gold only made my skin cold - Rated T, 2.5k words. There's a rumor a buried weapon in Zaun possesses the power Caitlyn needs to exact her vengeance. If only she knew the price to wield it.
Chembaron Caitlyn Week continues with a Darkin AU!! Such a super fun and sick concept by @noxtato
Caitlyn Kiramman, inmate 616, arrested for the murder of two Enforcers and the suspected murder of her parents. Only, that wasn't quite right at all. Caitlyn insisted over and over that it was self defense, she didn't know they were Enforcers, and even if she did, it changes nothing, they killed her parents, so she grabbed the gun her mother dropped and shot them dead. It took all the strength she had after they nearly killed her too. Barely had a chance to get patched up before more of Marcus' men burst through the large front doors, shouting and screaming at her to get on the ground. There was no energy left to fight, and hardly any will. Her parents were dead, and any illusions she had that the Enforcers were meant to be the good guys were killed in that moment. Caitlyn Kiramman, inmate 616, had lost any sense of hope she had in the world. And when the shock died down, that hope was replaced with pain and a mighty thirst for vengeance, for justice.
9 hours in Clip Studio Paint Pro with an XP-Pen 15.6 Artist Pro tablet.
Caitlyn blinked and shook her head a few times to try to get rid of the sting behind her eyes, at the same time feeling a wave of convulsion wash over her from head to toe. Once the writhing had subsided, Caitlyn could swear her clothes felt more constrictive on her body.
When she opened her eyes, she saw something akin to cobwebs for a few seconds. She looked downwards as her eyes adjusted to the surroundings, noticing her legs had visibly bulked up, but not to the point where the pants would come apart.
The fabric of her shirt confined certain movements as Caitlyn moved her arms around to admire the newly gained muscles. She grabbed the microphone with a bit too much strength, provoking some feedback before speaking.
“I have the pleasure of announcing that I am feeling,” she started, looking at the attentive crowd with pink-colored eyes, her tone turning seductive on the last word, “fantastic.”
Warnings: Substance abuse
Can be read either on ao3 or under the cut!
“Tonight, we’ve gathered to celebrate the new direction Shimmering Desires is taking,” a voice boomed from across the spacious room, turning the heads of patrons sitting at the numerous tables scattered across the space.
Caitlyn Kiramman, the new leader of the aforementioned Zaunite business, stood behind a golden microphone on the stage at the front of the room. Clad in brown slacks supported by elegant leather suspenders draping over a white button-up shirt, she held a glass of pink liquid that shone bright thanks to the colorful neon lighting that cut through the haze of cigarette smoke suffusing the space.
She rolled the glass in her hand as the speech continued, trying to drown out the anxiety of having her first public appearance in front of the very people who were going to benefit from, and even market her family’s innovations.
“For decades, my parents have conducted the business with great effort, achieving exceptional results without involving third parties. However, as you all may have heard,” Caitlyn started, nodding once to steel herself and shifting into a more somber tone, “Cassandra Kiramman is no longer among us.”
A few people gasped, while others simply took their hats off and brought them to their chests, allowing for a moment of silence for one of the most prolific Chembarons the Undercity had ever seen.
Caitlyn brought her hand to her chest and looked at the patrons who’d come to the grand opening of the speakeasy. Most of them had gained their fortunes by sucking up to Cassandra, yet didn’t even care enough to notice that she’d been missing from the public eye for a while.
They were no different from the protégés who had disgraced Cassandra’s name in Piltover. At the end of the day, those who’d made a name for themselves through her family gave no shits about having used it as a stepping stone. No matter where they came from.
It was disgusting to think that now Caitlyn had to stand in front of them, endure their farcical show of respect while trying to come to terms that these were going to be her business associates from now on. Exactly a minute later, she broke the silence.
“My mother’s brilliance will not be equaled. Her sudden departure has left behind shoes that not many would be able to fill on their own. As such, my father and I have agreed to handpick a few illustrious minds to help bridge the gap between the excellence and success of Shimmering Desires, and that of Zaun.”
A rumble of curious murmuring spread slowly throughout the room until Tobias stood up from one of the tables close to the stage. He took a moment to make his presence known by turning towards the guests and clapping loud enough to stop the restless voices.
Several figures from Tobias’s table made their way onto the stage when he had indicated with one hand for them to do so. One by one, they introduced themselves by name and role while the guests remained silent.
When the introductions ended and no reaction surfaced from the public, Caitlyn reclaimed the microphone from the last speaker with a strong, albeit anxious grip.
Caitlyn had this fear that the kind of patrons who’ve abused her mother’s kindness wouldn’t warm up that quickly to the new face of the Kiramman name. She was not shocked at the lack of reaction to her words tonight, but disappointed nonetheless.
After letting the new partners introduce themselves, she’d started doubting whether the decision to let others so closely to family affairs had been a good idea. Although good at their craft, these scientists and businesspeople were all still an untrustworthy bunch.
A silent sigh left Caitlyn’s mouth, and she blinked once, slowly, before letting go of the microphone. Whatever may come, this would be the moment that would set her public image for the future.
“To commemorate the inception of our collaboration, as well as the opening of this fine establishment,” she said, gesturing at the room with her hand, “I am honored to be the first to have a drink of my father’s newest concoction, ‘Shimmer Delight’!”
“Erm, what’s so special about it?” someone from the crowd asked.
Caitlyn looked in the direction of the voice, finding a smiling middle-aged man playing with his mustache.
“Didn’t you know, pink sells nowadays!” someone else exclaimed mockingly.
Laughter filled the room, and Caitlyn felt like someone had kicked her in the stomach. But she couldn’t show any signs of weakness in front of these people. She had to be strong, and looked at her father’s encouraging face to regain her bravado.
Then, she cleared her throat and replied, “Well, I am very glad you’ve asked! As you all know, Shimmer usage has been on the rise for illegal activities lately.”
“And?” the guy from before asked and crossed his arms.
“And… Imagine those working for you getting strong and agile without you worrying they’re going to go on a rampage and cause damage to your business! This right here,” Caitlyn said, lifting the glass she was holding, “is the key to that. A stable version of Shimmer that, with responsible consumption, should aid in much more than pit fighting.”
Exclamations of disbelief and incredulity populated the room.
Caitlyn waited for the commotion to subside. Then, with a smirk to the public, she raised the glass into the air, exclaiming “Time to find out, then!” and brought it to her mouth.
Though as thin as wine, the liquid made its way to Caitlyn’s stomach with difficulty, requiring short breaks in between chugs. It burned so badly that she could visually imagine flames traversing through her while the guests watched the demonstration in awe.
Her gaze narrowed down to the glass in her hand as her fingers started twitching imperceptibly. Faint purple coursed through the veins on her hand and she watched the pulsating skin with fascination.
She was so captivated that she didn’t even notice the shattered glass whose shards hadn’t even left a scratch on her hand. The gasps of wonder from the public went by unnoticed, too.
Caitlyn blinked and shook her head a few times to try to get rid of the sting behind her eyes, at the same time feeling a wave of convulsion wash over her from head to toe. Once the writhing had subsided, Caitlyn could swear her clothes felt more constrictive on her body.
When she opened her eyes, she saw something akin to cobwebs for a few seconds. She looked downwards as her eyes adjusted to the surroundings, noticing her legs had visibly bulked up, but not to the point where the pants would come apart.
The fabric of her shirt confined certain movements as Caitlyn moved her arms around to admire the newly gained muscles. She grabbed the microphone with a bit too much strength, provoking some feedback before speaking.
“I have the pleasure of announcing that I am feeling,” she started, looking at the attentive crowd with pink-colored eyes, her tone turning seductive on the last word, “fantastic.”
The neon lights piercing her eyes made it hard to see people’s reaction. But she didn’t care to know it. Her role here was to convince people her family was still relevant in this ever-changing world.
“Our new drink can be found at the bar, for those brave enough to venture into its embrace,” she said, and stepped down from the stage as everyone hurried to empty their pockets on her father’s invention.
The sudden eruption of excited voices and cogs being thrown around at the bar had flooded Caitlyn’s ears so much that the room started feeling heavy, dizzying. She needed a break from the commotion, from her new responsibilities, from the reality that her mother was truly gone now.
Caitlyn didn’t want to spend one more moment among these mongrels tonight.
With inhumane speed, Caitlyn made her way outside the building. By putting her foot outside the entrance door and closing it behind herself, she’d already managed to escape the crowd’s cacophony.
In the distance, however, Zaun’s busy districts were still loud enough to flood Caitlyn’s ears with unpleasant discord. After spending a few agonizing minutes alone in front of the bar to calm herself down, the remaining adrenaline provoked the urge for her to run towards the very source of said discord.
How could she not, when the lights emanating from the shopping district were tingling her eyes with such taunting fuzz?
Citizens looked at her fleeting form questioningly as she sped through the busy streets, raising dust into the air with every hurried step.
Caitlyn’s eyes couldn’t keep up with everything being so bright in such close proximity, and she was thankful people couldn’t notice her struggle to keep them open. Her ears had started ringing from the overwhelm of the busy night life, making her question why people would want to subject themselves to such debilitating side-effects.
It was only when hearing something completely different that she could regain some focus. She ran towards the music, its words becoming clearer and clearer with each step.
🎶 Rebel girl, rebel girl, you are the queen of my world 🎶
She stopped running when ending up in front of a two-story building. At ground level, several shops and service centers ensured the street would be kept alive while the tenants upstairs would go about their nightly activities.
🎶 I think I wanna take you home 🎶
With barely one step taken towards the building, Caitlyn had become mesmerized. The transparent glass doors of a business revealed a room covered in pastel pink neon lights, their particles dancing harmoniously in front of her eyes like a wave tumbling in the Pilt.
“Beautiful night, isn’t it?” someone asked from a few feet away.
Caitlyn turned her head to the left, trying to place the feminine voice. “I beg your pardon?”
The stranger’s lips turned upwards, the shiny snakebites on her chin following suit. “I said, what are you doing here on this beautiful night?”
For a few seconds, Caitlyn’s eyes stayed fixated on the stranger’s bandage-wrapped hand bringing a cigarette to plump lips coated in a dash of pale red. The stranger sucked some of it into her lungs, holding in her breath for a moment before exhaling in puffs of big white circles.
A wisp of smoke drifted past Caitlyn’s nose, provoking a slight sneeze from her. The stranger chuckled and shook her head, waiting for a reply with mirth in her gaze.
“What am I doing here?” Caitlyn asked. She quickly sized up the stranger a few times, looking twice at the tattoos adorning her neck and muscular arms. She may have felt her cheeks gain a new color while stealing a few glances at the perfectly circular belt buckle situated way below its usual spot on some ragged striped pants. “What are you doing here?”
The last remainders of ash fell from the cigarette onto the asphalt. “I work here,” the stranger replied, casually discarding the cigarette butt and extinguishing it under her work boot.
“What exactly is it that you do?” Caitlyn asked, stealing more glances at the stranger’s body. While everything around the two of them was pulsating in ambiguous shapes, the stranger and her workplace were the only clear things Caitlyn could perceive.
“I tattoo people.”
Caitlyn’s eyes widened. “You paint people’s skin… With permanence?”
The stranger licked at her lips, attempting to stifle a laugh. “You could say that. Well, have a good night. I gotta get back inside, break’s over.”
Her muscular frame started making it through the glass doors, and before Caitlyn could think twice about it, her hand darted out to grab the stranger’s arm, tugging her back with surprising force.
The stranger froze, her head turning around slowly. Her eyes flickered to the hand grasping her arm, and then back to Caitlyn’s eyes, an unspoken challenge in the gaze. Danger, it said, Back off.
“I would like you to work on a piece for me,” Caitlyn said, staring into the stranger’s eyes.
The one thing Cassandra had told her daughter was to never blemish her flesh with tattoos and augments, the way many did in Zaun. Like the rebel she was, however, Caitlyn had been fantasizing of using her body as a canvas of glory. She had the perfect design in mind, and tonight was as good as any to begin her journey.
The stranger’s gaze shifted from Caitlyn’s eyes to get a good glance at the rest of her, lingering on the pink pulsating through Caitlyn’s hand. Then, she looked back into hopeful, bright pink eyes before her face turned sour. “Now?”
“There’s no better time, is there?”
“Your eyes, your hands… that looks like Shimmer to me.”
With her lips turning into a wicked smile, Caitlyn nodded once in affirmation.
The stranger shook her head disapprovingly and murmured “Come back when you’re sober,” before trying again to enter the studio. The grip on her forearm prevented her from moving away, however.
“Wait a moment, please. I’m feeling adequate.”
“Sure you are,” the stranger said, snorting. “And you’ll be waking everyone up with your screams once my machines touch you.”
Caitlyn looked upwards at the residential apartments, squinting at the blur, and then back down to the stranger. “I believe there isn’t one apartment in this building that has its lights off.”
“So what? Just because people aren’t sleeping doesn’t mean they don’t need quiet to relax after working their asses off all day.”
“Why did you set up your business here then, if you’re so concerned with peaceful evenings?”
“You don’t know how much effort it takes to rent a place anywhere here, do you?” the stranger asked with a sigh.
Caitlyn squinted as she considered the stranger’s situation. She craved getting that tattoo, now. Surely, she could afford to make an irrefusable offer in order to get it. “Perhaps I don’t understand your struggle. But should you do a good job, I could assist you in relocating to a more appropriate space.”
The stranger's brows furrowed in confusion before asking, “And who are you, to make such promises?”
“You will soon find out… If you can trust me enough to rise to the opportunity, that is.”
“Trusting a complete stranger with the future of something I’ve spent my entire life building… what could go wrong?” the stranger asked, rolling her eyes.
“Think about what could happen, should you ignore my benevolence.”
Only the song from inside the studio could be heard as the two ladies stared each other down, neon blue boring into steel grey until the latter succumbed to defeat.
“Fine. But don’t close my business down if you wake up tomorrow and find out you didn’t want this,” the stranger said, rolling her eyes.
“You have my word that I will not,” Caitlyn promised with a comically wide grin, jokingly bringing her arm up into a salute.
The stranger shook her arm out of Caitlyn’s grasp, now that it had weakened. “Follow me, then,” she said as she opened the door to the studio and stepped in.
Caitlyn followed suit, then stood awkwardly in the middle of the studio while the stranger flipped a sign on the doors. She took in the place, considering it almost too sterile for Zaun.
“So, what did you have in mind?” the stranger asked while pulling thick, black curtains over the doors. She then turned to face Caitlyn, and crossed her arms in expectation.
“My body shall become a canvas of glory, in time.”
“Gotta give it to you pal, your vocabulary is quite colorful. ‘A canvas of glory’,” she repeated with a snort, trying, and very much failing, to imitate the posh accent.
Caitlyn cocked an eyebrow, mirroring the stranger’s pose in defensiveness. “If you believe your behavior won’t be playing a role in me aiding you, you are mistaken.”
“And if you think I’ll be changing my behavior at the whims of rich people, you’re also mistaken,” the stranger replied, her voice more high-pitched than before, her body stiff.
Caitlyn hummed as she wondered if she was pushing the stranger a bit too much. Considering taking it down a notch, she uncrossed her arms. “Fair enough. Tonight though, I would like you to paint the top of my back with something that will honor my family.”
The stranger went to sit at a desk where some drawing tools lay scattered. She picked one of the sharpened crayons up and hovered it over a paper, then looked at Caitlyn through long eyelashes. “And that is…”
“A test tube half-filled with Shimmer, with fumes coming out at the top,” Caitlyn started while walking towards the desk.
She waited for the stranger to finish drawing it, and then continued, “The tube lies protected by two golden keys that cross each other.”
When the stranger’s hand suddenly stopped, Caitlyn took a handkerchief out of her pocket and put it on the desk, spreading it out so that her family’s crest would be visible.
“Here, the symbol that my family’s held for centuries now.”
The stranger studied the labyrinth-like shapes that adorned the handkerchief, tracing them with a finger. “Gotcha,” she said and resumed drawing.
Only the music kept them company until the stranger finished drawing and turned to face Caitlyn with an excited look. “What do you think?”
Caitlyn looked at the paper with a finger pressed to her chin, humming. A few moments later, she murmured “Perfect,” after which she got invited to make herself comfortable on the bed.
The shirt got discarded onto the bed, while the brown leather suspenders ended up on the headrest. Caitlyn lay with her front on the shirt, shifting until she’d found a comfortable position.
The stranger sat on the chair on the left side of the bed and dragged a tray trolley towards herself. While mixing the necessary inks, she asked “Are you sure you want to do this? Last chance to tap out.”
“I would not be embarrassing myself like this in front of a stranger if I weren’t convinced it was something I’d wanted,” Caitlyn replied, glancing downwards at her exposed skin and then up again at the stranger. “I think introductions are in order. What should I call you?”
“Vi,” came the reply from the woman whose cheeks were now a pale shade of red. “And you are…”
“Caitlyn.”
“Caitlyn…” Vi trailed off while arranging the sketch paper on the middle of Caitlyn’s back, ensuring that the design stayed put on the skin. “Sounds like a name some Piltie royalty would have.”
She chuckled at the way Caitlyn bristled under her touch, before returning to business. “Alright, I’d like you to get comfortable on the headrest before we begin. Make sure you’ve got enough room to breathe.”
Vi put some glasses and gloves on, and Caitlyn watched the motions attentively. The gloves were made of navy blue suede, finishing off in metal fingertips connected to vials of ink. Each glove had a button on the back of the hand, which would reveal needles on the fingertips when pressed.
“What do these gloves do? I’ve never seen something like this before,” Caitlyn said.
Vi pressed one of the buttons a few times, making the fingertips open and close with a drilling sound. “Oh, these? Each fingertip has needles that will make it faster to tattoo you. It’s like ten guns put together.”
Caitlyn’s eyes followed the fingertips, anticipating how those would feel on her. “Interesting,” she said with a pleased smile, moving her head so that her face poked through the oval crevice of the headrest.
“Here we go,” Vi said softly before starting to trace the sketch lines, navigating around pulsating veins with steady hands.
Caitlyn squirmed lightly when the fingertips caused a rough tingling sensation on her back.
Vi stopped so she could press on a glove’s button, its needles quickly hiding inside the fingertips. She then used the smoothened hand to keep Caitlyn’s back in place. “Try not to move,” she instructed, pushing strongly when her subject still kept squirming and let out a vaguely suggestive gasp.
The punk music that had attracted Caitlyn to the studio was now playing at a bearable volume through some speakers on the wall. She tried focusing on it as the needles drilled into her skin again, to trace the outline of the tattoo.
“So… you’re not from around here, are you?” Vi asked curiously while switching the vials to golden ink, preparing to start with the keys.
“My accent’s betrayed me, hasn’t it?” Caitlyn asked sheepishly, hissing when the machine touched her skin again.
“It was the way you looked, actually. I’ve never seen someone take Shimmer without transforming into a mindless brute before. Figured it must have been some Piltie invention.”
“Your assumptions are correct. My family moved from Piltover to Zaun when it was still considered just an undercity. My current state can be attributed to my father.”
“That’s unexpected,” Vi said absent-mindedly, trying to concentrate on the task at hand. Allowing the other woman to talk seemed to have lessened the times she’d had to keep her from squirming, but still had to be held tightly every now and then.
“Quite,” Caitlyn acknowledged. “My father hid himself in his lab for a while after my mother’s death. He was… devastated. Without knowledge of my family’s financial affairs, all he could do was follow the Piltovan protocol of handing the keys to everything to the heir.”
A chuckle escaped Vi’s mouth. “So pretentious. How did you end up with pink eyes, experiment gone wrong?”
Caitlyn huffed, annoyed at the idea of her father being demeaned. “What my father managed to create was a stable form of Shimmer. To keep our finances afloat, he’s perfected the serum into beverages.”
The skin had started bleeding again, and Vi reached out for a paper towel to wipe the blood away with. “Let me guess. You were the first one to test it out, weren’t you?” she asked, putting the paper towel back onto the tray and switching to purple ink.
“Indeed,” Caitlyn replied. “I was required to as the new head of my family’s business, in order to present the concoction at our new establishment.”
Vi’s head shook from left to right a few times in disapproval. “Oh, Vander. I’m glad you’re not here to see any of this,” she murmured, applying more pressure than necessary when coloring the test tube on Caitlyn’s spine.
Caitlyn hissed and bit into the suspenders, keeping her teeth sunken into the leather until the pressure was replaced with a tolerable amount of pain.
“Shit. Sorry, Cait. I guess we’ve both lost a part of our family recently.”
Caitlyn slowly unlocked her jaw, letting the leather fall away as she forced herself to relax. “My condolences,” she said apologetically, feeling a wave of heat upon her neck from the nickname. “This piece aims to honor my family’s legacy. Do you have any of your own, to cherish the memory of… Vander?”
Vi stopped the gun for a moment, using a hand to lift her shirt just enough so Caitlyn could see the depiction of a glass containing whisky on the rocks right under her breasts. “I do.”
Without bothering to rearrange her shirt, she continued tattooing Caitlyn’s back.
Shimmered eyes traced Vi’s abdomen as every movement displayed her muscles at different angles. Just as Caitlyn’s imagination had started running wild with what she’d do to those abs, the glove’s buzz stopped one last time before it got discarded on the trolley along with the other one.
Vi picked up the cloth again to wipe some more blood off, and patted gently at Caitlyn’s lower back, expressing her amazement in a lower register. “Good girl. You’ve barely made a squeak. You can stand up now, if you’d like."
Tonight had been a night of surprises, but nothing compared to the shiver that traversed Caitlyn’s spine from the first two words that Vi had just said. It had always been Caitlyn praising others both in and out of her bed, but had never heard it back. She never thought it would feel so electrifying for someone to finally say it, let alone someone as hot as Vi.
She sat up on the table with her legs crossed, revealing her beet red face while clutching her shirt to her chest. Plenty of inappropriate replies had crossed her mind, until she’d managed to settle on something that wouldn’t betray her thoughts. “Thank you for your speedy efforts.”
“My pleasure. You can check the piece out in front of that mirror,” Vi said, nodding her head towards the large mirror in the corner.
Caitlyn walked to the mirror, and looked at the fresh colors on her skin. Even among the purple veins, the tattoo looked exactly like she’d imagined. “Vi, it’s… marvellous! Exactly the way I’d imagined it.”
Vi stood up from her chair with a pleased smile. “I’m glad you like it,” she said, approaching with a roll of plastic wrap and scissors. “One last step.”
She cut some of the material and applied it on Caitlyn’s back. “There.”
“Thank you,” Caitlyn said, nodding with a smile of her own. She looked downwards, and then back to Vi. “If you don’t mind…”
“Oh, uhm, of course.” Vi’s cheeks were starting to grow red, and she turned around laughing awkwardly. She went to the cash register, taking the time to prepare a paper bag.
A few too many gears clinked onto the table when Caitlyn emptied her pockets a moment later. Vi counted them one by one, her eyes growing wide in amazement at the sum.
“Uh, Caitlyn, that’s too much,” she said, pushing the extra amount towards Caitlyn together with a bag of aftercare instructions and vials.
“Nonsense. I have never been given such quick service before and I promised to help you relocate. I would, however, wish to visit again so I learn more about how these work,” Caitlyn said and pointed towards the gloves on the tray trolley.
Vi’s eyes lit up at the sudden interest. “It’s something I’ve made together with my sister after Vander died. I’d be happy to show it now, if you’d like?”
Caitlyn looked at the wall on the clock, but was unable to make out the numbers. A bit frustrated, she’d decided that running her family’s business could wait until morning.
“I would love that, if you’re willing. I can feel the effects of Shimmer dwindle and this place gives me comfort.”
“Of course!” Vi exclaimed, then rushed to grab her tools before inviting Caitlyn to sit together with her on the bed.
They sat like that until morning, with Caitlyn listening intently to the explanations that Vi gave about the technology behind the items that had allowed for tattooing so quickly and precisely.
Whether they’d agreed to meet up again outside of the studio, Caitlyn could not remember the next day after a long sleep.
After escaping Stillwater Keep with Vi, Caitlyn immediately sought means to establish the woman she felt she's become after the tragedy. She assumed the moniker of the One-Eyed Wolf, she fully intended to be ruthless against the other Chembarons, especially Silco and her former boss, Sheriff Marcus. She would be the wolf that devours the snakes. On her upper left arm, she got a tattoo of a one-eyed wolf devouring a snake with leaves surrounding it. Behind the wolf's head, a broken symbol of house Kiramman, the keys remaining but the Ks removed. There was no Caitlyn Kiramman anymore, she died with her family. An unintentional mod was her eye having been severely infected with shimmer during the incident, the eye was grossly damaged and shimmer had gotten into the wound during the attack, shimmer that was intended to frame her for something nefarious.
8 hours in Clip Studio Paint Pro with an XP-Pen 15.6 Artist Pro tablet.
While under Cassandra’s rule, the Kirammans were known as ghosts throughout Zaun. The Kiramman heir, however, stepped into a far more present, and more violent, role.
She could not only be found during meetings of the chembarons, but seemed to be everywhere in the undercity, hearing each whisper before it could be repeated. It was no surprise when she eventually found the one responsible for her mother’s death, on a night when most of Janna’s children locked their doors.
The Lungs of Zaun took from the daughter of the Eye, but lost an eye herself, turning to Shimmer to heal herself, as did all Zaunites.
chembaron caitlyn week day 2 : shimmer/drugs
i wanted to show caitlyn becoming more of a zaunite as she stepped into her role as a chembaron; she’s still on the council etc but she’s more comfortable taking her place in the undercity and once again the loml jinx is wreaking havoc
The aftermath of the attack on her estate left her battered and nearly dead. Her treatment in Stillwater Keep did little if anything at all to ease the pain or heal the wounds, physical or mental. When they escaped, Caitlyn found there were some healers who knew how to ease the pain that wracked her body, especially her now blind eye. How unfortunate, that the thing she was trying to fight before all of this, had become something she reluctantly clung to just so she could manage the pain.
4 hours in Clip Studio Paint Pro with an XP-Pen 15.6 Artist Pro tablet.
keeps me alive again - Rated M, 3k words. The chembarons burned her world to the ground. Caitlyn has her eye deadset on returning the favor.
Very excited to be able contribute to Chembaron Caitlyn Week (@chembaroncaitweek) each day, I can't believe I managed to do it LMFAO I'm excited to see what everyone else cooks up!! And it's all CaitVi flavored one way or another b/c I love when THE OTP IS BOTH EVIL LOL
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Caitlyn/Vi (League of Legends)
Additional Tags: Tattoo Artist Vi, Yakuza Caitlyn, Grief/Mourning, Caitlyn Needs a Hug, Vi Needs a Break, they’re both kind of assholes in this, Drug Use, Pain, Manipulation, Crying, Oral Sex, Vaginal Sex, Strap-Ons, Service Top Vi, Power Bottom Caitlyn, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting
Summary:
“Full back. Vibrant colors, but the dragon is blue,” the woman says easily. “You’ll start tonight.”
“Okay, slow your fucking roll,” Vi retorts, throwing her hands up in exasperation. “Who are you to bust in here at midnight and start making demands? And a full back color tattoo? That’s easily five thousand cogs.”
“I don’t care about the price,” the woman dismisses. “Your work is what I want. I’ll pay double if you start tonight.”
—
A grieving woman barges into Vi’s tattoo parlor at midnight and changes her life forever.
Caitlyn was getting too close to revealing Silco and Marcus' alliance, and thus, she had to be dealt with. The plan was just to set Caitlyn up for a crime, ruin her credibility, lock her away. But things went wrong, the corrupt officers that broke into the Kiramman manor accidentally killed Caitlyn's parents, and gravely injured the young Kiramman scion, costing her an eye. But Caitlyn wasn't going to go out without a fight, she grabbed her rifle and killed the officers, and upon realizing they had been her colleagues, her suspicions grew. Marcus couldn't let this get out, he pinned the entire thing on Caitlyn, using his power as sheriff to lock her away immediately.
After months in Stillwater Keep, conspiring with a young inmate named Vi, the two of them made an escape. Caitlyn promised Vi she would help her find her sister Powder, if Vi helped her seek revenge on Silco and Marcus. To fight Silco, she would play his games, rival him, push him down and out. If only she didn't start to lose herself along the way.
8 hours in Clip Studio Paint Pro with an XP-Pen 15.6 Artist Pro tablet.
Even before shimmer had oozed its way through the streets and into the veins of Zaun, the Kiramman family name rung heavy in the ears of those who heard it. It was well known that it was the Kiramman fortune that had cleared the streets of the Grey, and as such established itself as the lungs of the city.
In Piltover, such an act of charity only confirmed that the Kiramman family continued to earn its seat on the council; such a display of philanthropy towards the undeserving undercity could only be motivated by the purest intentions. Those who had grown up in Zaun, however, knew that charity was just another word for leverage.
The Kiramman clan soon controlled large swathes of Zaun, not only through their leadership of the enforcers, but also standing as silent benefactors behind any and all enterprises willing to swear fealty to the name. The Kirammans themselves were rarely seen, but Zaunites knew to recognise the aristocratic gait and tall stature of the clan matriarchs.
It was no surprise that there was a Kiramman seat on Zaun’s own form of council, once power become synonymous with the Chembarons. Many were surprised, however, when Cassandra Kiramman herself descended from the lights of Piltover in order to claim her place.
For several years, there was an uneasy truce between the Lungs and the Eye of Zaun, under which each profited, but neither claimed absolute power.
Caitlyn Kiramman had never been a naive cadet, but patrolled her own team of enforcers through the Lanes, their Kiramman seals striking more fear than the Piltoverian insignia ever had. Unfortunately for those on duty that day, it was Caitlyn Kiramman herself who found the trussed up body of Cassandra Kiramman, decorated in the neons and detritus well known to the citizens of Zaun.
chembaron caitlyn week day 1 : rise to power
i have been thinking about chembaron!cait ever since handsome caitlyn week and i love the idea that the kirammans were chembarons the whole time
i have more stylised stuff coming later in the week but i wanted to capture how angry she is and how much she wants revenge and i also had to include a jinx cameo
keeps me alive again - Rated M, 3k words. The chembarons burned her world to the ground. Caitlyn has her eye deadset on returning the favor.
Very excited to be able contribute to Chembaron Caitlyn Week (@chembaroncaitweek) each day, I can't believe I managed to do it LMFAO I'm excited to see what everyone else cooks up!! And it's all CaitVi flavored one way or another b/c I love when THE OTP IS BOTH EVIL LOL
keeps me alive again - Rated M, 3k words. The chembarons burned her world to the ground. Caitlyn has her eye deadset on returning the favor.
Very excited to be able contribute to Chembaron Caitlyn Week (@chembaroncaitweek) each day, I can't believe I managed to do it LMFAO I'm excited to see what everyone else cooks up!! And it's all CaitVi flavored one way or another b/c I love when THE OTP IS BOTH EVIL LOL
Even before shimmer had oozed its way through the streets and into the veins of Zaun, the Kiramman family name rung heavy in the ears of those who heard it. It was well known that it was the Kiramman fortune that had cleared the streets of the Grey, and as such established itself as the lungs of the city.
In Piltover, such an act of charity only confirmed that the Kiramman family continued to earn its seat on the council; such a display of philanthropy towards the undeserving undercity could only be motivated by the purest intentions. Those who had grown up in Zaun, however, knew that charity was just another word for leverage.
The Kiramman clan soon controlled large swathes of Zaun, not only through their leadership of the enforcers, but also standing as silent benefactors behind any and all enterprises willing to swear fealty to the name. The Kirammans themselves were rarely seen, but Zaunites knew to recognise the aristocratic gait and tall stature of the clan matriarchs.
It was no surprise that there was a Kiramman seat on Zaun’s own form of council, once power become synonymous with the Chembarons. Many were surprised, however, when Cassandra Kiramman herself descended from the lights of Piltover in order to claim her place.
For several years, there was an uneasy truce between the Lungs and the Eye of Zaun, under which each profited, but neither claimed absolute power.
Caitlyn Kiramman had never been a naive cadet, but patrolled her own team of enforcers through the Lanes, their Kiramman seals striking more fear than the Piltoverian insignia ever had. Unfortunately for those on duty that day, it was Caitlyn Kiramman herself who found the trussed up body of Cassandra Kiramman, decorated in the neons and detritus well known to the citizens of Zaun.
chembaron caitlyn week day 1 : rise to power
i have been thinking about chembaron!cait ever since handsome caitlyn week and i love the idea that the kirammans were chembarons the whole time
i have more stylised stuff coming later in the week but i wanted to capture how angry she is and how much she wants revenge and i also had to include a jinx cameo
Chembaron Caitlyn Week @chembaroncaitweek - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
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