video, un: hopscotch

[clavesregni]

[Caitlyn enthusiastically shows off a small wooden box. Visible on the lid is an insignia of a Minaras governmental medical facility. Over Caitlyn's shoulder is a redhead looking wholly uninspired by this discovery.]

This was found following an altercation with a group of drunk individuals. One man was tall, must have been a little over six feet, with a blond beard, head shaved, and some sort of tattoo visible on his neck. Another was a few inches shorter, clean-shaven and close-cropped black hair, wearing a rather ostentatious, if tattered, blue coat. The third was a few inches shorter still, also clean-shaven, with long brown hair tied in a ponytail and several scars along the length of his forearms.

[Vi rolls her eyes as Caitlyn rattles off these descriptions. Caitlyn, oblivious, continues:] Does anyone know who these men might have been? If they could be identified, they could perhaps be located and questioned as to how a box belonging to a medical facility came into their possession.

[Vi mutters,] Probably going to sell whatever it is to the highest bidder.

[At the interruption, Caitlyn glances over her shoulder to respond to Vi. Her tone is less critical and more like she's excited to brainstorm possible motivations.] We can't assume that.

[Caitlyn turns back to the contents of the box.] Yes. Um. There are herbs inside, they smell-- [She takes a whiff, wrinkling her nose.] --earthy. Musky. And faintly of fruit. And... [She smells again, and a horrified look crosses her face, as though she's just smelled the most odious smell imaginable. She quickly moves the box further away from herself, looking at it as though it's done her a great personal wrong.] Urine.

[Vi shouldn't look so amused at the posh description, but she does.

Caitlyn holds up a few of the whole dried leaves and flowers: foxglove, wisteria, passion flower, and valerian. There is a small sack visible inside the box containing more herbs ground up.]

Are there any herbalists in the group who might be able to identify these? What purpose could these serve, either individually or in combination?

[Vi leans in closer and says,] And by the way, I need to talk to the resident hextech genius.



[ooc: for the herbalists out there, this combination of herbs leads to memory loss]

Comments

[clavesregni]

[She reaches out and tries to take the box back.] What's that face for? Have you got any other ideas as to how or why the box was tampered with?

[faceblocker]

[ She pulls it back a little more, her grip over the lid like a vice. It's been identified, why tempt fate? ]

We don't know for sure that it was tampered with.

[ Says the one who has watched her undercity tamper with so many things. Not like Piltover didn't, either. ]

[clavesregni]

[She tightens her grip on the box even though there's no way she wins a tug-of-war. It's a Clue. She's got to collect all the clues.]

You think this combination of herbs was procured from a medical facility? [She's skeptical, but not dismissive.] Why would a medical facility want to distribute something that causes memory loss?

[faceblocker]

I think you shouldn't be so quick to assume that Minaras is innocent.

[ Vi lets go, but she's ready to take it again if Caitlyn starts sticking her nose back in it. She can't believe Caitlyn would have just returned it right to the medical facility... ]

You want someone to forget when you've made a mistake, right? So who's trying to hide their fuck-up? And what is it? [ A soft sigh. ] I should have followed one of those guys. I didn't think it'd be anything like this...

[clavesregni]

[She considers for a long moment, fingers tapping against the box, before nodding. Yes, she'd been ready to assume Minaras' innocence. Or at least the innocence of Minaras' doctors and nurses. Members of those professions are sworn to help people and save lives, not...

Not whatever this is.]

Hide their fuck-ups. Or control people. [Another glance down at the box.] We'll track them down, if we need to. If you truly believe the medical facility is behind this, we ought to start by questioning the staff.

[faceblocker]

[ It's interesting hearing Caitlyn swear. Almost gets a smile. ]

I'm not saying they are....but it wouldn't surprise me.

[ Neither would it surprise her that someone underground altered it, but Caitlyn's assumption just proves how differently they see things. At least Vi isn't against 'questioning' anyone who may be involved, to which she'll nod in agreement. ]

[clavesregni]

[While Vi is utterly block-headed and reckless and foolish, and while Caitlyn is reluctant to place suspicion on an upstanding medical facility, she's willing to trust Vi's instincts. Vi's smarter than her muscles would suggest, Caitlyn knows, and Vi has a familarity with places like the Mouse House. More so then Caitlyn, certainly.

She returns Vi's nod.] If there's more of this concoction out there, time may be a factor. Perhaps we ought to divide our forces, cover more ground. You look for those men, and I'll make my way to the facility.

[She's reluctant to leave Vi, but their talents may be best suited to divergent goals.]

[faceblocker]

How do you plan on getting into the facility? Your badge isn't gonna open any doors or get anyone to talk.

[ Caitlyn shouldn't go alone, really. Vi isn't so quick to trust anyone in the group to work well with her, either, but not all of their fake identities have to be useless, do they? ]

Maybe someone in our group has access.

[clavesregni]

I'll manage.

[Caitlyn is hardly in the mood to admit she needs help with anything or that there's anything she can't do. Not when she's convinced that Vi thinks she's delicate and weak and needs protecting. Especially given that this particular situation will only involve asking a few questions of doctors and shouldn't be at all difficult, even if her badge is meaningless here.

In her estimation, she's given Vi the more difficult task. The more dangerous one, certainly.

She frowns, taking a small step closer to Vi.]

You'll be careful?

[faceblocker]

Me? I'm always careful.

[ Vi isn't convinced by Caitlyn's insistence, and her expression makes that clear. Vi's seen 'Matilda', so she's a little worried about just what Caitlyn's plans are when it comes to infiltration. She's also not very excited about running around town looking for a couple of drunks, but it is something she's better equipped for.

She'll glance to the box Caitlyn's holding, reaching like she might just take it again, before gently taking her wrist. Not quite holding it, but letting her thumb brush the inside of her wrist (soft) in passing. She's seen Caitlyn survive things her fellow enforcers couldn't handle, so for now Vi will have to rely on that knowledge. Maybe Caitlyn needs this. Vi feels reluctant to deny her too much, knowing what she does about a future Caitlyn has yet to see. ]

If there's trouble, don't forget about the watch. I'll be there before you know it.

[clavesregni]

[That earns a raised eyebrow and a skeptical,] Of course. [Vi is the least cautious person with whom Caitlyn has ever interacted. And that look on her face... Well, Caitlyn is determined to prove her wrong. She'll get the information she needs from the medical facility without any issues.

Caitlyn's grip tightens on the box, but she doesn't pull away, if anything moving into the touch on her wrist.

Despite having resolved not to ask for help, she nods. And despite knowing that Vi likely won't need help, and wouldn't ask for it if she did, she says,] You can call on me, too. Should you need to.

[She takes a hesitant breath before wrapping her arms around Vi's shoulders. Another parting, but this one will hopefully be brief.]

I'll meet you back at Madam Mariol's.

[faceblocker]

[ Vi's embarrassment would be maxed out if she needed help with something like this, but it's comforting to know that Caitlyn's voice or face is just a little click away. Whatever kind of tech these pocket watches use, they'll need to make sure to bring it with them back home.

She hates these hugs, only because once Caitlyn's this close, Vi is afraid to let go again. The grip around Caitlyn's middle is a little more desperate than it needs to be, knowing they'll see each other again soon. She might be a little concerned for Caitlyn's success rate when it comes to thinking outside the box, but she's better at it than anyone else from Piltover. She was the only one to make the right connections to Silco, after all. Vi doesn't doubt her will, so whatever happens, she'll figure it out.

Still, her fingers clench against Caitlyn's shirt, pressing between her shoulder blades and letting the moment stand still while the undercity mills about around them. ]

Yeah.

[ Vi figures that if she doesn't hear from Caitlyn in a couple hours, it will be easy enough to check on her. Reluctantly, she pulls back. ]

If you run into any trouble, just think "What would Vi do?" and you'll be golden. [ She starts to turn, only to whip back around with a sheepish smile and her hand lifted in caution. Vi knows her own track record. It's horrible advice. ] No, wait, don't do that. Just, you know... Don't let anyone corner you.

[clavesregni]

[Caitlyn's grip tightens as she feels the pressure of Vi's hands against her back. Some small part of her is terrified that if she lets go, she'll never see Vi again. So she lets the hug go on for as long as Vi will allow it, breathing in Vi's scent, enjoying the warmth and the comfort of the hug, before dropping her arms as Vi pulls away.]

I'll be sure to think that, and do the opposite. [She smiles softly. And she can't help but tease a little, too.] Perhaps you could think "What would Caitlyn do?"

[faceblocker]

[ The offense played in how she frowns is exaggerated, taking the jab gracefully enough to grin only seconds later. ]

I can think of worse people I'd want to emulate.

[ She gently taps under Caitlyn's chin, just a little flick, before hopping back and tugging her hood over her head. With a little hop from one foot to the other and a little spin, Vi gestures up and down at herself with a buoyant little smirk. ]

I mean me, of course. What can go wrong? I'll see you and the brats before dinner.

[clavesregni]

[A faint blush spreads across her cheeks as Vi flicks her chin, her fingers clenching around the small box tightly, awkwardly. Every time Vi touches her, it sets off something in the pit of her stomach, nervous and strange and excited.

She shakes her head at Vi's self-depricating joke. She'd meant to tease Vi, she hadn't meant for Vi to take it seriously.]

There are far worse people to emulate than you.

[All traces of teasing or irony are gone from her voice. Yes, Vi often seems to be led by her fists, or whatever part of her anatomy compels her to jump off of roofs and the edge of cliffs. But Caitlyn knows that when it comes to the choices that really matter, Vi will follow her heart, and her heart won't lead her wrong.]

I'll see you there. [It's a request, come back to me in one piece, and a promise, I'll find my way back to you, no matter what happens.]

[faceblocker]

[ Vi would agree in some ways, with her poor humor only being half-hearted. She trusts that she can manage something like this, or a fight. Trusting herself not to fuck up something important? She used to have a lot more confidence in that before she saw everything blown sky high.

So her smile is small, but cheeky. The jokes also keep her from confronting her concern, her nerves. Circumstance keeps preventing them from making it far in certain discussions regarding gauntlets and hexgems, and Vi hasn't done much to make time for explanation. She didn't like the way Caitlyn started to look when on that train. Vi knows that whatever she was feeling is still there, just under the surface, but for now Vi enjoys the little moments that aren't ominous. Like that little blush. Something to think about later.

She nods at the farewell, parting with a little wink of assurance. Vi has no plans to let anyone down today (or ever again, for that matter). ]

I'll get the milk on the way back.

[ With her hoodie up, it's remarkable how quickly Vi can disappear into the crowds. ]