Caitlyn jolted, instinctively reaching up to her neck. She took a step forward, then turned around—and saw Vi.
Vi had both hands in her pockets, looking at Caitlyn like she owned the place, a grin hanging at the corner of her mouth.
"What are you doing here? Are you insane? How do you dare come up here?" When Caitlyn realized it was Vi behind her, she nearly jumped out of her skin. She straightened up, frowned, and spoke sharply.
Piltover hadn't been stable lately. At a time like this, for someone from Zaun to run topside… insane. Completely insane.
"What, didn't you say last time you saw me you were gonna arrest me?" Vi smiled, spreading her hands and pressing her wrists together, palms up, making a "go ahead, cuff me" gesture at Caitlyn. "Come on, officer."
Caitlyn rolled her eyes, took a deep breath, and grabbed Vi by the arm. She pulled her out of the other enforcer's line of sight and stopped near a tree. In a low, stern voice, she said, "I don't have time for this, Vi. I'm busy, understand? I'm working."
"Yeah, guarding kids in a park, huh? Real important work," Vi said with a raised brow, teasing. "How do you Pilties say it again? Oh right—kids are the future. Guess you're protecting Piltover's future, then?"
"…"
"What do you want? Spit it out."
Seeing Caitlyn was genuinely out of patience, Vi chuckled and said, "Nothing. Just came up to buy some stuff. What, Piltover's not selling to Zaunites anymore?"
"Then go buy it. When you're done, go back," Caitlyn said.
Caitlyn's attitude was starting to piss Vi off.
Spotting Caitlyn in Piltover instantly made Vi think about those few days they'd spent together. Honestly, Vi's impression of Caitlyn wasn't low at all. She thought this cop was interesting—different from the other enforcers. Caitlyn had manners, she was kind, and more importantly, in the way she treated Zaun—Caitlyn didn't look down on Zaun. If anything, she wanted Piltover and Zaun to get along.
And when Caitlyn enforced the law, she didn't pick targets based on who they were—she looked at what they did. That, too, was a big reason Vi's opinion of her kept climbing.
But now… what the hell was with her?
"Right. I'm just some Zaun punk who crawled up here. I shouldn't be bothering an honored Piltover enforcer," Vi said coldly, staring at Caitlyn. Then she turned around, shoved her hands back in her pockets, and started walking. "I'll leave, ma'am."
Caitlyn watched Vi's back and suddenly said, "Wait."
"What, changing your mind?" Vi looked back. "Decided you wanna escort me back to prison?"
Caitlyn shook her head. "Vi, I'm not taking it out on you. It's just that Piltover hasn't been stable lately. You shouldn't come up here anymore. You'll get into trouble. I'm serious."
Hearing that, Vi's mood abruptly improved.
And thinking about the red-clad people she'd seen on the way over, Vi narrowed her eyes at Caitlyn. "What happened?"
"Noxus." Caitlyn took a deep breath, her voice dropping. "The Medarda family is here. A lot of them. Their ships are docked at the harbor. Their troops have already moved into Piltover."
"Then what are you waiting for?" Vi snapped, loud and incredulous. "Kick them out! This isn't your city anymore or what? You throw us out like it's nothing—how the hell do you turn into this when it's Noxians?"
"Calling you Pilties isn't even an insult, not really," Vi said with a curl of her lip. "Let them try coming to Zaun. See if we don't drive them out."
"…" Caitlyn took off her hat, raked her fingers through her hair, and said quietly, "It's not that simple. Medarda isn't just some Noxian military house—the head of the family is Councilor Mel's mother."
"Wait." Vi blinked. "The councilor you mean is that hot girl?"
"Can you show some respect for once?" Caitlyn stared at her, already getting a headache from Vi's mouth. "Why do you always talk like that?"
"We're Zaunites. That's how we talk," Vi spat. "Don't lecture us about manners. We can barely stay alive—who gives a damn about manners?"
Then Vi stepped closer, gaze fixed on Caitlyn.
"Tell me the whole story, Cupcake. Tell me what's going on."
Caitlyn hesitated, then nodded.
Piltover's Council building—inside a room set aside for receiving important guests.
A dark-skinned woman in a gold gown sat there, hair pinned up, posture proper, figure full and elegant, glittering with gold and silver jewelry. She looked anxiously at the woman standing in front of her.
That woman had white hair, a tall frame, scars on her face, heavy armor on her body, and eyes like a wolf. Her presence alone felt like pressure.
"Mother, I'll say it one more time—this is our city-state's internal matter. You have no right to interfere in Piltover's governance!" Mel said.
The imposing woman smiled, a hint of mockery in her eyes as she looked at her daughter.
"Mel." Ambessa's voice was steady. "Once you bear the family name, everything you have belongs to the family."
As she spoke, she lifted her hand slightly. Four guards holding long spears immediately nodded. They bowed respectfully to Ambessa and Mel, then left the room. As the door shut, they remained outside on watch.
Ambessa sat down on the sofa, resting a broad hand on the armrest. Her fingers idly rubbed the ornamentation there as she lowered her head and spoke softly.
"You've achieved what you have in Piltover because of the family. Because Medarda has holdings in Piltover, you had leverage. You profited, you became a councilor. Isn't that right?"
"What do you want?" Mel asked, drawing a slow breath and letting it out, forcing herself calm.
"Honestly, I don't particularly want anything," Ambessa said, lifting her gaze to Mel. Seeing that Mel had steadied herself, a flicker of approval crossed Ambessa's eyes. "But I can't stand watching this any longer."
"You've let Zaun fester for far too long. Hextech shouldn't be used only for commerce. It's a weapon. A powerful weapon."
"Not a chance." Mel's voice hardened. "You want to turn Hextech into a tool for your glory? Your ideas will destroy Piltover!"
"Idiot." Ambessa stood and walked toward Mel, step by step.
She was taller than Mel. Years of training had forged her into something formidable. Ambessa raised an arm, clenched her hand into a fist, and flexed—muscle swelling like stone beneath the skin. She stared at her knuckles as she spoke, low and dangerous.
"Wolves circle you, and you use iron to build houses and fences. When the pack finally charges, all you'll be is lambs waiting for slaughter."
"Foolish."
"What's happening between us and Zaun is more complicated than you think, Mother," Mel said, meeting Ambessa's gaze calmly. She still couldn't see what her mother truly wanted, but that didn't stop Mel from holding to her own conviction.
Mel bowed her head slightly. "I'm Mel Medarda, yes—but I'm Piltover's Medarda."
"I'm not Noxus's Medarda."
Mel straightened, glanced at Ambessa, and said quietly, "Mother, I have things to attend to. Excuse me."
Ambessa didn't stop her. After Mel left, Ambessa clapped her hands twice.
A Noxian soldier entered. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with a hard face and a thick beard. The respect in his eyes when he looked at Ambessa was absolute.
"Miss Mel is setting herself against you… and you still won't tell her?" he asked.
Ambessa lifted a hand casually, planting the other on her hip. With her back to him, she spoke loudly, almost dismissively. "Tell her? She knows nothing. Her being against me is a good thing. It makes it clear she and I aren't aligned—she'll be safer that way."
Then Ambessa's tone sharpened.
"Go find those councilors. Tell them it's time to move."
"She'll be hurt," the soldier said after a moment, hesitant.
He knew what Mel meant to Ambessa. And it was exactly because of that that he'd been willing to put his life in Ambessa's hands—to be loyal to this powerful woman.
Ambessa gave a faint, self-mocking laugh. "Have I ever done anything in my life that didn't hurt her?"
"Yes," the soldier said. He bowed and left the room.
Ambessa stood before the window, looking out over Piltover.