Prison Break

Part 16

Maybe it was just Vi, but it sure felt like Powder's wound and her illness were taking their own sweet time healing.  On the one hand, she had plenty of time to plan things out for when they got to Demacia, and was getting money for them to get by on until she had a job there.  On the other hand, she still had to spend most of every day up topside with Caitlyn.  That on its own would be...  tolerable, but whenever they were alone, Caitlyn would insist on getting an update on Powder.  Vi would answer her in absolutely as few words as possible.  Part of her wanted to feel bad sometimes, especially when she first noticed some extra money being slipped into her paychecks.  Typical Piltie, though, thinking everything could be fixed with money.  And she was gonna marry her?  Sure dodged a bullet there!
It wasn't all bad, though.  When she'd get off work and out of Piltover, there was always Powder to go back to now.  Powder.  It hadn't really sunk in at first, but it did a little more every day, she really did have her little sister back.  That small room quickly became Vi's favorite spot in the world, especially as she watched her sister's condition slowly improving.  They would talk about things, joke with each other, laugh like when they were kids.  All the while, Vi saw the shaking in her sister's hands come down, the coughing fits start to happen less and less often, her pale skin start to regain its color, and the purple in her eyes fade away, replaced by their original gray.  It felt like, at least a little, she was watching the scars of Jinx slowly melt away.
About a week after Powder got her hand splints, Vi was sitting on the edge of the bed watching her draw when Ekko opened the door.  "Vi?  There's, um...  an issue."
"What issue?"
"You'd...  better come see."
Vi and Powder gave each other an awkward look for a second, Powder stopped drawing.  "I'll be right back, okay?"  Her sister gave a nod, and she got up to follow Ekko.
Ekko took Vi out to the entrance to the refuge.  When she got there, the "issue" as Ekko put it was obvious right away.  She groaned a bit inside.  Caitlyn was standing right outside, waiting to be let in.  She held something in front of her, but Vi didn't bother to look at it at first.  "What the hell are you doing here?"
Caitlyn looked down at the thing in her hands, then at Vi.  "I have something I want to give to Powder."
"What?"  Caitlyn motioned down with her head, and Vi followed it.  She sighed.  "Just get it over with."  She moved just enough for Caitlyn to get in, then quickly led her to the room.
Opening the door, Vi took a short breath.  "Hey, Powder?  Someone's here to see you."
"What?  Who?"  Powder turned her head, then paled a bit and dropped her crayon and paper.  "Wh-what is she..."
"She wants to give you something.  Don't worry, I'm right here."  Vi shot Caitlyn a warning glare.
She didn't seem to mind, though, and stepped up to the bed.  Vi could see Powder's face tense up quite a bit.  "We found where you were hiding out, it seems."  Caitlyn bent down to one knee.  "We found all your supplies, all your tools...  and this."  She held out her hands, and Vi felt herself suppressing a half smile at seeing the old, brown stuffed rabbit.  "I...  had a feeling this meant something to you?"
Powder gave the slightest nod, staring down at the rabbit.  "V...  Vi gave him to me, I..."  She slowly started to reach out a hand for it, but stopped about halfway, then pulled it back.
Vi saw a kind of sad smile on Caitlyn's face as she reached forward, and laid the little toy in her arms.  "Only thing we found not meant to explode in some way."  Powder looked down, then hugged it close smiling.  Caitlyn filled her cheeks with air, then let it out slowly.  "I take it, your sister's already told you what happened that night at the river...  You've every right to be scared."  She got up and sat on the edge of the bed, and looked down into her hands.  "I'm not expecting your sister, certainly not you, to forgive me.  Nothing can be done to truly fix what I did to you.  I saw an opportunity for revenge and was ready to take it.  But it was never my intention to...  I-I tried to change my mind, but..."  Vi folded her arms, but felt something inside her shift a bit.
For a minute, no one said anything.  "Revenge?" asked Powder at length.  She looked down.  "Did I...  uh...  Wh-who did..."
Caitlyn sighed.  "My mother was on the council.  She didn't survive the explosion."  More silence followed, Powder seemed scared to even look up now.  Vi could see her hands shaking a bit, even despite the splints.  Then, Caitlyn spoke up again.  "I...  suppose I just wanted to see you pay for that.  I kept telling myself it was my job to see you face justice, but...  letting myself think about it honestly the last few weeks, it's always just come back to the fact that I was angry."
Powder swallowed hard, still not looking up.  "I'm sorry.  Y-you think...  I mean..."
Caitlyn reached a hand out and took one of hers.  "I was sure I never would.  Then, I went to take the shot and found I couldn't stop thinking about what I'd seen of you and Vi that night...  I realized that...  I'd already forgiven you."
Powder slowly looked up.  "Really?  Y-you sure?"
Caitlyn nodded, then moved her hand and lifted Powder's chin a bit.  "I never noticed it before with your skin so pale and the glowing eyes, but...  You know, you look just like your sister!  Has anyone ever told you that?"
A huge, warm smile came from onto Powder's face.  "Yeah, but not in a really long time."
"I can see it, now that the purple's gone down, you have the same eyes."  Vi felt like she needed to step out for a minute to get some air, and quietly left the room.
Outside, Vi leaned against the wall and put her head in one hand.  It had been a total accident, Cait hadn't meant to do this to Powder at all.  She'd even forgiven her for what happened to her mom.  But she'd still been all set and ready to kill her, though.  And right after she'd told Vi to her face she'd...
"Vi?" Caitlyn's voice interrupted her thoughts.  Vi looked up to see her standing there next to her.  "Are you alright?"
"Yeah.  Fine."
Caitlyn leaned against the wall next to her.  "She looks so much better.  She should be well enough to travel soon, right?"
"Yup."
"Those splints on her hands..."
"They're to keep them from shaking.  It might still get better, but...  she's probably always gonna need them to some extent."
"The nerves are..."
"Looks like it."
Caitlyn took a deep breath.  "But...  she'll be alright otherwise, won't she?"
Vi swallowed hard, thinking about the talk she and Ekko had a few nights before.  "The medicine's been working pretty well, but...  it might come back.  If that happens, it, uhm...  It'll probably come back harder, and, uh...  Yeah."  A second later, she felt Caitlyn's hand on her arm.  She thought to push it away, but...  something stopped her.  "W-we agreed we're not gonna tell her.  She's already had enough to worry about, you know?"
"It won't."  Vi turned her head up and to the side to see Caitlyn give a little smile before looking away a bit.  "If she's anywhere near as strong as her sister, you'll have nothing to fear."
Vi gave a bit of a smile.  "After all this shit she's gone through?  I think she might be even stronger."
"Well then, you'd best build up your running legs.  You'll have to be able to keep up with her for quite a while."
Vi couldn't help laughing at the thought of having to break into a full run to catch up to Powder in her wheelchair.  The funny thing was, she didn't doubt it at all.  "And I thought trying to chase her was hard before."
Cait laughed with her for a second, but then, it turned into an awkward kind of silence.  Caitlyn looked down, then cleared her throat.  "I'm not...  dumb enough to ask for another chance.  I promised you I wouldn't hurt her, only to immediately go back on it...  And now, you'll both have to deal with my mixture for the rest of her life.  If you want to hate me, I understand.  But I'll always look after you two.  Whatever you need, I..."  She stopped, then sighed.  "I promise."  Vi gave a nod, and Caitlyn started to walk away.
Vi watched her go for a few seconds, something pulling at her chest the whole time.  "H-hey, Cait?"  Caitlyn stopped and turned back to her.  Vi could almost hear what she wanted to say, it was so simple.  So, why couldn't she?  Something in her still just...  Vi bit her lower lip and looked down.  She took a short breath.  "Thanks."
Cait turned a little more towards her, and gave just a bit of a smile before going on again.  Vi watched until she was out of sight, and found herself giving that same smile to her before going back in to Powder.