The Blades and The Gauntlets [Vi x fem!oc]

Chapter XVII: The Way I Am Missing You

Before they set out, Mila had changed into a fresh set of clothes, a luxury she was all too familiar with from her time at the Ravencroft estate. Her wardrobe there had always been extensive. She'd picked something that wouldn't draw too much attention - clothes that were practical, though still of high quality.

She had also offered some of her old clothes to Vi, knowing she had little to wear after the fight. She accepted most of it, swapping out her torn and worn pieces, though she insisted on keeping her jacket. Mila didn't argue. The jacket, despite its state, was a symbol of her identity in the Undercity.

Dressed in something new, she hoped they might pass unnoticed in Piltover's streets. But she doubted that would work. After she had left the town, there were searches for her, way more than the one that Caitlyn led. She knew that the enforcer had helped stir away Piltover from her real location, for which she was thankful.

But that also meant that for as long as she was gone, her face was on the second or front pages of the magazines. Some had details about her - blonde, long hair, small figure. And others had stories, of people from her school that had tried to become a sensation off of her 'unfortunate' fate as a 'lost' cause. But all of them mentioned and always stressed the same thing - she was from Zaun, came to Piltover, then disappeared.

That alone would be enough for people to recognise her on the streets. And as the three of them walked down the paved streets, that had manifested itself by pointing fingers, lingering gazes and whispers between couples.

But she had grown accustomed to that. It was exactly their style to be afraid, yet disgusted from something or someone they don't quite understand.

Vi wasn't doing much better. Though she had so far said nothing, her eyes constantly darted around the unfamiliar streets, taking in the tall buildings and walkways. Too clean. Too quiet. The air itself seemed artificial.

"Feels weird, doesn't it?" Vi murmured from beside Mila, her voice low, a touch of unease in her words. "Walking around up here."

"You get used to it." The blonde answered, yet it didn't seem like that was the case. Despite her trying to ignore them, the unease was creeping up, threatening to pull her body in another panicking state. Her mind quickly went to what had happened before, like the memories weren't quite her's. She didn't exactly remember what had made her jump like that, what had made her mind react in such a way. But she remembered clearly that it wasn't Violet she was fighting. It was like her best-friend was replaced by the monstrous form of Deckard, just like she had seen him that day.

"Don't take them personal," Caitlyn slowed down to look at them both, her eyes lingering for a second longer on Mila's bandage that was creating a bulgy spot on her shoulder. "It's not you, it's the world they've built around themselves. They don't understand what's beyond it. To them, everything from the Undercity is dangerous, something to be afraid of."

The enforcer then looked around her surroundings, taking note of the people there. "I was just like that, too. People in Piltover, they're not bad. They're just... sheltered. It's not that they don't care, but most of them have never had to face what you've seen. They don't understand it."

Mila's pace slowed slightly as she processed Caitlyn's words. She had always been cold to her, always kept her distance. She'd assumed she was just another privileged person who couldn't understand the real world, someone who couldn't possibly comprehend what she had been through.

And yet... she had helped her, more than once. She had kept Piltover off her trail when she ran. She'd fought beside her when it mattered most. Despite everything, Caitlyn had shown more kindness than most ever would.

Mila took a deep breath before finally speaking, her voice lower, almost hesitant. "Cait... I never really said this before, but... I'm sorry."

Her eyes flicked over to her, brows furrowed in confusion. "For what?"