Ill Omen's Light (Lux/Jinx)

Chapter 22: The Board Is Set

Caitlyn Kiramman pinched two fingers at the bridge of her nose and shut her eyes against the rising flood of stress behind them.

Cawing gulls and the whistles of Wardens keeping the stickybeaking public at bay stole any sense of peace she might have found from the ambience of the lapping waters of the Pilt.

"Deputy," she said oh-so-sweetly, "Would you care to explain to me, one more time, how we have found ourselves in this present circumstance?"

Before her, on what remained of the front steps of the warehouse, sat two battered, bloodied figures; Ezreal, tipped back on a stretcher with field medics working on his leg and hand, glanced anxiously at his gauntlet as if he were weighing up whether to sacrifice the urgently needed medical attention for the sake of blipping out of the arc of Caitlyn's withering stare. Vi, grinning between mashed lips and the cold steak she was holding over her swollen cheek, barely wincing as they cleaned and bandaged her slashed hip and shoulder.

Her smirk did fade somewhat at 'Deputy'. Vi was accustomed to various shades and flavors of Vi and Violet from Caitlyn, some tender, some stern, but Deputy rarely boded well, and the look on her face said she knew it.

"Okay Cait, so, the good news is that I won the fight-"

Caitlyn took a step back as her people wheeled another covered body past her.

"Evidently."

"-and rescued the kidnap victim-"

"Hi," croaked Ez, lifting his unwounded hand, "That's me, I think..."

"...and the bad news," Vi amended with a chagrined look, "Is that one asshole got away...so, good day's work, right?"

"No, Deputy," said Caitlyn, "The bad news is that I am looking at four dead bodies-"

"Well, kinda three-and-two-halves..." said Ezreal, raising a fingertip, then paling at Cait's glare, "T-though-okay-Vi-didn't-have-anything-to-do-with-that-one-"

He glanced across to the armored wagon in which their single captured suspect sat, his broad shoulders taking up the space of two lesser men, his steely silence and stare at Ezreal cutting across the air between them as though the bars of the wagon meant nothing.

The grey-cloaked swordsman had surrendered to the Wardens without giving fight, but he didn't look like a man defeated.

"...One person of interest captured. Four deceased suspects," said Caitlyn, through the faint clench of her teeth, "And one who may be able to be interviewed, should he regain consciousness, and should you have left him enough jaw to speak..."

Vi opened her mouth and then shut it again and looked sidelong at Ez, shaking her head, effectively shutting his as well.

"...and we are dredging the Pilt for the sixth, and any sign of the last, the one you claimed got away."

"And my gauntlet," mourned Vi, with a sigh.

"Yes, and our Atlas gauntlet," Jayce Talis' voice cut in, as he stepped up beside Caitlyn, shaking his head, "Hello, Cait." His already forced smile died completely, "Vi."

"Hey, Prettyboy. Looks like I'm on your shitlist again."

Jayce sighed, bit back whatever he was about to retort and leaned close to Caitlyn.

"I've made a statement to the gazetteers," he muttered, "That'll be enough to buy you some time with the Piltover Explorer but I expect the Sungate Morning Herald will cook up whatever sensationalist nonsense they want. You're going to want to wrap this up. And wrap it tight."