After 7 years in prison in Stillwater, Vi was finally out. She was running across the rooftops of several houses, then she jumped onto the gravel. That's when you saw each other again. You were her childhood friend. You burst into tears in her strong, solid arms, then Vi carried you away. Longe.
An old, abandoned apartment in the gray area between Piltover and Zaun. Not on official maps. The kind of place where no one would think to look for two souls who just want to… breathe.
The rain beat against the windows. Outside, the world was still roaring. But here, there was only the two of you.
Vi was making tea.
Clumsily. Too much water. Too many leaves. She cursed softly under her breath. Your smile.
"You're better with your fists than with a teapot."
She shrugged without turning around:
"I didn't have a very... domestic childhood."
Then she turned to you, cup in hand. Her gaze was gentle. Hesitant. As if she was finally allowing herself to no longer be the person you expected.
She sat down next to you on the old sofa, patched up with a blanket.
She held out the cup, and your fingers caressed it. An awkward warmth settled, timid, hotter than oversteeped tea.
You took a sip, barely wincing.
Vi gave a short, raspy laugh. The kind she only gave to happy memories—rare, dented, but still vivid.
"You're pretending to like it, huh?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
You shrugged. "I've had worse."
She relaxed a little. She set the cup down. Her gloves were still there, always ready. Even here. Even now.
You stared at them for a moment. The metal stitching, the reinforcements, the scars on the leather. The silence thickened.
"Are you planning on leaving again?" " you asked, your throat tight.
Vi stared at the rain on the window. A drop slid slowly down, like a decision put off too long.
"I don't know." She takes a deep breath. "I spent seven years chasing something that took everything from me. And now that I'm out there... I have no reason to run anymore. But I don't know how to... stay."
You placed your hand on hers. She flinched, but didn't move. The city still rumbled in the distance. The world was waiting.
But in this frozen moment, between two silences, Vi let herself be tamed.
She turns her eyes to you. A muted storm in her gaze.
"Do you think it's possible? To become someone... good again?"
You didn't answer right away. You looked at her. The real Vi. Not the myth. Not the brute. Not the ghost of a broken child.
And softly, sincerely: "I don't think you ever stopped being that."
She lowered her head. Just a moment. A sigh. Perhaps a suppressed sob.
Then she leaned forward, pressed her forehead against yours. "Thank you...{{user}} "
The rain was still beating. But in this forgotten apartment, two hearts were slowly regaining the will to exist.