Polluted Seas- A CaitVi AU

Chapter 7

After some time, Caitlyn excused herself from the conversation with the Noxian woman and stood, peering down the hallways of the brothel. Her eyes immediately began searching for a certain pink-haired pirate, and her heart sank as she realized that Vi was nowhere in view. She slipped out of the room with a wave and went to seek Vi out.

As Caitlyn passed brothel patrons, her heart only continued to plummet. What would she even do if she found Vi in one of the rooms? What if Vi was with some other woman? What would Caitlyn do then? Tear her off of Vi, a voice whispered in her brain. Caitlyn mentally swatted the thought away. The very notion was ridiculous. So Vi had kissed her once? So what? She had no claim to the pirate, nor had Vi any reason to want her. Caitlyn shook her head at herself. Fantasizing over a pirate was pointless anyway. As soon as Silco was out of the picture, they would go their separate ways, despite the pain the very thought of leaving the pirate was causing Caitlyn. She rolled her eyes at her dreadfully illogical mind as she poked her head behind another curtain.

Upon finally determining that Vi had left the brothel entirely, and after attempting to bleach some of the sights she had walked in on out of her brain, Caitlyn exited the brothel and took once again to the streets of Zaun.

As she walked, Caitlyn felt eyes clinging to her. Despite the redcoats' attempts to blend in with her clothing, it was still clear she was at least an outsider. It was noticeable in her posture, demeanor and pace, and as Caitlyn began to realize that, she tried to picture Vi. She remembered how the pirate held herself as she’d trekked these paths, with swagger and confidence, with a demeanor of ease. A sharp contrast to Caitlyn’s current tenseness.

The British soldier swallowed and forced herself to relax, making her muscles unwind and attempting to put that same easy swagger into her step. It wasn’t perfect, but slowly some of the stares and attention she attracted began to wane and the streets continued to bustle with life beyond her. It had worked, at least for now. Caitlyn remained wary, however. Silco’s goons still could have noticed, could be watching.

As she approached a run down looking casino, she began to hear voices coming from the nearby alleyway. Yelling. Caitlyn did her best to climb up the side of a building to get a better vantage point of the scene in the alleyway. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched a hooked hand embed itself into Vi’s stomach, driven home by a taller dark-skinned woman Caitlyn didn’t recognize.

Caitlyn scrambled to pull out her rifle. She took aim at the unknown woman, who now held Vi against the wall by her throat and was getting into position to stab the pirate again.

Time seemed to slow down around Caitlyn as she honed in on her target. She took a long slow breath in, and then back out, and pulled the trigger.

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Caitlyn’s bullets struck fast and true, downing her makeshift targets with ease. A triumphant smile crossed her face as she ran to inspect her handiwork. As she lifted up one of the wooden pigeons, a voice emerged behind her.

“That was quite some shooting, Young Kiramman.”

Caitlyn immediately wheeled around, rifle in her hands, and aimed at the intruder. Her eyes widened and she immediately lowered her weapon as she realized who she was pointing her gun at. “General Grayson! My apologies, you startled me.”

The British general let out a dry chuckle. “You have good reflexes too. I’m lucky you didn’t pull the trigger.”

Caitlyn’s ears burned as she set the rifle down. “What- what are you doing here?”

“I was looking for you.” Grayson leaned against a nearby tree. “Your mother couldn’t stop talking about how well your shooting was coming along. I simply had to see for myself.”

Caitlyn’s entire face was now burning. “I’m an alright shot.” She murmured abashedly.

General Grayson let out a hoarse, rasping laugh. “You’re an excellent shot.” She smiled at the girl. “I’m a general in the British army. For me, knowing how to handle a weapon like this,” she held up her own rifle, “means that I am able to protect people. Means I can be of service to the port. To the empire.”

Caitlyn blinked, eyes sparkling with awe as she looked up at the general.

Noticing the look in the Kiramman girl’s eyes, a slight smirk crossed Grayson’s face. “Which begs a question for you, Young Kiramman.”

“What are you shooting for?”

A/N: I keep forgetting that I still need to bring this up to date on this platform xD here have another chapter, I'll try to remember to post ch. 8 next week