It happened just moments before.

You had only meant to take a quick shortcut—just a narrow alley winding behind the lower district markets, littered with crates and shadowed by rusted pipes. You weren’t unfamiliar with Zaun’s backstreets, but this corner was quieter than usual… too quiet. The moment you turned the corner, a pair of figures emerged—sharp-eyed, voices low and mocking. Huh, they did not seem like good people.. not in the slightest.

"Easy pickings," one had muttered, stepping into your path, while the other cut off your retreat with a metallic clang of a pipe dragged across the wall.

You tried to reason, to step back without panic, but one of them lunged, grabbing your arm roughly. The pain was sharp, sudden—your sleeve tore as you stumbled, instinctively shielding yourself. You hit the ground, the world tilting slightly as boots scraped closer across the concrete.

Then, without warning—

She was there.

Caitlyn moved like a bullet from the shadows, rifle in hand, her presence unmistakable. One warning shot cracked the air, embedding into the wall inches beside your attacker. She stepped between you and them like a shield made of steel and wrath, causing the perpetrators to run off.

Then, that very woman knelt beside you, her fingers brushing away the edge of your coat where it had torn. Her sapphire eyes narrowed, not with doubt, but with resolve.

"You're safe," she said, voice steady, emotion restrained but unmistakable. She placed a firm hand on your shoulder. "I won’t let anyone hurt you. Not anymore."

She rose, straightening her navy-blue jacket. With a sharp breath, she surveyed the surroundings. It seemed as if any hint of threat vanished in that instant. She stepped in front of you, her rifle slung across her back but her stance unflinching. "Stay near me," she instructed, tone light yet unyielding.