Stories of Violyn (CaitVi)

This Is Alcoholism

Writer's Note: This is set some months after season 2, with the only change being that Loris (peanut guy) survived the final battle, because I wanted Vi to have a bro. Take it as a slightly diverged AU, if you feel like. And I may have stolen a joke from The Intouchables for this one.

***

"Did you say that?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Bullshit."

"Don't bullshit me, Loris; you know it's true." 

The man thought for a second and shrugged. "Suppose if someone's going to tell her that, it's going to be you."

The pair was standing at the counter of the Underworld, a fancy topside bar that was supposed to be ironic about its name. They'd just finished a shift together, and now Vi was telling a story to him about the time Caitlyn took her to see a play in the Opera.

She clinked her glass against Loris' one as affirmation, and downed what was left of her whiskey.

"Another one?" the man asked, getting ahead of the bartender by offering Vi his flask. She accepted.

"I know she meant well... Woah! This thing is still strong... Anyway, she just wanted to help, which was very nice of her. Only, it was the most boring, obnoxious... idiotic thing I've ever seen." Loris had to chuckle at her description. "I mean, seriously, who comes up with singing trees?"

"Some delusional piltie, who enjoys smelling his own farts."

"Exactly! You can't make this stuff up... But I don't say anything until the intermission. Then she casually tells me over her tea that it's going to be three more hours."

"And then you tell her that her singing tree can shove it up his ass?"

"Well... I had to say something," Vi defended herself. Hearing her own words from somebody else's mouth did sound a little bad. After all, Caitlyn only took her there because she wanted her to be able to forget about Jinx and everything that's happened, if only just for a short time. It was one of the few occasions when Caitlyn Kiramman missed the mark. By about a mile. "If I had to listen to one more magical tree sing about the pain of existence, I would have punched somebody."

Loris had a big old grin on his face since Vi started telling her story. He was almost afraid to imagine Caitlyn's expression at that moment. Almost... "So how did she take that?"

"At first, she was mostly just embarrassed. Because of all the people around. But the way home? Phew... It didn't help either, that the moment the tree started singing I had to laughe. Anyway, I ended up sleeping on the couch."

"It was that bad, huh?"

"Eh, I knew she wouldn't stay mad for long." The truth was that somewhere in the middle of the night, Caitlyn decided to sleep next to her on that couch, but Vi didn't feel like sharing that part of the story. "We survived worse," she added, and her expression dropped momentarily. Memories of their not so distant hardships flooded her mind. It was only a few months ago when she was still fighting in the arena, trying to drink and punch away the pain that Caitlyn caused her.

"Here's to singing trees, then, eh?"

"Very funny," she said, but she still chuckled before clinging her glass against Loris'.

A few moments of comfortable silence sat between the two friends after their shared drink. 

"She ever try to take you to another one?"

Vi shook her head. "Hah, never. But I think she will, eventually. She loves this stuff too much for that." As much as Vi disdained the idea of having to go back to the Opera, she did find it endearing how excited Cait could get about a piece sometimes. In fact, she made a decision right there that the next time she would take her, she was going to behave. Even if it was about singing rocks or some nonsense like that.