powder didn’t like inexact plans for more than one reason. “Two nights, three days. Unless something comes up, then I can come back sooner. I’m just a tube away, and the trip is only a couple bells by cart. If you want, I’ll spend the night when I get back.”
Powder grunted. She dropped her goggles over her eyes in clear diversion.
“Jinx.”
“Vi,” Powder echoed, an unfamiliar edge of warning in her voice.
Gently, Vi reached out to push the goggles back up. Powder’s lips were set in a sullen frown, and she kept her gaze directed down. “Hey, look at me.” When she did, Vi said, “I won’t go unless you’re okay with me going.”
“You want my permission? Fine. Go. I’ll be a good girl.” That was clear derision.
“That’s not what I mean, and you know it.” Vi squeezed Powder’s shoulder, touched her cheek, and Powder’s entire body sagged. Her smile was tense, and then she shrugged. She was lukewarm at best, but she seemed lucid and accepting when she finally met Vi’s gaze “Go. I’ll be okay.”
“If you need me, send a tube, okay? Or radio when you figure this out.”
Now Powder seemed completely at ease. She grinned. “Psh, stop being such a worry warble, sis. Go, hang out with your girlfriend. Fuck in every bedroom of that stupid house.”
Vi hid her unease. Powder was an adult in almost every way that mattered, but her crass talk was still awkward. “I think we’d both die if we tried. Can you imagine how many rooms are in that house?”
Vi was able to cajole her reluctant sister to eat breakfast. Then Powder was back into her project with her music at a volume to discourage talk. Vi knew when to give up, and she had to get going anyway. Vi touched Powder’s shoulder and squeezed her close enough to rest their heads together momentarily. Then she waved goodbye and walked through the house.
Heimerdinger was in his library, dressed to suggest he didn’t plan to go out today. He lifted his gaze from his papers, setting aside the spectacles he’d held over his eyes.
“Hello, Violet. Leaving already?”
“Powder’s pretty tied up in her project. She doing okay? She was a little off.”
“I’ll speak to her later. Better than I expected, to be frank.”
“When’s her next appointment?”
Heimerdinger consulted his planner. “Tomorrow morning. The hard part is keeping her occupied. None of my projects have been particularly challenging for her so far.” He met her gaze. “Your trip starts this morning, does it not?”
“Two nights, but send me a tube if you need me.”
“I’m sure we’ll be fine, Vi. You’re going to the Kiramman estate? Beautiful property, with a most excellent kitchen.”
“She said it would be okay for me to go.”
“I think we’re sorted here, Vi. Enjoy yourself. I’ll send a tube if I need you.” He paused. “I didn’t think to ask before, and forgive me if I’m prying, but… Does Caitlyn know that your sister’s alive?”
It was a stab of guilt, one that was necessary, one that made every interaction with Caitlyn and her mother carry a deeper, raw meaning. Vi shook her head. “I don’t… She’s got a specific view of justice, and—”
Heimerdinger raised a hand. “My dear, I’m not asking for you to justify the decision. I just needed to be sure what I can and cannot say to her. Put it from mind and enjoy your trip, Vi. It’s a beautiful bit of land.”
Caitlyn awoke and reached out to brush her hand over the other side of the bed before she remembered Vi hadn’t stayed over last night. She’d taken for granted how it felt to have Vi in her bed regularly until Vi moved into her own apartment. Now she was sorely missed when she was gone. Caitlyn sighed into her pillow, then decided that was enough pining for the day.
She had an appointment that morning.
She’d written the University of Noxus the day following Elora’s untimely end at Stillwater Prison. Caitlyn and Baros had hired a ferry to the prison to interview Elora’s cellmate, who had offered no information whatsoever about her unprovoked attack; it wasn’t until a few weeks later that Caitlyn discovered the woman’s nephew had just been accepted into a prestigious private school via lottery system. So far no one had been willing to divulge how the lottery system worked.
Though Caitlyn had sent the letter to the University of Noxus via the hexgates and received her reply the same way—prepaid postage was a helpful lesson learned from Baros—she’d written twice more for information: to the university admissions, then to the international scholarship department.
Her dedication had earned an answer, one that Remis had praised her for, and one that they couldn’t use for any kind of justice.
Well, she’d have to wear her formal best for this.
Her mother was working in her office when Caitlyn looked in on her. Though Cassandra had gained most of her weight back, her face remained careworn and her hair had grayed dramatically in the last few months. Despite that, her smile had never come as easy as it did these days. That smile made a brief appearance as Cassandra studied Caitlyn.
“Why are you looking so strangely formal this early?”
“I have a meeting with Camille.” Caitlyn summoned a reassuring smile in the face of her mother’s suspicion. It was fair enough; since Ferros’s rise to a Council seat, the new intelligencer of the house was the busiest person in Piltover, and Caitlyn and Camille certainly didn’t exist in the same social circles. “I’ll tell you later.”
“Be safe.”
The derringer in Caitlyn’s pocket was an ironic contrast to her mother’s command.
It was at least a nice day for a walk. No matter how formal her boots, they were comfortable enough for a stroll on cobblestone. Caitlyn kept to the sideways to avoid the carts that puttered through the streets. She shifted her hat to a less jaunty angle when she arrived at the Ferros estate.
Despite being a full bell early, Caitlyn was ushered upstairs within a few turns. Such was the entitlement of a Kiramman.
Caitlyn removed her hat as she was shown to Camille’s office on the east wing. There was an air of controlled chaos to the space. The desk was stacked with folders and papers, but they were neatly arranged. Caitlyn could aspire to this kind of organization.
Camille looked up from her work with a neutral smile.
“Caitlyn. Sit, please. Let me finish this last bit. Then if you’d like to share tea…?”
“Thank you, yes.”
“Wonderful.”
Caitlyn waited in patient silence as Camille finished her note. When Camille rounded her desk, a small serving table and tea had already been set. Caitlyn doctored her tea, then accepted a dry biscuit from the small tray alongside the pot.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”
“I suppose you’re aware that Elora was murdered in Sillwater Prison.”
“Mel’s intelligencer? Yes, I had heard. Rather messy business it all was.”
“The Ferros house has done quite well in the chaos, hasn’t it?”
If Camille was startled by the non sequitur, she didn’t let on. She tilted her head slightly in admission. “These things happen. I’d never want to believe a Councilor would hire a man to kill another Councilor, but the only thing more hungry than ambition is greed.”
Ironic. Camille had to know what Caitlyn was leading to. “You’re referring to…?”
“Hoskel, of course. That he’d try to have Mel Medarda killed was an astonishing stupid blunder. I’d like to think it a fortunate transition that the Ferros house has stepped in to fill that void.”
“Ironic,” Caitlyn said evenly.
That earned a moment of concentrated study. “Go on.”
“Elora was quite clever in the way she insinuated into the Medarda clan. Subtle, but her story relied upon Ambessa and Mel never being together to discuss her. Given Elora met Mel when she was attending the University in Noxus, I thought to write to the financial department. I received a letter in reply that said Elora was actually funded by a high house of Piltover.”
Camille’s face went blank.
There was no point in beating around the proverbial bush. “House Ferros, in fact.”
“Did they?” Camille asked.
Caitlyn studied Camille back just as frankly. “So Elora was planted as a Ferros spy with the Medarda heir, who just so happened to rise to Councilor in Piltover, whether by Ferros design or not. Perhaps it began as a means of negotiating favorable contracts, but after the Council Tower fell, Elora was put into motion in the resulting chaos: blatantly funding my assassination in an attempt to frame the Medarda house. The one piece of the puzzle that doesn’t fit is the Ferros warehouse attack. May I ask the logic for that?”
“You may ask, but I’m afraid I can’t guess. Though you don’t seem like a woman who would ask a question she hasn’t already deduced the answer to.”
Caitlyn was here for a reason. “It seems a surprisingly clumsy misdirection, even if Jinx hadn’t foiled the attempt. Pairing a bizarre low-value target with my assassination…”
“As you said: clumsy. What would you have done instead?”
“If I were the kind of unscrupulous person who designed this scheme, I wouldn’t have attacked my own factory at all. Instead, should I have wanted to misdirect, I would have chosen a target of value within the house, a human one. Admittedly, the thing that raised my initial suspicions was the fact the guard was so invested in lying about Jinx’s involvement. I suppose either he was coached to hold to the lie or no one was willing to contact him again after the attack was botched by Jinx.
“Then it occurred to me to ask why Jinx would be interested in that warehouse at all. No one was served by her violence, and there was no indication she was anything but isolated after Silco’s death.”
Camille raised her brows in her first display of emotion since Caitlyn began. “I have wondered about her involvement. It’s hard to predict what an unpredictable madwoman might be thinking.”
“I suspect it was rather simple. Jinx needed chems and happened to see chems leaving Silco’s stores. She simply followed them Topside and stole them back. And judging by the amount of chems she then used, enough to trigger an earthquake—” One that nearly killed her sister. “—supply her guns, and burn down said warehouse, perhaps the full ruse of the Ferros attack was ruined. That group wasn’t hired to destroy just the Ferros warehouse but several, likely targeting properties spread among several families. If that’s the case, several houses of Piltover may actually owe Jinx a debt for her intervention.”
Camille’s smile flickered into being; it was eerily affectionate. When she laughed, Caitlyn was flushed with ice. Without a word, Camille stood, rounded the table, and closed the door at Caitlyn’s back. Caitlyn went on alert, feigning relaxation as she rested her right hand on her thigh within inches of the derringer in her pocket. Camille retook her seat but didn’t reach for her tea.
“I was disturbed to learn about the attempt on your life. You’re a force to be reckoned with, Caitlyn Kiramman. Have you ever considered a change in career? You would make a fine intelligencer.”
“I’d rather serve a purpose greater than my family’s greed.”
Camille’s smile slowly faded. “While I cannot speak as frankly as you may hope, I can say your conjecture is entirely feasible.” She paused, her gaze lingering where Caitlyn’s hand rested close to her hidden firearm. “I give you my word that the person who created the ridiculous scheme will not be able to do so again. The matter is handled permanently.”
There was a coldness to Camille that Caitlyn supposed she’d always marked. But now it made her wonder how far the coverup went: Elora, the man who died in custody, the security guard that had dropped off the planet as soon as he and his dog passed through the hexgates. Even, perhaps, the previous intelligencer of House Ferros, who had died of natural causes in his sleep the same week that Elora had been murdered.
There was nothing that could be done with Camille’s vague confirmation, not with every major player dead. The investigation would not be reopened, not even when Camille as good as admitted that Ferros money was all over the chaos that stirred after the Council Tower attack.
Intelligencers of high houses mopped up messes, kept things tidy. There was nothing else to gain here, not even the satisfaction of having unraveled the mystery. Instead, Caitlyn sipped her tea, discussed dog breeds and the number of stags on the Kiramman country estate properties, and bade Camille a pleasant day before she was seen out by staff.
So much corruption in Piltover and so little she could do about it. As her father would say, Eyes ahead, Cait! Keep the goal in sight at all times.
There was someone walking ahead of her with a familiar gait, hands in pockets and hood up. Caitlyn paused in surprise before she called, “Vi?”
The person ahead stopped and turned on one heel. It was Vi, who smiled and walked back the way she’d come to meet Caitlyn. Caitlyn was powerless to ignore her pleasure to see Vi’s smile and the easy lope of her walk. She’d finally healed physically, but it was no wonder it took so long when Vi couldn’t sit still even with broken ribs, a concussion, and a fractured spleen. But someone like Vi was never down for the count long. The more important truth was that her smiles were coming easier these days.
“Good morning.”
“‘Morning.”
Vi tilted her cheek to accept Caitlyn’s kiss and returned it without hesitation. Just like that, Caitlyn’s day improved.
“What are you doing on this side of town?”
“Got here a little early and decided on a walk. You look fancy.” Vi snitched Caitlyn’s hat and set it on her own head at a ridiculous angle.
Odd. But Vi liked to wander even if this side of town wasn’t her favorite. Caitlyn touched Vi’s elbow, and when Vi opened her arm in permission, looped her arm through Vi’s. She tried to turn her mind to their coming vacation. “Ready for our trip?”
“Yep. You’ve promised me hunting, hiking, fishing, and fucking by a fire. I plan to enjoy the country lifestyle thoroughly.” She hesitated. “We’re coming back on the third day, right? I have a job lined up that evening.”
Caitlyn was surprised by her disappointment, but she always naively held out hope to snatch a few extra days at the country estate. She squeezed Vi’s elbow with her fingertips and assured her that was fine. Then her mind turned to the message she’d send the sheriff about her conversation with Camille. Should she tell him in person? Best not. She could picture the look that would cross his face. A quick note by tube would do.
When they walked through the open gates of the Kiramman estate, there was a cart waiting for them. Caitlyn excused herself inside in a way that didn’t invite company; she snitched her hat back on her way. Staff was loading boxes into the cart boot, enough stuff to make Vi wonder if she’d misinterpreted months as days. She helped George with the last few boxes, filling their time with idle talk about the trip itself.
When Caitlyn and Cassandra appeared, Vi couldn’t help her flush of affection. She and Caitlyn hadn’t had much time together the last few weeks after Vi moved out. Between Caitlyn’s overtime and Vi’s obligations to work and to Powder, they’d felt like two ships passing in the night. She’d really been looking forward to this trip.
After a brief argument about who would drive, they were off with Caitlyn at the driver’s seat and Cassandra stretched out in the back for a bit of shuteye. Vi studied their surroundings as they traveled west across the bridge and onto flat plains that eventually became forest. Vi had never seen so much open land in her life and couldn’t quite get over the horizon that was so flat it looked like the ocean.
They passed through a small town, into a set of mossy trees—Vi had never actually been in a forest so the loss of the new horizon in trees was a first too—and through two pairs of unlocked gates topped with the Kiramman crest. The house was visible only after the cart broke into a clearing.
The estate was about as ostentatious as Vi expected, with an oddly perfect semicircular driveway and some neat hedges. Caitlyn parked right by the front door and popped the boot. They exited the cart just as someone opened the front door. Behind that uniformed person, several enormous black dogs raced down the steps, barking aggressively as they approached at a run.
Vi flattened herself against the cart on complete instinct, reaching out for Caitlyn, but to her horror, Caitlyn sank to her knees and was toppled over by the snarling dogs. Their mouths opened, their great teeth white and sharp, saliva frothing on their tongues, and they…
They were licking Caitlyn as she laughed and petted them, calling each by name. Cassandra caught Vi’s eye and rolled her own, shifting her lips to deliver a whistle that put Sevika’s to shame.
“Off. Now! Bartholomew, Chrysanthemum, Alastair!”
The dogs backed off and sat obediently. Caitlyn climbed to her feet and dusted herself off, apparently having earned her mother’s ire. “You’re the reason they’re so uncivilized,” Cassandra scolded. Once the dogs were sitting still, their wide brown eyes shining with hope, Cassandra approached to scratch them each on their long muzzles, earning a lick from one adventurous beast, a gesture that Cassandra didn’t protest.
“Come along,” Cassandra said, and the dogs, panting now, their faces split into what Vi realized were grins, not snarls, followed on her heels obediently. Caitlyn sighed forlornly as she watched the dogs leave with her mother. “I’ll never have one of my own so long as my mother’s around.”
Now that her heart rate had dropped back to normal, Vi saw the hilarity in the situation. “She’s a dog person, huh?”
“Entirely. They’d rather sleep on her floor than in my bed.”
“Uh, Cait, that’s a good thing. Because either it’s me or them.”
Caitlyn glanced over her shoulder at Vi with a surprisingly saucy look. The saucy look returned briefly when Vi peeked in the washroom of their designated suite to see not a shower but a large claw-footed tub. Fucking by the fire was a must given the fireplace, but absolutely they were sharing that tub before they left.
After introductions to staff and a light brunch, Caitlyn announced she was going for a walk. Vi wasn’t about to lose a moment of her time with Caitlyn and invited herself along. She was amused at how much less hurried Caitlyn’s strides were in the woods than Piltover’s streets.
It was cool and humid beneath the trees, and smells were unique to this place, not to mention the quiet. Caitlyn seemed to be a part of it, walking with her usual grace and pausing at intervals as bird song and the groan of distant wildlife rang through the air. The only noise she made aside from the occasional comment was the click of her picture box.
A strange shriek rang to the north, drawing Vi’s attention. She knew from books that wolves howled, but that was an ominous sound on its own. Caitlyn smiled at Vi’s reaction. She kept her voice pitched low. “It’s an elk. Mating season.”
“Is that a come-hither cry?”
“Very sexy in elk language.” Caitlyn cupped a hand over her mouth and produced a strange squeaking coo. Vi’s impulse to laugh faded when she heard a distant answering shriek. Caitlyn’s expression opened into a full smile, one Vi had to return.
“Did you just tell an elk to come fuck you?”
“I did. If we’re quiet, we may see some over the ridge.”
Over the ridge, there were no elk; according to Caitlyn, they were upwind. Caitlyn didn’t hide her disappointment, but she was happy to toss a rock into the brush and stir up several quail. Caitlyn snapped a couple of shots with her picture box, but Vi had no idea how she could tell if she captured anything more than a blur.
“Did you see the stripes?”
Vi hadn’t, but she nodded anyway and was rewarded when Caitlyn snapped a picture of her. By the time they turned back to the estate, the mist had burned off fully, and the air warmed enough for Vi to shed her jacket. Caitlyn was no more talkative though. There was an air of preoccupation to her that seemed out of place for her long-anticipated vacation.
Despite herself, the tug of paranoia told Vi that Caitlyn’s quiet was all about the ugly truth she’d been hiding. It wasn’t; it couldn’t be because they wouldn’t be here right now if that were the case.
“You wanna tell me what’s wrong, Cupcake?”
Caitlyn glanced at her in surprise. She slowed her steps and took time to consider her words. “I had a break in my case.”
“Which case?”
“The assassination plot.”
“Yours?”
She nodded.
“I thought you already knew who did it.”
“I never thought Elora was working alone.”
“You really don’t think Ambessa did it?”
“Yes. She didn’t. I’ve been exchanging letters with the departments at the University of Noxus to find out Elora’s ties there. I got a letter last week that confirmed she was funded entirely by a scholarship set up by a high house based in Piltover.”
Vi had been learning a lot about the oligarchs that oversaw Piltover’s corrupt government now that she lived Topside. Just as Corina had replaced the vacant chembaron positions as Silco’s people were arrested or killed, two high houses had lost their seats since Progress Day. Topside and Bottom really were two sides of the same coin. One of the two houses that had risen to take Council seats in the last few months had to be the culprit.
“Ferros or Tariost?”
Caitlyn’s smile was wan at best. “Ferros.”
“They’re out then, right?”
“No.”
“No?” Vi echoed. “No, they’re not out? Or is this one of your weird agree-with-a-negative answers?”
“There’s nothing we can do with this knowledge, not through Piltover’s force. I need to tell Mother, but…” She sighed.
“So what? Ferros just keeps their seat? Hoskel was arrested for doing the same thing to Mel Medarda.” That had caused a stir. Vi had interacted with the dickhole a handful of times and wasn’t sad to see his downfall. Caitlyn nodded. “Camille as good as confirmed my suspicions, but she said she’s taken care of the person who ordered my demise—presumably the last Ferros intelligencer who probably didn’t die by natural causes—and promised it wouldn’t happen again.”
“That’s not much fucking assurance.”
Caitlyn shrugged. She stopped and turned her gaze to the city skyline in the distance. “One day we’ll be in a position to fix the corruption. For now though…”
“If you can’t change it, why worry about it?”
Caitlyn tilted her head, regarding Vi thoughtfully. “I suppose that’s a good point.”
“Would sex help?”
Vi lived for Caitlyn’s laugh and reveled in her crooked grin. She leaned into Caitlyn’s chaste kiss, pleased with herself for breaking Caitlyn from her dark mood.
“You’re so selfless, Vi.”
“I’m practically a saint, offering you so many altruistic orgasms.”
“Mine or yours?”
“Obviously both count, Cupcake.”
Caitlyn laughed again. Then her smile softened to pure affection. “Can I hug you?”
Vi considered her state of mind. She felt relaxed and settled. “A hug would be great.”
Caitlyn folded her close, kissing her neck, and Vi relaxed into her hold and stroked Caitlyn’s back, then reached down for a quick ass-grab.
“I can’t take you anywhere,” Caitlyn muttered against her neck. “Let’s go back so you can help me get over being right about my case.”
Hand-in-hand, they set off for the house at a significantly faster pace. A good day, Vi decided as she squeezed Caitlyn’s fingertips. Even if this good day had been perpetuated on an unforgivable lie, she wouldn’t take for granted a single stolen moment. Their time would inevitably end, but Vi would treasure every clockturn until that happened.