Cookies and Daggers
A zeppelin floated gracefully over the glimmering waves, its shadow skimming the bustling docks of Kalstead in the distance. The afternoon sun poured over the town, casting long shadows of ships and towering masts onto the waters below.
Vi leaned casually against the railing, the wind catching her short pink hair and tossing it playfully. She’d swapped her usual combat gear for a sleeveless, dark red leather vest over a fitted black tank top, paired with ripped denim shorts and sturdy boots. A pair of aviator sunglasses perched on her nose completed the look—vacation-ready but still unmistakably Vi.
“Well, Cupcake,” Vi drawled, the corner of her mouth twitching into a grin, “how’s it feel to finally be off duty after… a very long time of slogging through paperwork and bad coffee?”
Caitlyn adjusted the brim of her wide sunhat, her crisp white blouse tucked neatly into navy high-waisted trousers that flared slightly at the ankles. Her polished look, combined with her perfectly tied scarf, made her every inch the picture of sophistication—though the faint smirk on her lips betrayed her amusement.
“I wouldn’t call this a vacation, Vi. Not when I had to fight tooth and nail to get leave in the first place,” Caitlyn replied. Her tone was calm, but there was a faint edge of exhaustion beneath it. “And let’s not forget why we’re here.”
“Hey,” Vi said, straightening up and flashing a toothy grin, “I’m the genius who came up with the cover story. Told everyone back in Piltover we’re off to sip cocktails and tan by the beach.” She shrugged. “Meanwhile, we’re here for… other reasons.” Her grin faltered for a split second, a flicker of something unspoken crossing her face, but she quickly brushed it off with a wink. “You’re welcome, by the way.”
Caitlyn’s lips curved into a faint smile as she glanced at Vi. “And here I thought you’d just drag me into another bar brawl. But no, you’ve taken up espionage. I’m impressed.”
Vi chuckled, adjusting her sunglasses. “See? I’m evolving. Call it… personal growth.”
“Personal growth?” Caitlyn arched a brow, her expression hovering between disbelief and amusement. “You packed exactly one outfit for this trip. What are you planning to do, waltz around in that and hope no one notices you?”
Vi struck a mock pose, pulling her sunglasses down slightly to peer over them. “What? This screams ‘badass tourist.’”
Caitlyn gave her an exasperated look. “It screams Vi trying to behave but not really succeeding.” She stepped closer, lowering her voice. “Jokes aside, Vi, we need to be careful. Kalstead’s not the place it was three months ago. The Demacians are here now. It’s a different game.”
Vi’s playful demeanor softened, her expression turning serious for a moment as she glanced toward the docks. “Yeah, I noticed. But careful’s my middle name, remember?”
“Funny,” Caitlyn said dryly. “I thought it was ‘reckless.’”
Vi laughed quietly, her grin returning. She stepped closer, closing the already small gap between them, and slipped her arms gently around Caitlyn’s waist. Caitlyn started to speak, but the words caught in her throat when Vi leaned in, her voice low and playful. “Reckless? Maybe. But I think you like that about me.”
Before Caitlyn could respond, Vi closed the distance, her lips brushing Caitlyn’s softly at first, then with more certainty. The sun-warmed breeze played around them, but neither noticed. Caitlyn let out a soft sigh, her hands instinctively finding their way to Vi’s shoulders, pulling her closer.
When they finally broke apart, Caitlyn’s cheeks were faintly flushed, though her composure remained intact. “You realize this doesn’t mean I’m letting you off the hook,” she said, her voice steady but tinged with warmth.
Vi smirked, her hands still resting at Caitlyn’s waist. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Cupcake. Now, let’s go crash this party.”
With a final wink, Vi released her hold, and the two turned toward Kalstead.
Vi’s smirk softened, and she glanced toward the docks growing closer in the distance. The bustling activity of Kalstead’s dockyard came into sharper focus with every passing moment—the line of soldiers standing rigid, their gleaming armor catching the midday sun, a stark contrast to the weathered planks and stone of the harbor.
“Real welcoming committee they’ve got,” Vi muttered, her tone laced with dry humor as she motioned toward the soldiers.
“So it’s true,” Caitlyn murmured. “Demacia’s taken over. This complicates things.”
Vi frowned. “What complicates things is those shiny helmets are probably going to ask a lot of questions. And we’ve got two very obvious weapons stashed on board.”
Caitlyn sighed, already moving toward the zeppelin’s interior. “Follow me. There’s a compartment under the floorboards. We’ll stash the gauntlets and my rifle there for now.”
Without a word, Vi followed her. The two worked quickly, securing their weapons in the hidden compartment before sealing it shut. The hum of the zeppelin’s engines softened as they descended toward the dock.
As they approached, the bustling sounds of Kalstead’s harbor grew louder. Merchants called out their wares, sailors shouted instructions, and the faint cries of gulls echoed overhead. Standing at the edge of the dock, a stern-looking Kalstead official waited, flanked by a pair of armored Demacian soldiers.
Vi adjusted her aviator sunglasses and leaned casually over the railing, her trademark smirk firmly in place. “Well, looks like they rolled out the welcome wagon for us,” she quipped, gesturing toward the line of armored soldiers standing stiffly near the docks.
Caitlyn cast a quick, assessing glance at the official waiting by the checkpoint, her sharp gaze narrowing slightly. “Stay sharp, Vi. This isn’t just a friendly reception,” she murmured, her tone cool and professional.
As they stepped off the gangplank and approached the checkpoint, a soldier peeled away from the group and headed toward their zeppelin, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword as he climbed aboard. Caitlyn’s eyes flicked to him briefly, noting his movements, before turning her attention back to the official—a wiry man with a neat mustache and slightly oversized spectacles. He looked up from his clipboard, his pen pausing mid-scribble as he took them in, his gaze lingering on Caitlyn’s eyepatch before moving to Vi’s pink hair.
He cleared his throat, his tone brisk but polite. “Welcome to Kalstead. Purpose of your visit?”
Vi leaned in slightly, her smirk widening. “Tourism,” she said with mock enthusiasm, spreading her arms as if presenting herself. “We heard Kalstead’s the place to be—sun, surf, and… uh, soldiers with shiny armor?”
The official blinked, clearly caught off guard. “Tourism?” he repeated, his tone skeptical. “To Kalstead?” He stared at them for a moment as if waiting for them to burst into laughter. When neither of them did, he gave a faint shake of his head and muttered under his breath, “Tourists… that’s a first.”
Caitlyn shot Vi a warning look, stepping forward to steer the conversation back on track. “Yes, tourism,” she said smoothly. “We’ve heard… interesting things about the area. We thought we’d see it for ourselves.”
The official raised an eyebrow but decided not to press further. Instead, he jotted something down on his clipboard and glanced up again. “Names?”
Caitlyn opened her mouth to reply, but Vi was faster. “I’m Vi,” she said, grinning. “And this is my—”
“Sis—” Caitlyn began, her tone firm and composed.
“Wife,” Vi interjected smoothly, cutting Caitlyn off mid-word as her arm slid around Caitlyn’s waist. She flashed the official a cheeky grin. “Happily married. Isn’t that right, darling?”
Caitlyn froze, her eyes narrowing as a faint blush crept across her cheeks. She turned her head slowly to glare at Vi, her tone dangerously low. “I believe the question was about names, Vi.”
The official, caught between confusion and disbelief, glanced between the two women, his pen hovering uncertainly above his clipboard. After a long, awkward pause, he let out a quiet sigh and scribbled something down. “Right. Vi and… Mrs. Vi.”
Caitlyn pinched the bridge of her nose but said nothing, clearly deciding it wasn’t worth arguing. The official adjusted his spectacles and continued. “And how long do you plan to stay in Kalstead?”
“Depends,” Vi replied cheerfully, ignoring Caitlyn’s withering look. “How long does it take to see all the hot spots?”
The official gave her a blank stare, clearly unimpressed with her attempt at humor. “We don’t really get… tourists here,” he said slowly. “It’s mostly trade and military personnel these days.”
“Lucky us, then,” Vi said, flashing a grin. “First time for everything, huh?”
Suddenly, the door burst open, and the Demacian soldier who had boarded the zeppelin rushed in, shouting, “Stop them!”
Both Vi and Caitlyn tensed, their hands drifting toward their sides instinctively, though their weapons were safely hidden.
The soldier pointed at the two of them, followed by several others. “We found something!”
Vi and Caitlyn exchanged a quick, worried glance. “They found the weapons,” Vi muttered under her breath.
But the soldier held up… a packet of cookies.
Vi blinked. “Uh… what?”
The soldier flipped the packet over, revealing the emblem of the Noxian Empire embossed on the packaging. “These! They’re Noxians!”
Caitlyn stared at the soldier, then at the cookies, her expression shifting from confusion to disbelief. She sighed, a bit of disappointment creeping in. “I should’ve thought to check for that before we left.”
Vi snorted. “You’re telling me we’re under arrest… because of cookies?”
The soldier’s glare didn’t falter. “Noxian goods are forbidden under our watch. These could be a signal, a message, or worse!”
Vi raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. “Yeah, because the Noxian Empire’s grand invasion strategy definitely involves smuggling in cookies. Makes total sense.”
The room tensed as more soldiers filed in, their hands resting on their weapons. Caitlyn leaned closer to Vi, her voice a low whisper. “I told you we needed to tread lightly.”
Vi smirked, keeping her posture relaxed despite the growing tension. “Relax, Cupcake. If we’re going down, at least it’s over something truly ridiculous. Makes for a great story.”
The lead soldier stepped forward, and without another word, handcuffs were snapped onto Vi and Caitlyn’s wrists. The soldiers escorted them out of the office, their steps firm and unyielding as they led the pair through the bustling dockyard.
The Demacian soldiers led Vi and Caitlyn to Kalstead’s jail, a dimly lit building with only a handful of occupants—a few drunkards slumped in corners and snoring loudly. The soldiers opened a cell and pushed Vi and Caitlyn inside before securing the bars.
A lone man from Kalstead, serving as the jailer, sat lazily at his desk, occasionally glancing at the newcomers. The soldiers turned to leave, ignoring Vi’s furious shouts. “We’re not Noxians, you idiots!” she bellowed after them.
Caitlyn leaned against the bars, speaking calmly. “Vi, stop shouting. Listen—Noxus has quite some influence on Piltover. That might be why they’re being so cautious with us. Even the smallest connection to Noxus could be seen as a threat.”
Vi stopped pacing, turning to Caitlyn with a frustrated expression. “Yeah, but we’re not Noxians, and cookies aren’t exactly a criminal offense. This whole thing is ridiculous!”
Before Vi could retort, the doors creaked open, and Mireya entered, her hands cuffed in front of her.
Mireya’s handcuffed wrists remained still as she walked past Vi and Caitlyn’s cell, flanked by four Demacian soldiers. She moved with an eerie calmness, her expression unreadable, offering no sign of struggle. As she passed, her gaze briefly locked with Vi’s and Caitlyn’s, her sharp green eyes betraying a flicker of curiosity—or something deeper.
Caitlyn’s attention was drawn to a glint at Mireya’s waist. Narrowing her eyes, she spotted a dagger, barely concealed beneath her belt. Her brow furrowed as the soldiers escorted Mireya to the last cell and locked her inside without even disarming her. She murmured to herself, “Why haven’t they taken her weapons?”
Vi, pacing the small cell with mounting frustration, was oblivious to Caitlyn’s concern. “Cookies! Arrested over cookies!” she fumed, gesturing wildly. “I didn’t come all this way just to end up here when all I wanted was to—”
“Vi!” Caitlyn hissed, stepping closer to her. “Stop shouting for one second and listen. That woman—was still carrying a weapon. Something’s not right here.”
Before Vi could reply, the soldiers who had taken Mireya to her cell began filing out. The last soldier, lingering behind the group, stopped and turned toward Vi and Caitlyn’s cell. His helmet obscured his face, but the amused tilt of his head and the faint glint in his eyes gave away his interest.
He strolled toward them, his armored boots clanking against the stone floor. The other soldiers halted, watching curiously.
“You don’t seem to be from around here,” the soldier said, his voice laced with a hidden grin.
Caitlyn stepped forward, her tone calm and measured. “We’re tourists.”
The soldier tilted his head. “Tourists? Then why are you in jail?”
Before Caitlyn could answer, the jailer shouted from his desk. “They’re Noxians!”
The soldier’s grin faltered. His gaze lingered on them for a moment, his amusement fading into something colder. “I see,” he said finally, stepping back from the bars.
Without another word, he turned and rejoined his comrades. As they exited the jail, he glanced back one last time, his voice carrying through the corridor. “See you soon.”
Vi frowned, her frustration momentarily replaced by unease. Caitlyn’s lips pressed into a thin line as she watched the soldiers leave, her mind racing with questions.