Chapter 2
Caitlyn Kiramman wasn’t shy or reclusive, but she despised the long dinners her parents forced her to attend. She would complain about how her attendance was not mandatory and her mother would contrast that with, this happens once a year, it’s an annual event, you already know that and last time you were absent, they asked what other matters you had to attend instead. Except, this was the third time in the past few months that she was dragged to an event her mother said was just once a year.
She was awfully familiar with the grounds she was on. The Hilfiger Suite was one out of a chain of hotels that dominated the hospitality industry, an easy favourite for business individuals looking for lodging or accommodating guests for an event or meeting. It was one of the main venues utilised when her father helped host the Ionian National Day celebration, the 20th of February reserved for Ionian immigrants to commemorate their heritage pride. Growing up, Caitlyn didn’t understand why they weren’t held in one of the Kiramman manors instead of a public site, but the Ionian National Day celebration was a public affair rather than belonging solely to the Kiramman family. Tobias Kiramman was only one out of a commission that made the decisions for the party.
Today, however, was for a separate occasion. It was to discuss the upcoming annual charity gala with the Kiramman’s regular investors.
When Caitlyn stepped out of her driver’s black vehicle with heavily tinted windows, she was met with Hilfiger staff that stood outside the doors of the entrance. She walked across the red carpet behind her parents, feeling the weight of the crystal chains around her ankles, a decorative piece of her stiletto pumps. If it were her own meeting, she may have worn a pair of wool slacks and a silk blouse instead, but she opted for a midi dress that wouldn’t receive any fuss from her mother. It was a look appropriate for dining out.
The Hilfiger lobby wasn’t crowded, but there were a few travelers walking around with their suitcases. A waterfall fountain climbed alongside a case of stairs that led to the second floor, tables and chairs grouped in different places. There was an area specifically dedicated to one of the hotel’s bars, with a pool table close by. There weren’t many floors in this particular building, but she followed her parents into the elevator. One side of the elevator had windows that allowed her to peer down at the people below as they went up to the highest floor. Stepping out of the elevator, she walked into a rooftop floor full of chatter and live jazz music. There were lights embedded into parts of the flooring and walls that lit a beautiful ambiance that played into the sound of the instruments. For the dinner meetings she’s been to, this was a more casual and intimate setting, as if she were on a night out with a group of friends.
She assumed they were approaching the table as her mother lowered her hand that was in the crease of her father’s elbow.
“Tobias! Cassandra! It’s about time I’ve sat down with you two,” a burly man Caitlyn recognised as Pieter Crownguard welcomed them with a grin splayed on his face, wrapping Tobias in a tight hug before greeting Cassandra with a respectful handshake. “Caitlyn,” he then smiled and nodded. “It’s good to see you.” She returned the gesture, assuming his wife and daughter would soon arrive as they were named on the list for the reservation.
There were seats reserved for at least two dozen, with half of the intended guests already having arrived. And to believe this was only a fraction of the inner social circle her parents were in business with. Soon enough, the seats were nearly full and a girl her age with long, blonde hair and bright blue eyes came into view. Her eyes lit up as she saw Caitlyn, and she hurried with gentle steps to her side.
Caitlyn felt a warmth of familiarity. “Luxanna, it’s been a while. I was wondering where my favourite Crownguard went off to. Your dress is very beautiful, by the way,” she says, taking in the blush pink halter-neck dress and white heeled mules.
“Thank you, Cait, I do appreciate your compliments. You have quite the eye,” Luxanna winked at her, her lips and lids glossed with sparkle.
A waiter came by and asked for their drinks, in which Caitlyn responded with the restaurant’s famed kava nectar, and Luxanna followed with a mojito mocktail. The two girls caught up on the happenings of each other’s lives since the last time they had conversed face to face. In time, the two received their drinks.
Luxanna sat her mocktail down on the wooden table, a ring of slight wetness settling below the glass. “Cait, I know it’s not the best place or time to talk about it, but ever since..” she grimaced, “ever since our sophomore year, I’ve left the academy and have been continuing my education with private tutors. I wasn’t sure if you were aware. I was informed by my attendant that you transferred schools as well.”
Caitlyn nodded. “I attend the Stillwater School of Arts and Sciences now. It’s in Stillwater, so it’s a bit of an annoying drive, but I insisted on not having a driver. Mel suggested I attend the school she was in an exchange program with. At first, at least, until she was made to stay in Piltover indefinitely.” Caitlyn took a sip of her kava nectar while Luxanna listened attentively. “She thought it was the easiest way for her to look out for me after everything that happened. I have Jayce as well, since his mother is an alumni there.”
The blonde girl gently laid her hand atop Caitlyn’s. “I’m glad you have those two. I didn’t want to dig up old dirt, but I thought I might as well bring it up because of the gala. I wasn’t in attendance the last time, but my father has mentioned the Monroe family will be a sponsor this year. I assume to maintain public favour and engagement, as I doubt a family like that would genuinely support this year’s cause. How are you feeling about that?” Luxanna glanced at her with her head slightly cocked to the side, her eyes on Caitlyn’s.
Caitlyn sighed. “I don’t really feel anything. It’s still a bit of a fight or flight response when I mistake a head of blonde hair for her, but,” she pauses for a moment, “I know I can handle it. I don’t plan on engaging with her at all. Not even the people she associates with.”
“Right. Birds of a feather flock together,” Luxanna hums in support. “Ivoryspire isn’t all it’s cut out to be. It’s really just a spiderweb of networking for people who will never leave their little bubble and venture out. They’ve accepted one way of life as the only way, and they refuse to recognise the beauty in our differences. At least your love is stronger, Cait. People like you have fought and struggled to be even recognised, and you know you have friends who stand by you. We are your alliance.”
“Even in opposition to my mother?” Caitlyn smiled against the rim of her glass.
Luxanna giggled. “Even against your mother.”
Their conversation drowned in the chatter of the table, until Cassandra raised from her seat and glanced expectantly over the guests. The woman stood tall, waiting for the voices to cease. She folded her hands together, a pose she usually did when standing in front of an audience. “I thank you all for your attendance at tonight's dinner. It is a pleasure to be able to partake in such a wonderful commission, where we put our community first before private interest. The Kiramman household is honoured to host this year’s annual charity gala to raise funding to build hospitals and schools in Zaun, as a step in the efforts towards reconciliation, reconstruction, and restoration. We will personally fund the project for the ventilation system in Zaun, and are in great hands in our relationship with the representatives and leaders of Zaun. I applaud you all for the decades we have spent together to build each other up. A toast to what the future holds.” Cassandra smiles after her speech, holding her glass to the air.
The attendees clinked their glasses with each other, raising toasts to celebrate their achievements and future plans. Caitlyn and Luxanna continued conversing with each other until their parents decided to retire the night. On the drive home, Caitlyn tried to think about anything but the upcoming gala. She hoped it wouldn’t turn out to be impending doom like she felt at that moment.
୨୧
The next morning, she sat in her creative writing class, partnered with the fiery girl next to her. Ms. Davis thought it would be nice for the students to get to know each other this way, posting an assignment they would have to spend time out of class to do. The assignment was to either compile a collection of poems they wrote themselves or poetry from published writers into a chapbook. Caitlyn adjusted her beige sweater she paired with a navy pencil skirt, her body mirroring Vi as she turned to the girl. Vi was wearing another hoodie with colourful decal, black ripped denim with her usual converse. She thought the girl might have been asleep as she had her head down on the desk, so she gave a light touch to her arm.
“Vi, are you alright?” She asked as the other girl straightened her back and stretched. Cobalt blue eyes met ice grey.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“We have to discuss the assignment, I was wondering if there was a time and place you wanted to meet after school for the project. I live thirty minutes away, so I don’t think it’d be the most time-efficient idea to go over to my place.”
Vi took no subtle effort in glancing at Caitlyn’s lips that were glistening with sparkles. “I guess there’s my place, or there’s Jericho’s, but I don’t know if you want to work on a school project at a restaurant.” She rests her cheek on her palm.
“Probably not,” Caitlyn says smiling. “Are you free this afternoon? I’ve got a volunteering event to attend tomorrow, and Wednesday’s packed with club activities. I want to get the bones of the work down as soon as possible.”
Vi grinned. “Bones of the work? That’s cute.”
Cute? Pink creeped up Caitlyn’s porcelain skin to the apples of her cheeks. She figured it was inevitable when she made conversation with Vi. “As in the foundation of the assignment. I just want to get the basics over with as soon as we can.”
“I know what you meant.”
“Good,” Caitlyn replies, turning her face away and pretending to grab an item out of her backpack to hide her flustered face. When she faced Vi again, black painted fingers gripped the phone in front of her.
“Could you put your number in here?”
Caitlyn nods and puts her number in, pinkish-nude nails tapping away on the screen.
When she’s driving through the urban streets of Zaun that afternoon, it hits her that she’d be in Vi’s home. Where she slept, ate, changed— She rarely invited others into her house besides the occasional family dinners with Jayce, as she always viewed it as an intimate privilege she didn’t want to grant just anyone. It was lonely to live in a house of that size when her parents were often busy with work. The only company she had were her maids, chef, and the gardeners she saw on occasion.
The streets of Zaun may have seemed bleak at first, but the purple and blue hues of the neighbourhoods thrummed with life. Children played and rode bikes, the older teenagers looking after the safety of the little ones. Clouds of grey smoke billowed throughout the sky, the marks left behind of pollution from the factories and mines. Most houses and apartment complexes were slightly decrepit, a sight that gave a sinking feeling in Caitlyn’s stomach. It was painful to think that just thirty minutes away, there was an entire different reality. The grip on her steering wheel tightened. If her mother knew she was going to Zaun for a class project, her mother would’ve either forbade her from going or assigned a personal chauffeur to drive her there, not excluding the bodyguards that would follow. She was willing to do anything to keep it a secret. So far, all she knew was that Caitlyn had an academic assignment to complete outside of class.
She spots a quaint house alongside the road as she drives closer to the address Vi had sent her. The shingles of the roof were a dark maroon colour, and the garage was left open with gym equipment and a punching bag Caitlyn could see from her view. Native wildflowers and small groupings of weeds sprouted across the front yard. Her phone was mounted on the dashboard, the GPS app singing with the automated voice as she pulled in.
“Your destination is on your right.”