Chapter Text
Caitlyn detests having made the comparison in her mind in the first place, but she couldn't help continually making the comparison. The girl was human and should be considered human, not the canine metaphors Caitlyn had come to associate with the girl because of her actions and behavior. The past two days consisted of the injured girl who now occupied one of the guest rooms, growling and barking harsh words at her father and the servants. Like a wounded and distrustful stray dog, Caitlyn found in the streets while walking home from visiting Jayce. While Caitlyn kept unintentionally comparing the girl to canines, dogs don't have pink hair.
Caitlyn watched as the girl struggled to push the couch to one of the room's corners. The girl was still sporting numerous cuts, burns, and cracked ribs from whatever she had endured and didn't know how to sit still. Caitlyn placed the tray of soup and water at the desk table to help the other girl. The other girl just growled but accepted the help Caitlyn could provide by moving the couch, but she didn't thank her for the assistance.
"Do you ever say 'thank you'?" Caitlyn asked.
"Didn't ask for your help." The other girl replied as she stripped the bed of the duvet and a pillow and brought them over to the couch. She folded the duvet in half to fit onto the sofa and for her to be wrapped around it when she laid down, almost like a sleeping bag without the zipper to seal it shut. When she noticed Caitlyn still watching her every move, she barked, "What?"
"Why are you sleeping on the couch when the bed is right there?"
The girl growled again. "It's too big."
Caitlyn rolled her eyes and shook her head at the answer. She grabbed one of the small decorative stand tables and placed it near the couch inside the makeshift bedroom the other girl made in the bedroom's corner. The girl had used the privacy screen to block off the view of the couch from the doors. As Caitlyn placed the tray onto the table, the other girl lay on the couch, being very protective of her left side, which sustained most of her injuries. Caitlyn sighed as she grabbed the tiny pill bowl and water to hand to the other girl.
"We're not monsters, you know. We're people just like you."
The other girl scoffed. "Sometimes the monsters aren't the big bad wolf in fairy tales. Monsters can appear just as humans, too." She took the pill bowl and attempted to dry swallow the pills, only to have to grab the glass of water to keep from choking.
Caitlyn nodded, silently agreeing with the other girl's assessment. "I'll leave you be. I recommend you eat the soup while it's still warm, it doesn't taste as good cold." The other girl grunted in acknowledgement. "Um…"
The other girl groaned. "What now?"
"Well, I was just wondering if you could tell me your name. It'd be nice to call you by your name instead of this awkward pause we've been having, but I'm not sure how to address you."
"Matilda."
Caitlyn raised a brow. "Matilda? Seriously?"
"Got a problem with that?"
"No, just… you don't look like a Matilda."
"Well, that's the name you're getting."
Caitlyn rolled her eyes again. 'Matilda' had no idea that Caitlyn could play this game and would be taking advantage of getting the girl to hate the name she provided. She didn't know how long it would take for the other girl to cave in.
One hour. The next day, it took Caitlyn one hour to get 'Matilda' to crack and tell her actual name. Caitlyn had spent her lunch break from one of her summer tutoring sessions coming up with the strategy and figured using the name in sandwich form while talking would easily annoy 'Matilda.'
"Enough! Damn it, you're so annoying! It's Vi, okay! My name is Vi! Now stop it with constantly calling me Matilda!"
"Well, it's your own fault. If you had just told me your name from the beginning, I wouldn't have had to keep calling you by the wrong name you so obviously made up for yourself." Caitlyn fell off the foot of the bed laughing when Vi threw a pillow at her.
"I swear you're as annoying as My-" Vi cut herself off before finishing her sentence.
Caitlyn looked up to see Vi lying on her left side again and covering her face with one of her hands. She could see Vi shaking and clenching a fist full of the duvet in the hand, which did not cover her face. Caitlyn could tell the other girl wanted to cry, but not before her. Caitlyn returned the pillow to Vi and left the room to grab her dinner.
Before Caitlyn could shut the door, she heard Vi sobbing and apologizing to other people whose names she could barely hear. Caitlyn stood outside the bedroom with her back pressed against the double door, cursing at herself for the stupid canine metaphors that popped into her head again. Vi wasn't like a stray puppy that kids found in the streets and begged their parents to keep. Vi was more like a lost wolf pup who was now alone, separated, or had lost its pack. Alone, injured, and distrustful of others.
"Why do you do this? Every day, whenever you come back from wherever you sit and talk about your tutoring sessions. Shouldn't you be on summer break from school?" Vi interrupted Caitlyn the next day.
"Yes, it's summer break, but my parents thought to make sure I don't go back to school in the coming weeks, forgetting what I learned from last school year, especially since I'll be starting my first year of senior secondary school in the fall. Don't you have any schools in the Undercity?"
Vi snorted. "Not exactly a priority there. The streets are our teachers. You either succeed or fail. Whatever we can learn would be from what little books we could keep together long enough and not make into kindles. As long as we knew how to count and not be cheated out of what coin we could scrape together there was no point learning more beyond that. Though some of the kids were so smart beyond their years that they should have had a chance to attend that uppity school of yours."
"That's… not fair?" Caitlyn was questioning if that would be the right word to describe Vi's situation growing up.
"That's life. Life isn't fair. Topside always knew how to remind us fissure folk where we belonged in the world. Not like you'd understand. You could have everything you ever wanted." Vi turned to her side and missed Caitlyn's mood shift.
Caitlyn took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Being from Topside isn't as glamorous as you think."
"Pfft, as if. You never had to constantly look over your shoulder, fearing you're about to be jumped. Scraping coins just to make sure you get a meager meal, only to do it again. Being constantly looked down on as if you are nothing and won't be able to amount to anything no matter how hard you try to do things the 'right' way."
Her eyes began to sting behind her closed eyelids as Caitlyn listened to Vi. She stood and walked to the doors, not wanting to hear it anymore. "You're right. I don't understand what you've gone through. However, you don't know what I've gone through either."
"Right… What could you have gone through that was so tragic when you lived in a mansion with servants?"
"Nothing tragic, but you'd be surprised how easy it is to doubt yourself and everything you do."
Caitlyn thought back to the shooting competition the previous winter.
"Where something you've worked hard to accomplish only to be overshadowed with doubt whether you had earned it from your merit or did your parents paid for you to receive that award all so they could throw a party saying it's to celebrate your accomplishment, but it was an excuse to talk politics and business. It's not as much of a hardship as doing what you need to survive, I get it. Topsider problems pale in comparison to Undercity problems. But it sucks not having someone else to talk to, to share experiences with, and always skeptical if a connection you're making is genuine or not. I just thought you'd like someone to talk to to help keep your mind away from whatever is haunting you and not to feel like you're alone. I'm sorry, I won't bother you anymore."
Caitlyn left the room before she could start crying. If she cried before Vi, the other girl would probably tease her, which Caitlyn didn't want to deal with. She bit her bottom lip to keep her tears from trickling down her cheeks out of embarrassment. This wasn't new to her, but it still hurt, feeling empty and lonely.
"After you finish with that equation, we'll call it a day." Caitlyn's tutor announced as she began packing her teaching materials.
Caitlyn looked at the clock on her desk before looking at her tutor, confused. "You're letting me go three hours early?"
"You seem distracted today. Can't really teach a student who isn't here even if it is mentally."
"I apologize."
"It's alright, Miss Kiramman. We all have our off days. Besides, tomorrow is Progress Day. So it works out. I was going to let you off early anyways." Her tutor slung her bag over her shoulder. "I can trust you to finish the equation even if I leave now?"
Caitlyn nodded and bid her farewell before returning to the final equation. Once she finished it, she moved her desk chair over to the window. Caitlyn rested her arms on the window sill and laid her head on them while her mind wandered. She was distracted today because Grayson's funeral was yesterday.
Only Cassandra, Caitlyn's mother, had attended the funeral to represent House Kiramman as she was one of the council members. While her parents understood Caitlyn's desire to participate so she could honor her mentor, Cassandra felt it was best Caitlyn didn't from what she had read so far on the investigation reports of the late Sheriff's death. Cassandra wouldn't want Caitlyn's memory of the Sheriff to be tarnished by what others said during the funeral. Once the chaos of the Sheriff's unexpected murder settled down, the council and city of Piltover will hold a memorial service, which Caitlyn will be allowed to attend.
The other day, Caitlyn tried writing in her journal as if she were talking to someone, but it didn't make her feel any better than it would be talking to someone. She made lists of what she felt as they surfaced, leaving her far more frustrated than when she started writing. Caitlyn gave up as she scrawled what was bothering her across a spread, then tossed her journal into her desk drawer. She wrote, 'I want nothing more than for a friend, a partner in crime (figuratively), who'll be there for me and I can be there for them.'
Caitlyn was so deep in thought, imagining what could have been scenarios with an imaginary friend, that she jumped from her seat when she felt a hand laid on her shoulder. She placed a hand over her heart, realizing it was her father. Caitlyn noted a tray with a pot of tea and two cups, one for her and one for him.
"I'm sorry for startling you, sweetheart." Tobias picked up one of the cups and handed it to Caitlyn. "Do you want to talk about what is on your mind? On another adventure?"
"Nothing too extravagant." Caitlyn joined her father on the couch in her room. "Just wandering around the vendors' market during Progress Day. Will Mum be home late again?"
Tobias nodded. "Last working day before Progress Day tomorrow. And now, with Jayce and Hextech, eyes are on her and House Talis more than ever, so you can probably tell how stressed she will be the next couple of days."
Caitlyn chuckled. "I'm sure you're taking care of Mum properly. Did you spend all day in the kitchen cooking all of her favorite dishes?"
"Of course! Even made sure they were the ones that would taste good as leftovers should she miss dinner again."
"Again," Caitlyn said in sync with her father. Both gave a small chuckle before Caitlyn's smile fell. "Dad… we see what Mum goes through being a councilor. Why would either of you want me to go through that? And please don't say because it's befitting my station or that's how things are because I'm a Kiramman."
Tobias took a sip of his tea. "Caity…"
Caitlyn had to keep herself from rolling her eyes. She was usually okay with the nickname only her father used when she was younger, but these days, it usually followed something she wouldn't like the answer to.
"If things were different, even your mother wouldn't be a councilor presently, and your grandmother would. Cassie would be focused on the family business and would have more time with you, with us. Unfortunately, your mother had to fill in really big shoes left behind by your grandmother and great-grandmother, and she didn't have their guidance planned for her to take over one day. She had to assume the seat before she was ready. She's doing the best she can, Caity, and she's also trying to teach you stuff she wished she had known sooner so you can take over one day as it is expected of you because you're a Kiramman."
"I know, I know. But I don't want to be a councilor."
"We're not expecting you to take her place on the council once you're of age. You'll have plenty of time to warm up to the idea when the time comes when you've grown and experienced more of life." Tobias tucked some of Caitlyn's hair behind her ear. "Caity, you're only fourteen."
"And Mum was twenty-two."
Her father sighed, unsure what else he could say to make his daughter feel better. This was an ongoing worry that was brought up every time Cassandra had to put the council before her family. "She does love you, even if she has trouble showing it."
Caitlyn didn't reply as her eyes wandered to her trophy case. Sitting next to the trophy she technically won was her mother's first trophy that Cassandra had given her when they returned from their winter home. The only other thing in the trophy case was a photo of her four-year-old self and Cassandra, holding rifles and smiling. Tobias took the picture the first day Cassandra taught Caitlyn her first lesson on shooting.
"Did you and Mum pay Sheriff Grayson to let me win?" Caitlyn suddenly asked before she realized she said it out loud.
Tobias coughed out his tea at Caitlyn's question. "What?"
"Did you and Mum pay Sheriff Grayson to let me win?" She repeated slowly.
"Caitlyn, you won that competition fair and square. By your own volition and because you had trained hard."
"You didn't answer my question."
Caitlyn looked into her father's eyes, knowing that was where she would see the true answer. She could feel her heart racing, expecting to hear what she had feared since seeing Grayson hold her shot. She prayed she wouldn't hear that answer.
"No, we did not." He was telling the truth. Caitlyn saw sadness fall upon Tobias' eyes. "Why would you think we would rig a shooting competition? Sweetheart, are you alright? What's wrong?"
Her eyes began to burn as tears started rolling down her cheeks. "I don't know what to think or believe anymore. Mum is always with the council these days and has to keep up appearances. You and her were so ready to abandon Jayce because of the accident in his lab and for trying to create magic with his Hextech. Now that it's a benefit to the family, suddenly, you two fully support him again as if you didn't attempt to ostracize him. You called him a 'misfit'. Now, I won't be able to spend as much time with him as before. He will be so busy with Hextech, and while I'm happy for him, he's my only friend."
Caitlyn gave a sad chuckle. "I'm pathetic. My only friend is ten years older than me and has much better things to do than hang out with a kid. The only other person I would consider a friend was Grayson, and again, what grown woman would want to hang out with a kid."
Tobias placed their tea cups on the ground and enveloped his daughter in the most vigorous hug he could muster without hurting her. He held onto her as she continued to cry into his chest. When her sobs began to subside, he pulled away and wiped what remaining tears she had. Tobias looked over his daughter's face before kissing her forehead. "I'm so sorry we made you feel that way. It was never our intention to cause you to feel like we would manipulate something that was absolutely your own."
"Most people in Piltover suck," Caitlyn mumbled.
Her father chuckled. "Aye, I'd have to agree with you there, sweetheart. Your mother would also agree, but she'd say it with more class." He kissed her forehead again before looking directly into Caitlyn's eyes. "Think of it this way. It's a game of chess. Sometimes, you have to lose pieces to gain pieces and advantages while navigating the unfortunate circumstances of being a high house in Piltover. Your mother has had to play the game longer and harden herself to protect herself and her family."
"Does Mum even have friends? Or just acquaintances who want to use her for something to benefit them?"
"All the people she would consider friends would be back in Ionia, and by friends, I mean your aunts and uncles. I remember the first time I brought her to Ionia. She was so happy and welcomed into the family before I even proposed. Sadly, that would be the last time she could just be Cassie before taking over her family's chair. There, she didn't have to worry about being a councilor or a Kiramman. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances, we never had the chance to take you to visit Ionia to meet my side of the family in person."
"Even if Mum was available now, we can't just go visit Ionia with the war they're in with Noxus."
"No, now is definitely not the best time." Seeing Caitlyn's expression, Tobias smiled and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "No worries, sweetheart. I had recently heard from O-ma that they're outside the area of conflict."
"For now," Caitlyn replied.
Tobias sadly nodded at the inevitable that the rest of Ionia would eventually join the conflict. "Speaking of friends. I noticed you haven't visited Vi for the past few days. I've cleared her to start walking around, but still take it easy. Why don't you two attend Progress Day together?"
Caitlyn looked away. "No, she wants nothing to do with me."
"I'm sure that's not true."
"Well, she doesn't like me."
He let out a sigh. "Whatever you two disagree on, I'm sure it's a misunderstanding due to the conflicts you both are feeling. We don't know what Vi has recently gone through, and you've apparently had a lot of pent-up emotions you needed to air. But when I check up on her, I can tell she misses you. Maybe give her another chance, but that's just this old man's suggestion."
"You're not that old, Dad!"
Tobias chuckled and began gathering the cups from the ground. "I appreciate the compliment, sweetheart. I could tell you what I think you should do, but ultimately, whatever is going on between you two is something only you two can resolve. Do you want me to make you a snack since dinner won't be ready for a few more hours?"
Caitlyn shook her head as she stood up and looked at her father, a look he knew very well. When she saw him open his arms, she immediately wrapped her arms around his midsection for a hug. Her mother wasn't much of a hugger, and her hugs were rare, but her father more than made up for his wife's lack of hugs.
"I'll let you know when dinner is ready. Also, Vi is now mandated to eat dinner with us at the table. Cassie said so."
"Right, we both know how well that'll go over if she doesn't listen to Mum."
"The usual bet?" Tobias asked as he walked out the door, only to be taken aback by a hand raised as if it was about to knock on the door he had just opened. "Oh! Pardon me. Caitlyn, it appears you have a guest. I'll leave you two be."
Caitlyn watched her father leave with the door open where Vi stood. Once again, chiding herself for the canine metaphors she keeps associating with the other girl. Suppose Vi was a dog or wolf, as Caitlyn pictures her. Her ears would be flattened against her head, and her tail would hang low if it weren't tucked between her legs. Vi was looking at the ground with her arms crossed and looking uncomfortable. Caitlyn didn't say anything to give the other girl time to figure out what she wanted to do or say. She had come to her room to see her.
Vi let out a deep, resigning sigh before slowly looking up to meet Caitlyn's eyes. Slowly, she uncrossed her arms and let them hang at her side to appear less defensive.
"Hey."