Chapter Text
Caitlyn had been sitting in that uncomfortable chair for two hours, waiting for the previous meeting—which had gone on longer than expected—to end so she could go in and talk to the police chief. It had been four days since she left Vi at the residence after her release, and she hadn't made any progress in her search for information. Everyone was stalling her, and the few reports she had managed to obtain from that period were more useful for throwing away than anything else.
Jayce had also been unsuccessful, as after obtaining the name of the person in charge of the adoption centers in Zaun 15 years ago, their joy was short-lived when they learned that he had died three years ago.
Cait was beginning to feel desperate. She was due to meet Vi for her weekly check-up in the next few days, and she wanted to be able to provide her with information that would be helpful but, at the moment she didn't have anything. As expected, Violet had not contacted her, nor had the residence manager or anyone from the police. so she hoped that Violet was doing as well as could be expected.
The sound of the door opening, followed by the voices of people leaving the office, brought her back to that hallway. She quickly stood up to wait for everyone to leave, hoping to catch the attention of the person who remained inside the room.
The police chief — tall, dark-haired and authoritative-looking — watched her from the centre of the office, assessing her. «Can I help you with something?»
Caitlyn took two steps forward until she was standing in the doorway. She cleared her throat softly. «Good morning. My name is Caitlyn and I'm from the Probation Department. I requested an appointment with you to discuss some information I'm investigating»
The police chief nodded. 'Yes, my assistant informed me. I apologise for the delay; we've had some setbacks. «The police chief approached Caitlyn, extending her hand, and looked much more relaxed than she had a minute ago. 'It's a pleasure to meet you. You can call me Grayson»
Caitlyn shook her hand and flashed one of her polite smiles. «Nice to meet you, and thank you for seeing me»
«Of course. Come in and close the door» Grayson said, turning to approach the chair across the desk. She sat down with a slight groan that betrayed her years of service.
Following her instructions, Caitlyn entered the office, closed the door behind her and approached the desk in the centre of the room. She sat down in one of the two chairs that the police chief had indicated with a wave of her hand.
«All right, tell me what you need» said Grayson, resting his forearms on the desk and interlacing his fingers. Her face, though serious, showed no sign of annoyance at Caitlyn's presence or the excessive workload she was undoubtedly facing. Cait had only seen her from a distance, as just another face at official events, and her first impression had been of someone serious and unfriendly. After just a few minutes of interaction, however, that impression was starting to change.
Caitlyn sat up straight in her chair. «I was wondering if you had any information about the death of the former police chief, whom you replaced. I haven't found anything beyond incomplete reports and ambiguous answers»
Grayson raised an eyebrow curiously. «Marcus? And why would a probation officer be interested in something that happened so many years ago?»
«I'm looking for someone who I think was involved in the case or, at least, suffered the consequences of everything that happened» It was an overly vague answer, Cait knew, but she wanted to avoid mentioning too many details so that Vi wouldn't get in trouble with the police. Who knew what opinions still circulated among the police, especially the veterans?
Grayson watched her for a few seconds before nodding almost imperceptibly and leaning back, resting her head against the back of the chair. «As for telling you about him, I'm afraid I won't be much help. I was assigned here after what happened, and I didn't know him. The others at the station didn't talk about it, and of course, the higher-ups even less so» Caitlyn was already cursing her bad luck when she saw Grayson get up from the chair and walk over to one of the filing cabinets behind her while continuing to talk. «But it all seemed pretty strange to me at the time, so I did some digging when I got here» she said as she opened and rummaged through one of the drawers, pulling out a torn folder that looked like it had been stored long enough to start wrinkling from the humidity. She walked over to the table and placed the folder in front of Caitlyn. «I didn't find much, mostly just assumptions and theories, but it helped me improve the department in areas where I thought there might have been a problem»
Cait couldn't help but stare in amazement, looking at the folder and then at the police officer, who nodded for her to take the folder and examine its contents. There were documents of all kinds, files on the police officers from that time, on Marcus himself, cases solved and unsolved by his team, citizen complaints of malpractice, etc. It was, without a doubt, much more than she had managed to find.
She raised her head. «Thank you very much, this is great, at least it's something to start with»
Grayson nodded again, sitting back down. «I don't know who you're looking for, but you should be careful. My intuition at the time told me that something was strange about the whole thing. Nobody tries to cover up the death of an officer so thoroughly, almost as if they wanted to pretend it never happened» her tone was more serious, thoughtful.
Those words caught her attention. «What do you mean by that?»
A deep breath was the only reaction from the police chief. «I was contacted and brought here very quickly, and expecting to find a city in mourning, I was struck by the fact that it seemed as if nothing had happened. They simply told me that there had been an accident, Marcus was dead, and the culprit was already in jail. And no matter how much I asked, they never brought up the subject again. Call me suspicious, but it didn't seem normal to me»
Cait could only nod. She had felt a slight twinge in her chest when Grayson had mentioned that “the culprit was already in jail.” She had the feeling that the police chief's investigation had focused solely on Marcus, without bothering to find out who had ended up behind bars — guilty or not. With the chaos in Zaun, especially at that time, she figured that one more Zaunite in jail wouldn't make a difference to anyone in the city. Even if he was only 16.
That bothered Cait, but she couldn't entirely blame the person in front of her. After all, she had arrived afterwards, who knows what she had been told, and besides, she was the only one providing her with any information. Complaining about how things were done could wait; now she had more important things to find out.
She looked back at the papers and a new question popped into her mind. «Was there anyone else who shared your concerns?»
Grayson shook the head. «People didn't want to talk about it, at least not here. People from other departments questioned Marcus's methods slightly, but they didn't say much else. Over time, the work became more insistent, and I had to drop the whole thing» she said with a sigh as she finished, looking at Cait. «I'm sorry I can't be of more help»
Now it was Cait's turn to shake her head. «Not at all, thank you very much, all this new information is very helpful» she replied, closing the folder. «Would you let me take it for a few days so I can study it thoroughly?»
«Sure, sure, it's all yours» said Grayson with a wave of her hand.
«Thank you very much» Cait said again, placing the folder on her lap. «Can I ask you one more question? Do you have access to any information about the shelters in Zaun?»
«In Zaun?» Grayson thought for a moment. «Not much, just some reports that I get, but I do know the people in charge of the shelters from when we do patrols. If you tell them I sent you, they won't give you any trouble»
Caitlyn couldn't help but smile. «That would be great, thank you so much»
Grayson returned the gesture with a subtle smile at the corner of her lips. «You're welcome. I hope you find who you're looking for, and that it helps your parole girl»
Cait looked at her in surprise. «How...?»
A slight laugh betrayed the police chief. «Obviously, I was informed of the prisoners who were going to be granted leave, and it was easy to put two and two together if you're a parole officer and you're investigating that specific case»
Cait scratched her eyebrow unconsciously and felt the nerves that had plagued her all day begin to dissipate. «Yes... I'm sorry for not being more direct. I didn't know if there might be any resentment towards her in the departament»
«You don't have to worry about anything on my end. I feel somewhat guilty for abandoning the investigation and not finding out who she was until a few months ago» said Grayson, getting up from the chair and walking around the table to stand closer to Cait, who also got up to be at the same height. Grayson extended her hand. «So if you need anything else, don't hesitate to come see me»
Cait shook her hand, smiling. «Once again, thank you very much. I'll keep you posted»
«I'd like that» Grayson replied, accompanying Cait to the office door and closing it behind her after saying goodbye again.
Cait clutched the folder tightly to her chest as she walked down the hallway to the exit of the police station. At last, she had material to start working with.
--
It had been five days since Vi had arrived at the reinsertion center and she was already fucking fed up with it. Sharing a room was shit and the people there were even worse. On the second day, she almost screwed up when, after only a couple of minutes in the bathroom for taking a shower—finally alone, so she wanted to enjoy it—someone started banging on the door, more and more insistently. At first, she tried to ignore it, knowing she had time, but the noise made her more and more nervous until she finally opened the door angrily and confronted the woman standing in front of her, shouting in her face as she pushed her away from the door.
«WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?»
The woman, who looked tough but was quite thin and disheveled, backed away a little but didn't back down, facing Vi. «It's my turn to use the shower, rookie, so get out of the way» she said in a dismissive tone, pushing with her hand at Vi's bare arm—she had only had time to take off her shoes and T-shirt, so now she was standing in the hallway barefoot and in her bra—to get her away from the door.
Vi didn't like being touched. She hated it. In the last years, she had only been touched to be fucked with, to be hurt. So she couldn't help reacting the way she did, moving her arm away from the woman's touch and pushing the woman towards the opposite wall, grabbing her T-shirt with her fists on her chest and pulling up, making the woman stick more against the wall with a gesture that ranged between surprise and fear.
There was silence for a couple of seconds. Those in the hallway who had been whispering and laughing at the beginning of the interaction remained silent, watching what was happening.
But Vi didn't flinch; she was fully focused on the person she had trapped in front of her.
«Don't you dare touch me again» Vi hissed angrily, tightening her grip even more. «And as far as I know, I haven't seen any fucking sign with your name on it and this time, so don't come messing with me or we'll have a problem» she looked her in the eyes, watching as the other woman breathed more heavily, opening her lips but not making a sound.
They stood there, listening only to the sound of their breathing, until a commotion began to form around them. It was a whispered comment in the hallway— «the manager!»—that distracted Vi for a moment, causing her to look to her right, a movement that the other woman took advantage of to push her away and free herself, disappearing down the opposite hallway. Vi stood there, motionless, just looking at those who who remained in the hallway, her hands still clenched into fists at her sides.
Half a minute later, the manager's blonde head appeared in her field of vision from the stairs, glancing at those in the hallway and paying particular attention to Vi, who was still standing half-dressed in front of the bathroom door. Luckily, Vi thought, she didn't seem to notice the altercation because she simply commented «Don't make a mess in the hallway» as she turned towards her office «and turn off the light if you're not going to use the bathroom, it's not free» she said a little louder as she walked away.
Vi glanced around again and turned on her heel to go back into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. She leaned against the sink and took a deep breath, closing her eyes and trying to calm down. She couldn't let herself get carried away like this. It could get her into trouble and send her back to Stillwater. But she couldn't stop it. After so many years, her instincts had taken over.
She took another deep breath, slowly letting the air out as she opened her eyes to look at her reflection in the mirror. She couldn't even tell how long it had been since she had been able to do something as simple as this, look at her reflection in a mirror, observe her own facial features, which had changed so much over the years. Little remained of the face of that little girl who used to watch her mother comb her pink hair in front of the small bathroom mirror. Of the young girl who laughed and played with her little sister for hours. Now the image staring back at her from the mirror was almost unrecognizable, with more memories of their fights than of her previous life.
Would her sister recognize her when she found her? Would she recognize her own sister? She wanted to think so, because the image of her face was still alive in her memories and, above all, in her nightmares. What if she ran into her on the street and didn't recognize her? Even worse, what if she found her, but Powder didn't want to hear about her? What if she had forgotten her after all this time? What if she blamed her for abandoning her?
With each new thought, her brow furrowed deeper and deeper, and her hands clenched the ceramic sink as if they were about to break it at any moment. She closed her eyes and lowered her head, taking a deep breath for the third time, before shaking her head, stepping away from the sink and locking the door. She finished undressing and got into the shower.
At least she wanted to have this fucking moment in peace.
--
Vi hated being in the center, so she spent most of her days wandering the streets of Zaun, visiting the few places she remembered, hoping to see any familiar face. One in particular, to be exact.
The money from the Piltie had only been enough to buy her another change of clothes and some food, so one of the first things she did was look for work. She managed to get hired— a bit reluctantly, but with her physical condition, they couldn't refuse—at a local construction company that was now restoring buildings in the southern part of the city. It wasn't Vi's dream job, but at least she was paid for each day she worked—which was great for buying food for that night—and it made the days go by faster, even though she ended up exhausted, dirty, and with no time or energy to continue searching for information about her sister's whereabouts.
She didn't know where to start looking, had no idea where she could be, and had no contacts to ask. Her only options now were to find her by chance or hope that the Piltie would do her job.
It was on the sixth day, while she was changing clothes after finishing her shift, when she suddenly jumped at the sound of a melody coming from her backpack, frowning. Although she had been fiddling with her cell phone a bit, she couldn't quite get used, not knowing what to do with it, but she had decided to carry it with her—along with the rest of her few belongings— because she didn't want anyone from the damn center to steal it.
Of course, no one had called her in the last few days, so she knew who it was before she even picked up the phone. For a second, she thought about not answering, but she wanted to avoid an argument, so she picked up the phone and awkwardly put it to her ear. «Hello?»
A voice rang out on the other end. «Hi, Violet, it's Caitlyn. How's everything going? How have you been these past few days?»
Vi couldn't help rolling her eyes. «Great» she snorted, closing the locker and slinging her backpack over her shoulder as she left the container that served as a changing room.
A silence that was a little longer than normal preceded a «I'm glad of it» from the Piltie, in a neutral tone, before continuing, «I'll be in the area, so I thought I'd drop by and have our first meeting. Is 20 minutes at the center entrance okay for you?»
«It takes me 45 minutes to walk there» replied Vi. She had assumed that those damn meetings were mandatory, so she hadn't really expected to be asked if it was convenient for her, even if it was just a stupid thing. Besides, she didn't want to admit it, but deep down she didn't mind seeing the Piltie again. She had been the only one who had been nice to her, after all. And who knew if she might have new information.
Caitlyn hummed on the other side of the phone. «Which part of Zaun are you in?»
«In the southern part, near the docks. Am I not allowed to stray too far or something?» The last part sounded a little blunter than she intended.
She heard a small sigh through the speaker. «No, Violet, I was asking so that we could meet halfway» A few seconds of silence. «Follow the river and wait for me after the first bridge, near the shopping area. I'll be there as soon as I can» In the background, Vi heard the jingle of keys. She was halfway through saying «Oka-» when she heard the beep that indicated the call had ended. She took the phone away from her ear, stared at the screen until it went black again. Shrugging, she put the phone in her pocket and started walking.
--
Before she had even finished hanging up the phone, Cait was heading to her car, ready to drive to the meeting point she had given Violet. She didn't want to keep her waiting in case she was in a bad mood. Although the phone conversation had been brief, Cait could still sense the resentment in Violet's voice. She couldn't blame her, though.
Cait sighed lightly as she waited at a traffic light, unable to stop looking at the time on her navigation screen. She had calculated that Vi would take about 15 minutes from where she thought she was, based on what she had told her, and in theory, she could get there in the same amount of time, but the traffic in that part of town was crazy and she already knew she was going to be quite a bit late.
When she finally managed to cross the bridge, parking was easy—it was always easy to park in Zaun, few people could afford a car—and she headed toward the shopping district, looking for Vi among the crowd of people milling about. At first, she didn't see her until she moved away from the center of the street and spotted a flash of pink hair near the river, standing apart from the crowd, leaning on the railing with her hands in the center pocket of her sweatshirt—a new one, Cait noticed—and her eyes downcast, as if lost in thought. The same bag Cait had sent her before her release was lying on the ground next to her feet.
Cait watched her for a few seconds, wondering what was going through her mind, before heading over, announcing herself when she was still a few steps away so as not to startle her.
«Hi Violet, sorry I'm late, there was terrible traffic» she said, standing in front of her as Vi looked up and stared at her, saying nothing. «Have you been waiting long?»
Vi shook her head. «I just got here»
«Great» Cait agreed, a slight smile appearing on her lips, and suddenly she had an idea that might help lighten the mood. «Would you like something to drink? We can sit down or...» She left the thought hanging in the air, watching as Vi looked at her and then toward the end of the street, where all the people were gathered. Finally, she looked away to an indeterminate spot on the floor.
«I'm fine» she said, shrugging and lowering her voice considerably «there are too many people»
Cait fell silent, thoughtful, first looking at Vi and then in the same direction she had been looking, finishing forming the idea in her head. Vi didn't feel comfortable in large, crowded spaces; she would keep that in mind for the future. But that wasn't going to stop her from getting the coffee she so badly needed. She looked back at Vi.
«I'll get it. Do you like coffee?» she asked directly. Violet looked up, clearly confused.
«Wha- I... I don't know» she replied awkwardly, almost as if she were embarrassed.
Another thing she had missed trying in her life, Cait thought angrily.
«Wait here, I won't be long» she said as she walked away, heading straight for the café she had spotted at the beginning of the street, leaving a confused Vi behind, who looked at her, not understanding the situation at all. She had already decided of what drink to order for Violet and hoped she had chosen the right one.
--
Without taking her eyes off the direction in which she had lost sight of the Piltie, Vi stood thoughtfully, reflecting on how their brief conversation had gone. She hadn't expected that reaction from the woman, her change of attitude after her comment. She had said it without thinking, she didn't see it as anything strange because it had always happened to her, crowds made her nervous and now, after her years in prison, she viewed them with even more suspicion because you couldn't control who was around you or what their intentions were.
Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice anyone approaching her until a plastic cup came into her field of vision. Looking up, she saw Cait offering it to her with a small smile. «I hope I got it right. If not, I can get you something else»
Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Vi took the cup awkwardly and looked at it for a few seconds, murmuring a «thank you» The cup was warm and heated her hands, and a sweet smell wafted up from the opening in the lid. Cait shook her head gently and leaned next to her on the railing, taking a sip of her coffee. «It's nothing, go ahead, try it»
She glanced at her and then back at the cup in her hands, bringing it to her lips and taking a sip. She couldn't help but open her eyes wide, surprised by a flavour she thought she had forgotten. Cait had brought her a cup of hot chocolate, sweet and creamy, which awakened all her taste buds and, for a second, transported her back to those times when her mother would bring them small bars of chocolate to share while they laughed and played. She lowered the cup again, blinking rapidly to chase away the moisture she had noticed in her eyes and licking her lips.
«Thank you» she said again, this time in a louder voice, her eyes downcast. «It's—it's good»
Cait smiled wider and took another sip of her coffee. «Next time we can try and see if you like coffee» she said, more as a comment than a question, because she continued talking. «How have you been lately? Anything new?»
Vi kept her eyes fixed on the lid of the cup she was holding, digging her fingernail into the rim, responding with a shrug. «I got a job at a construction company» She didn’t have much else to tell him. That the residence was shit? Yes, but telling her that wasn’t going to change anything. The fight? Obviously, she wasn’t going to be stupid enough to give herself away.
«That's great, Violet» Cait said with a relieved tone. «It's very beneficial for you that they see your effort right from the start. We'll find something better for you if it's not your thing»
Silence fell between them again, with Vi thinking about how to broach the subject that really interested her, the one she hoped the Piltie would bring up, but she didn't seem very willing to do so. Finally, after taking another sip of her drink, she opted for the simplest question.
«What about you?»
She knew that the woman wasn't stupid, that she would understand perfectly, that her interest was in a specific direction, and it became clear enough when she heard her sigh, knowing there would be no good news.
«I'm continuing to investigate» she began. «I spoke to the police chief, and she gave me some material to start with, but I'm not making as much progress as I'd like. It's been a long time, and before, the bureaucracy in Zaun was, well... lacking» she let out another small sigh. «As soon as I have something clear, I'll let you know, I promise» Vi felt her gaze fixed on her, but she kept her eyes on her hands. «I called you to meet up because I had to come to this part of the river to visit the shelter centres around here, to see if any of them still have the old files»
Those last words made Vi raise her head as if she had been shocked, responding instantly, leaving the half-empty glass resting on the ledge next to her. «I'm coming with you»
Cait took a deep breath. «Violet... it's not a good idea. I'll call you as soon as I'm done and tell you everything, okay?»
Vi frowned and stepped away from the railing, annoyed. «Why not? It's my sister you're looking for. I have a right to go» Her tone and her gaze showed the anger building up inside her.
«I know, I understand, but it's better if I go alone. I don't know how things will turn out, and if there's any kind of problem, it's better if you're not involved» Cait, for her part, tried to remain calm, speaking slowly. «Don't give them any reason to take away what you've achieved, Violet»
This caused Vi to make a sound that was a mixture of an ironic laugh and a snort. She took a few steps away from Cait, turning her back to her, and clasped her hands behind her neck as she lowered her head. «What I've achieved...» she said in a sarcastic tone, then muttered more to herself than to anyone else, «A fucking shit I've achieved....”
With her breathing racing and her mind spinning, Vi stood still, unable to focus on a single rational thought, until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Instinctively, she turned and looked around nervously, searching for the source of the danger, clearly on the defensive. But all she saw was Cait with her hand in the air, looking at her with concern.
«I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you» she whispered, lowering her hand. Cait waited until Vi's breathing had steadied a little before speaking again. «I really think it's the sensible thing to do. We don't know yet if there's anyone upset about your release who might be looking for excuses to accuse you. I'm doing everything I can, I promise, and as soon as I have any leads, I'll let you know» She had used a calm but firm tone, making it clear that she wasn't going to change her mind. Vi watched her silently for a few seconds before snorting and leaning back against the railing, this time looking out toward the water, her forearms resting on the top edge and her head bowed toward her hands.
Arguing with the Piltie would get her nowhere, and if she made her angry, things could get much worse. She had been patient enough with her already, Vi thought. She had no choice but to wait for her to provide the promised information. If she didn't receive anything, she would go after it herself, by any means necessary. As long as she didn't mess things up too badly, the people of Zaun would never call the police. They didn't want the police around here — in Zaun, problems were solved the Zaun way. However, if the Piltie was right and someone was watching her, she would have to be careful.
Vi noticed that Cait also leaned back against the railing and remained silent for a few more minutes before speaking in a low but meaningful tone. «I'll do everything I can to find her»
Vi raised her head and tilted it to look at her, observing her profile, before turning her gaze back to the front and looking at the river and the city on the other side, buildings that exemplified those who had once taken everything from her but somehow, now also began to remind her of the person who, in a way, seemed to care about her well-being and that of her sister.
Vi took a deep breath and let it out through her nose, saying nothing, but knowing that no response was necessary for the woman beside her to understand her intentions. The silences between them were constant, but not necessarily uncomfortable. They seemed to convey more with them than with words themselves.
The silence lasted for a few more minutes before Cait broke it again, stepping away from the railing. «Come on, I'll take you back to the residence before I have to go»
The mere thought of going back so early to that shithole turned her stomach. Stepping away from the railing, she turned and shook her head. «I'd rather walk»
Cait looked at her. «Are you sure? I don't mind giving you a ride, we're still pretty far away»
Vi bent down to pick up the bag from the ground and slung it over her shoulder, putting her hands back in her sweatshirt pocket. «I'm sure» She preferred to walk, clear her head and gather her thoughts, and get there just in time to shower and sleep. She would eat something on the way and could ask for more information if she met someone reasonably nice and not too drunk.
Cait pursed her lips, but ended up nodding, slipping her hand into her pants pocket. «By the way, here» she said, handing her an envelope, «your allowance for this week»
Vi reached out to take it, putting it in her own pocket. «Thanks»
«I'll call you later to let you know how it went»
Vi nodded, not quite sure what to expect. «Well, see ya» she said before turning and starting to walk away, knowing without looking back that a pair of eyes were fixed on her back, watching her until she disappeared among the crowd.
--