Arcane: Thicker Than Blood

Vi's punches echoed through The Last Drop.

Her gritted teeth and intense expression made it clear she was furious, itching to fight and desperate to vent her frustration.

Meanwhile, Powder was resting on the table, bored out of her mind. She chewed on a straw, and sipped milk from her glass only to spit it back out and occasionally blowing bubbles in the liquid.

An adult doing this would be seen as gross. But with a little child, it came off as innocent and playful.

In the past, this kind of childish playfulness was something only the kids in Piltover indulged in.

Zaunite kids, on the other hand, never played with their food. If they had anything to eat, they'd gobble it up immediately—there was no room for games.

Survival had always come first.

But now, with massive investments from Cipher and a significant increase in workers' wages, the Undercity was entering its industrial age.

With more money in hand and better lives to live, the children of Zaun were finally beginning to have the childhoods they deserved. The sound of children's laughter was becoming as common as the hiss of steam pipes.

The air might still be thick with chemical fumes, but at least bellies were fuller.

"Vi, will you play with me?" Powder asked, tilting her head to look at her sister, clearly dying of boredom. She watched her relentless assault on the invisible opponent.

"Didn't I already spend the morning playing with you outside?" Vi didn't even look back as she continued punching, every swing seeming to vent her seething anger toward someone. Her knuckles were starting to redden from the constant impact.

"That was this morning! Now it's the afternoon—no, it's already evening! You haven't played with me for half the day. I'm so bored!" Powder flopped dramatically across the table. "Can't you see I'm wasting away here?"

She propped her face on her hands, her big, pleading eyes looking at Vi with a pitiful expression that would melt most hearts. The pout was perfectly practiced, a weapon as effective as any of Vi's punches.

Her playmates were few and far between. She used to have Claggor to play with, but now he was always busy helping Singed with his work.

"I've got things to deal with right now. Play by yourself for a bit," Vi said, not pausing her punches. She was too furious, too antsy, needing to channel her emotions into something physical.

Each punch carried more force than the last.

"Fine. If only Cipher were here; he'd definitely play with me," Powder mumbled, turning her head to blow more milk bubbles in boredom.

"Don't bring up that jerk!" Vi suddenly snapped, her next punch hitting with enough force to shake the training platform. "Do you even know what he did? He specifically told Sevika that I have to beat her in a fight before I can officially become an enforcer. Otherwise, I'm stuck training at the precinct!"

"Her hands are like frying pans, they're bigger than my face! Is he even human? He's a complete jerk!" Vi's voice rose as anger etched across her face. She struck out harder with her punches. Her movements became less controlled and more wild with each strike.

"I don't think it's such a bad idea," Powder mused. After all, a Zaunite enforcer needed to be able to fight off rioters. It was a dangerous job.

Powder, personally, wasn't a fan of fighting. She preferred to solve problems in other ways, usually involving her growing collection of inventions.

Bam!

Vi landed a powerful punch that echoed through the bar. "You're too young to understand, Powder!"

"Oh," Powder replied half-heartedly, puffing her cheeks. She wasn't usually this dismissive, but Vi refusing to play with her had dampened her mood. She wasn't inclined to give much of a response. Instead, she went back to her milk bubbles, each pop a tiny protest.

Click!

Just then, the door to The Last Drop creaked open. Cipher had returned after finishing his business discussion with Lester.

Powder's eyes lit up, and in an instant, she leapt off her stool and dashed toward him.

But someone beat her to it.

One moment Vi was practicing, the next she was launching herself at Cipher. She crouched low like a panther and shot forward, her clenched fists swinging down at him in a ferocious punch.

"What's gotten into you? Why are you so mad?" Cipher asked, stepping back to avoid her uppercut. His movement was casual, almost lazy, which only served to fuel her anger.

Vi didn't reply—she simply kept attacking.

Cipher had no choice but to dodge her strikes: left hooks, right swings, kidney punches, and gut shots.

"If you're going to hit me, at least do it properly," he taunted as he evaded another punch. "You're going all out. Keep it up, and I'm going to have to teach you a lesson!"

Vi remained silent, punching harder and harder. Her breath came in short, angry bursts as she tried to land just one solid hit.

Finally, Cipher caught one of her punches mid-swing and twisted her arm behind her back, forcing her to turn around. Then, grabbing her other arm, he restrained her with ease.

"Looks like I've caught a troublemaker," he teased, grinning as he detained Vi. Her attempts to break free only made him tighten his grip slightly.

He laughed softly. It amused him to see her in such an awkward position.

"You're not family. You're a complete jerk!" Vi spat, her thin lips tightening as she gritted her teeth. Then, with all her strength, she threw herself backward, aiming to catch Cipher off guard with a surprise attack.

With her hands pinned behind her back, such a move could hurt her joints.

Seeing her fierce movement, he had no choice but to release her hands to avoid her injuring the back of her head against something hard. He wouldn't let her hurt herself just to prove a point.

He stepped forward to stay close to her, but Vi immediately launched an elbow strike at him.

Cipher didn't understand why she was so angry, but he knew her temper burned out as quickly as it flared up. He decided not to dodge and let her vent her frustration.

Sometimes a solid hit was worth more than words.

"Oof!"

Vi's elbow hit Cipher in the chest, making him suck in a sharp breath. The impact pushed him back a step, the force surprising even him.

This kid might not be that old, but her strength was no joke. The hours of training were clearly paying off.

"You really didn't hold back, did you? That hit was solid," he said through gritted teeth, clutching his chest in pain. A bruise would definitely form there later.

"You deserve it! You're such a jerk. How am I supposed to beat Sevika? Her hands are bigger than my face! You just don't want me to become an enforcer!" Vi turned around to face him, and began to massage his chest.

She couldn't help but worry about hurting him, even though she was angry.

"An enforcer's job is dangerous. You have to pass Sevika's test to prove you're ready. All the other enforcer trainees at the precinct have to go through challenges to become official enforcers."

"Vi, you need to train harder!" Cipher said, smirking. He wasn't about to admit he'd set this up on purpose.

"You… you jerk!" Vi fumed, her small fists pounding against his chest. The hits were lighter now, more frustration than fury.

"Enough of that," Cipher said, patting her on the back and ruffling her pink, spiky hair. "Being an enforcer is a dangerous responsibility. I'm just trying to keep you safe. You're still so young. There's no rush."

"I'm already 13! You're only 15! You were helping Vander when you were just 10. Why can't I do the same?"

"Sending kids into battle was a mistake to begin with," Cipher said with a sigh. "We fight so that children can have happy childhoods."

"Vi, I just want you to be happy - to have the time and freedom to do whatever you want."

Deep down, he couldn't help but think of the tragedy of their lives. In the original story, Vi and her siblings were forced to face gangsters and fight for survival during what should have been the prime of their childhood. How heartbreaking it all was.

"But what I want to do is help. I'm a Zaunite too," Vi said, biting her lip.

"Then keep training hard. Beat Sevika and prove that you're ready to help," Cipher said, shaking his head. He refused to budge. He couldn't bear to see anything happen to her.

"I have been training hard! I've even lost weight from all the training," Vi protested. She gestured at herself as if to prove her point.

"Really?" Cipher raised an eyebrow in doubt. With their improved living conditions and better meals, Vi's appetite had clearly increased. It didn't make sense for her to have lost weight.

"Just pick me up and see, if you don't believe me!"

Suddenly, Powder, who had been quietly watching from her spot by the table, panicked and yelled, "You can't pick her up!"

"?"

"?"

Both of them turned to her, puzzled by her outburst.

"You can't pick her up!"

"Why not?" Vi asked, confused. "You're the one who gets picked up the most." She crossed her arms, waiting for an explanation.

"Because… because…" Powder stuttered, twisting her fingers nervously, "Vi, you're already a grown-up. You can't be picked up anymore. I'm still a kid... Only little kids like me are allowed to be picked up!"