People who are against you
It was Caitlyn.
-
Piercing blue eyes stared back at Vi while a relieved expression appeared on her face.
"Thank god it's you. I don't know what I would've done if I'd spent the last hour chasing after you only to get the wrong person." Vi smiled placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.
Caitlyn pushed it off, "You read my letter didn't you?" Her voice was cold and the tone reminded Vi of Vander when he was disappointed.
"I did. But I thought you'd be happy to see me. Did I do something?" Vi asked confused at the sudden irritation of the girl. Seems her feelings to go after Cait weren't resepricated in return.
Caitlyn shook her head. Why was Vi so stubborn? Did that letter mean nothing to her? It was supposed to be a warning to protect herself and her family from Cassandra but yet here Vi was acting like she didn't catch that part.
"If you read it then you'd know my mother is threatening to set you up and send you to Stillwater. You'd never see your family for who knows how long. So why would you come looking for me when you know all this?"
Vi scoffed, "You think I didn't see that? I'm not an illiterate cupcake. I just don't care. So what if I have to spend some time in Stillwater? It's not going to be forever. If that means going against your mother and everybody else just to see you then I will."
Caitlyn was shocked. She loved this 'I don't give a fuck' attitude Vi portrayed and wanted to stay down here with her but Caitlyn just couldn't put it past herself to risk hurting Vi in the long run. So now it was time to follow the letter, go home, and wait for things to wind down even if it killed her inside.
"We can't do this right now. It's not the time. I'm sorry Violet." Caitlyn said choking up as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. Yet she tried to hold them back.
Vi looked at the girl with hurt and confusion taking over her face. "We can try! Don't do this Cait! We've done so much already! Please!"
But Caitlyn stayed true to her words and left without looking back and acknowledging Vi's pleads. The guilt of Vi sitting on the now rainy concrete begging her heart out for her to stay would never leave Caitlyn's mind.
-
The council sat awaiting the trial of Jayce after Cassandra had persuaded the others to hear him out on why he had been researching illegal things that almost killed two children. Most members were already set on the idea that Jayce should be sent away or rather exiled as his research only went against what they stood for and broke several rules.
With her hatred for her daughter's 'friend' and her deal with Silco, Cassandra had a lot on the line. She hoped somehow in someway this would work out in her favor.
"I don't know why we need to be here to discuss this. I thought we had all agreed on that Mr. Talis needed to be punished after the accident happened initially." Salo complained upset by the fact he was dragged out of whatever he had been up to for the meeting to discuss the fate of a man everyone had already decided on.
Cassandra trying to keep a serious face got up from her chair and stood in front of the lot, "As I have already explained, Jayce has yet gotten the chance to defend himself in front of us. Therefore this is what this meeting stands for."
A few council members gave a dirty look to Cassandra with some realizing she had an alternative motive for this sentencing while the others thought it was out of sympathy for Jayce since he had been close with the Kiramman family ever since Caitlyn had been little. Regardless, this meeting was happening no matter what anyone believed.
Minutes went by and eventually after some bickering and snarky comments being thrown at one another, the meeting began as the lights turned off and in entered Jayce escorted by none other than Marcus. Jayce stepped up to the spot where Cassandra had been moments ago and anxiously awaited to see what the Council had to say.
"Jayce Talis," A voice began to speak, "You are here on the count of doing illegal experiments on academy property, illegal research on materials banned by the council, harvesting said illegal materials, and almost ending the life of two children while also putting the rest of the civilians of Piltover at risk. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Jayce sighed and began to defend what he had been up to. "My research and materials were far more dangerous than I had initially understood. I realize it was all against academy regulations and I sincerely apologize for being incompetent enough to put innocent people in harm's way. I ask for the forgiveness of the council and hope I can continue with my studies."
"As a patron of Mr. Talis for many years," Cassandra chimed in, "I can attest to the fact he is indeed sincere and believe he could be a big contributor to the progression of our society with the years to come."
Hoskel let out a small laugh, "Are you forgetting that this was the man who almost killed your daughter and then some councilor? Wonder what contributions he'll bring in that case."
Cassandra still tried to keep a straight face despite wanting to rip Hoskel to pieces right now.
"If you were a scientist you'd understand that you can't make a prototype without bending a few wrenches." Heimerdinger added agreeing with Cassandra's statement.
Mel was curious but also entranced on what Jayce had to say. "And what about the said research after the explosion? Is anything left of it?"
"No, it came to nothing after those kids destroyed it."
"Oh so we blame the children now? I thought they were innocent." Salo teased trying to get under Jayce's skin.
Cassandra rolled her eyes and got up once more to stand beside Jayce. "That's the other reason why I called this meeting. Those kids are just as at fault as Mr. Talis is. I understand a girl was injured but that's no excuse to let these scoundrels off so easy after they tried to rob him. Had they not been caught who knows what others orchestrations they might had tried to conspire. If we let them get away without consequences, this teaches everyone else in Zaun as long as you are a child or get hurt then you can get away with anything."
"And what do you propose we do with this statement councilor?" Shoola asked being the only 'serious' person in this room at the moment.
A small smirk crept on Cassandra's face, "We take one of them away and send them to Stillwater on charges of property damage to put our message out there. Preferably the injured one but there's also three others incase that isn't possible at the moment due to the girls condition."
Mel's face turned at the answer. She didn't like where this was going at all. Why was this turning from a meeting to discussing Jayce's fate to sending children away to jail?
"Well I agree. This shouldn't be left unpunished. Not saying any of them exactly have to be prosecuted since they are children after all, but someone should be sent away for it to make an example." Hoskel agreed giving his approval on Cassandra's little plan. Salo, Shoola, and Bolbok agreed as well outnumbering Mel and Heimerdinger that disagreed.
"Then that's that. I'll assign sheriff Grayson and Marcus on it as soon as this meeting concludes." Cassandra said internally relieved that her plan had worked.
Even if she couldn't get Vi herself into Stillwater they'd get somebody else close to her and maybe that would be enough to have her stay away from Caitlyn. And the icing on the cake was having Silco as an ally now in case anything went wrong.
-
Vi sat in the basement moping around while Powder tried to cheer her up.
"C'mon! Ekko said he found this cool place to check out! Come with me please please please Violet!" Powder begged.
Vi rolled her eyes and went back to messing around with one of her sisters 'inventions'.
"Don't feel like it."
"Please!"
"No."
"Pretty please!"
"Don't wanna."
"I'll tell Vander about the letter." Powder threatened knowing about the thing Caitlyn had delivered from Ekko.
Vi's eyes grew wide. Vander told her not to see Caitlyn again and she did. Not only that but now Vander might think Ekko could be in danger since technically he was the one Caitlyn gave the letter to even if it was addressed to her.
Angrily Vi agreed to the blackmail, "Fine. But I'm not staying for long."
Powder cheered giving a smile in return and ran upstairs to go find her brothers.
Hesitantly Vi slowly crept behind only being stopped by something that made her heart drop. Grayson. She was talking with Vander. Vi hid behind the door and began to eavesdrop on whatever they were talking about.
"...but the council wants somebody and they want it by tomorrow. It doesn't have to be little Violet exactly but Cassandra would prefer her to go to Stillwater over the other children." Grayson explained while Vander stood looking extremely stressed.
Oh shit. Caitlyn was right. This was really happening.
Had someone seen them together earlier?
Vander sighed and shook his head, "Y'know I can't do this Grayson. I don't give up my people and especially not my children." Of course Vander would defend her. Vander would defend Vi until the day he died.
"Very well. I'll leave you with this in case you change your mind. You have until tomorrow night and after that I can't be sure what will happen." Grayson admitted handing Vander some sort of contraption. It looked like a way to get a message across all the way in Piltover.
Vander took the item and waved Grayson off. This wasn't going to end well.
-
With Vi being the empathetic girl she was she knew exactly what had to be done. Sacrifice her freedom because this was all her fault. She lead her siblings out on the job so if anyone was going away it was going to be her. And Caitlyn. That girl was her problem.
It was hard to mentally prepare herself for all the shit she might face in the hellhole known as Stillwater but concealing her fear she made her way outside to the wire where the bunny toy she had as a child was thrown to.
All those years spent staring up at the thing just seemed so silly now. That wasn't even something Vi recognized as a problem anymore. Grabbing a shard of whatever trash lied on the concrete, Vi threw it up towards the toy and watched as it fell down almost as easily as it had gotten up there in the first place.
'If I had known it'd been that easy I would've gotten it down a long time ago..'
Sighing she picked the thing up and tried to blink back her tears. This wasn't going to be easy on her but nonetheless now wasn't the time to show how she felt.
Vi made her way back inside the bar ignoring the many conversations that rang throughout the space going to look for Powder. It wasn't hard considering there were only like 2 places her sister could be.
Powder sat on her bed playing around with a new invention she had created in the time Vi had spent outside.
"Whatcha gonna call that one?" Vi asked taking a seat next to her sister.
Powder proudly showed off the thing to Vi. "I think I'll call it whiskers."
"That's a cute name."
"It is. I just hope it's going to work this time."
Vi gently hugged her sister and really took in that this was probably going to be the last she'd get this opportunity for a long time. "I know it will. Someday Pow."
'Someday Pow...'
Yet she probably wouldn't be free to see it.
"I want you to have this. It was mine when I was your age. Some jackass threw it up high to hurt my feelings and I finally got it back down." Vi said handing the girl over the stuffed toy that held so many secrets. Powder appreciatively took it but was curious as to why Vi wanted her to have it.
Trying to stay strong and not upset Powder, Vi got up from the bed and went to send the message to Grayson. But not before one last goodbye.
"Promise me you'll stay like this, ok?" She asked Powder hoping her sister would stay the same feisty innocent girl she loved so much. It would break her to come back from Stillwater and Powder be changed.
Confused, Powder nodded her head and clutched the rabbit to her chest. She had a slight idea about what this was all about. Something told her Vi wasn't coming back for a long time.
-
Caitlyn sat hiding behind a chair in her family's meeting space hoping to eavesdrop on the conversation with Grayson and her mother. This wasn't good. At all.
"So what happened? Did they offer the girl up or do we need to send a squad down there?" Cassandra asked casually sipping on some tea.
Grayson sighed, "Not yet. I'm working on it Cass. These are children we are talking about after all so no need to send in a squad to hunt them down."
Angrily Cassandra set aside the cup and tried to keep her composure. She knew the arrest wasn't going to be made right away but it was really irritating her knowing Caitlyn could still sneak out to see Vi at any time.
"Well then, I guess we'll just wait until tomorrow."
Caitlyn soaked up the conversation given by the two adults and quickly realized what was happening. They were going after Vi.
'Even after we stayed apart for over a week? This is preposterous! Nobody even saw us down there in the lanes earlier!'
Panicking, she knew she needed to go back down to Zaun and warn Vi again. This time in person and not with some stupid letter. Caitlyn thought maybe if she got down there in time she could help Vi run away. Not sure where but anywhere was safer than the two cities.
-
Vi sat waiting down in a familiar place for the enforcers to come and take her away. She was punching at the wall but it didn't make her feel any better about this situation.
Powder. God how she'd miss that kid and seeing all the little inventions she'd come up with to try and help out on jobs even when they did absolutely nothing. This was going to hurt her so bad. But something Vi knew deep down reassured her. Powder should be ok. She'd have Vander and their brothers to help her through the time Vi was gone.
'As long as Powder's ok I'm ok...'
She could think that all she wanted but it wouldn't make it true.
The time spent waiting was agonizing especially because Vi was terrified of what was to come. Knowing nothing other than your own fear. How long had it been since she first came down here? Minutes? Hours? Hell, it hadn't been a day but it definitely started to feel like it.
'Just get it over with already. I'm tired of being afraid..'
But yet still time went by and Vi was left waiting like an idiot. Where the hell was Grayson and whoever else was to haul her in?
Footsteps grew closer to the building and finally gave way to some answers.
"It's time..." Vi whispered to herself as she stood up and prepared to get cuffed.
But who she thought was coming to get her wasn't that at all. Instead a very familiar face gave her a chance to breathe and think over her dumb decision.
Vander.