Event Stand (Currently Wedding)
"He's not here for me. He didn't figure anything out. He probably didn't even want to." Of course. Why would he be? He gave her a chance for the other Powder. This was her chance, not another Powder. It was nothing more. "He was just coating it with friendship! But it doesn't exist anymore!" Then what about Vi? "What about Vi?" Why was she there? Ekko said she was there for the same reason. "She hates Anatoly, he's a big idiot." She kept pacing. "But he's my big idiot!"
"Powder?"
She whipped around and saw Vi. "Why are you here? Why did you leave your comfy zone to come all the way to my stupid little village?!"
"PJ." Shields was over by the door. "Don't read her face. Listen to her words. We've gone over this."
"I detected it right with Ekko, he said those things!"
"Yes, but not Vi. Listen to her words, deep breaths, and calm down. She hasn't done anything but open a door to see you."
Vi approached her. "I hate your future husband, Powder, but I'd never miss your wedding. I am here for you, because I wanted to be. You wanted me to be."
"Yeah, I wanted you to be. But are you?" Was she?
"I wore a stupid dress for you," she pointed out. "How much more do I have to do?" She went over and hugged her. "I hate your future husband, but I love you, and I wanted to be here for you. Not only that, I won't be able to see you very often. I just found out you are alive, and I can't see you very often."
Oh, Vi. She tightened her grip. "Ekko just wants to make sure I-"
"It doesn't matter what Ekko said, he still showed up," Vi pointed out. "He was also talking to Anatoly, and that guy brings out the asshole in everyone, don't forget that." She stroked her hair. "It's okay. You're probably overreacting. Trust me here."
She messed up? He did. We did act out what would have happened if I told him . . . "I'm sorry. I am really stressed."
"Don't start that up, it's okay. I understand," she replied. "Let's get your veil on." She grabbed the veil. "Never thought I would see either of us in a wedding dress. Simple but pretty."
"Well, today's my day. If you want it later for Caitlyn, have at it," she teased as she put on her veil. "White doesn't suit me, I tried it. I know brides should wear white, but I'm just too white as it is." She dropped the veil on me. Isn't that a pretty bad sign this is gonna happen?
"PJ?" Vi fixed the front of her veil. "You've always looked great in blue."
Oh. "Thanks, Vi." How could she ever believe she wasn't there for her? It was a stressful but exciting day. Everyone was visiting. It was her wedding day. Big changes from here on out. She needed to use everything at it's fullest.
Now would be the perfect time to start messing. Pull out all the tools. "Your dress with the short coat is cool, Sis, I'm glad you tried that out before coming here. You look real nice." She noticed her surroundings. "It's a nice day. Sun is shining outside. Bright blue skies. It's all really good."
"Good, but take some deep breaths," Shield offered.
"It's so hard to get used to this," Vi said to her. "One minute, you are my little sister following me around and wanting to be helpful. Then you are a downright villain, wanted for all of your crimes. Then you are gone for two whole years, no body ever found, but you never returned. And now? You're . . . you're this."
She was taking deep breaths, and stopped at her second exhale when she heard the 'this'. "What do you mean 'this'? Isn't 'this' good?"
"Is there something Anatoly does to you that weakens your power?" Vi asked. "Ekko has a question. He said you've been seen as . . . as a smaller self?"
"We don't need to dwell on that," Shields told her.
Right. Better not to dwell.
"No, dwell. You were sparring, what was it about?" Vi confronted her. "You wouldn't randomly spar like that."
"It's considered my weakest point in life and I . . . bust free if I take him down like that." There was no reason to try and hide it anymore. "I never could."
"Give it one more try then," Vi said. "I'll be here cheering for you."
What? "No. Firm no, Sis." Heck no, no way! It was hard enough for her. Vi seeing her like that? No, no one she knew was going to see her like that.
"It frees you, Powder."
"It's impossible. It's at the weakest point in my life. Physically. Mentally. We aren't talking baby learning skills, the hardest point in my life. It was that. Night."
"Nothing's impossible, you need to accept this fight!"
Vi's commanding voice? Why was she using that? "Don't do this."
"I want to see for my own eyes that you can't win and break free from this prison! Because I know you can. You can't just give in because he's stronger, that isn't the Powder-Jinx I know!"
"I've tried." Several times, and each time hurt. It hurt so bad. "I can't do it, Vi."
"If you want me and Ekko to respect this wedding, you are doing it!"
What? Respect? "Is that why you are here?"
"What Ekko said is half right," Vi told her. "You went from vindictive maniac to kind sister. Neither of us know what to expect. Prove you are the Powder that I knew, and the Jinx that he knows."
Huh? "What is she doing, Shields?"
"Separating names again," Shield said with no delight. "Do not do that. Call her what you wish, but do not separate the names like a personality to a given person. She is all one person."
"Don't tell me what to do about my own sister," Vi laid into Shield.
"Do not put Powder and Jinx names at odds with one another, I swear!"
"I am not doing anything with the names, you are the one who gave her ten thousand different names!"
"So that she could be exposed to the fact that a name does not rule her! You would not be able to call her Powder without that exposure."
"Then I'd call her Jinx you Asshole, I did before and I don't care! She's my sister no matter what! I love her no matter what!"
"Look," Powder gave her. "Having my sister watch me at my weakest point fighting someone way overpowered is not going to help, Vi. Just give Ekko the code. The magic liquid. I need to use this time before the wedding to see a scientist. He has the room to see what's going on."
"No."
"No? Ekko . . . doesn't think he can solve it?" Oh no. "I'm trapped?"
"Yes, you are now, so you have to do this. I won't judge. It'll be just cheering if anything," she promised. "I can't let you go down this way, Pajamas."
Ugh. "Yeah. You have been talking to Ekko."
"I'm sorry that I have to ask this of you, but I am going to make this happen. You have to fight. I will make you fight, Powder."
"I won't win," she told her again. "You are asking the equivalent of a kid to go against a . . . a very strong person. There's no grenades or weapons that I can use. It's physical combat only."
"I don't care, you need to do this. I will make it happen," Vi promised as she left the room.
"I think she wants to see you fight Anatoly," Shields said to her. "She doesn't like the situation you are in, but she knows she can't change it. This fight, it might be a mental way to see he has won over you."
"Fighter's respect." But? But that? In front of Vi?
Ekko watched Vi head out. "Did you find out anything?"
"Apparently he makes her the weakest to fight him," Vi answered. "If she wins, she's free of the bond."
Oh, I knew it! "Then that's the bottom of the power, the equality of it all." That's what saved Marlene. "Okay. Alright. People who bonded to Viktor all perished."
"Yeah," Vi said softly. "Everyone."
Right, Vander. "That was using hextech. This is mage power, it's going to be different. Spritz died, but Marlene didn't." She was at her weakest when she touched her. "She needs to get that weak again."
"I guess your theory is right. She doesn't want to cave though."
"Make it happen, Vi. She is the key to fixing shimmer in Zaun."
"She doesn't want to fight. What do you want me to do?"
"Go kick her ass and make her do it. Be a hardass. This is Zaun's future. Get Anatoly involved."
"Fine. I will go see Anatoly and sweeten the pot."
"Good." She had to fight. "There's no way he'll deny it." Ekko watched Vi walk toward Anatoly.
"Hey!" Vi called him out. "I understand my sister can fight and earn her freedom from you?"
"I see she told you the truth? Technically you are in the village so it is allowed. Yes, she's tried several times. Hardly anyone accomplishes it, it's too mentally draining," he answered.
"I want her to take it one more time," Vi said to him. "I can't respect the tail tucking without that fight to break free."
"If she wants it," he said. "If she doesn't, she doesn't."
"No. Make her, and up the stakes," Vi told him. "Take her energy," Vi insisted. "Leave her weak for 24 hours."
Yes, that held his attention. "Keep her weak?"
"Yeah for the wedding and the honeymoon night. If she's tried so often and never won, I'll never respect her without some real stakes," Vi lied.
"So you want me to make her weak for the wedding and the night?" he asked. "She won't like that, it would make her play harder. She still won't win though."
"If she doesn't win, then keep her weak for the wedding and honeymoon anyway," Vi insisted. "She'd deserve it then."
"Boy, I have heard that you were a hard fighting sister, but I didn't expect this level of hardness." He chuckled. "Alright. One final display. Help her out of her dress and get her fighting rags on."
"It's an outfit, not rags," Vi corrected him.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to touch a nerve, Sister."
Oh you bastard, calling me that. The nerve.
What?! "No, Vi." No, no, no, no, no, no! Was she kidding?
"He's going to take the energy away anyhow," Vi told her. "You can't run from a fight. This is your chance at freedom."
"It's no chance! It's just going to hurt, that's all it does." Her. That weak again. "You don't get it, Vi, I can't win that way."
"If you do this, there will be two outcomes." Vi held up a finger. "Either you win, and you come home with me and Ekko, and Anatoly has to pick another person to marry today." She held up another finger. "You lose, respectfully, and Ekko and I will bear watching you marry the idiot."
I knew it wasn't gonna be this easy. "Why would I expect an easy wedding with someone like you, Vi."
"I know how weak you were at that age. You can handle the pain for your freedom."
"It's going to hurt you," she warned her. "You know the weakest point of my life."
"I know."
"And you really want to see that?"
"Pow-pow, it's your freedom. I'll do anything to pull you out of this," she promised. "Please try."
"Is there really no chance with that liquid? You haven't even see it. It's more than just me involved here."
"Afterwards," Vi just said.
Afterwards. Probably after the marriage. Yeah. Guess this is it then. She felt so dead inside. She hadn't felt like that in some time. "He doesn't tolerate interruptions. You can't interfere or he'll kill you like he did that Firelight."
"I won't. It's a display of courage and power for your village," Vi said to her.
She looked at her dress again. "The illusion is only about a minute and whenever he stuns me. The rest of the time I look like myself. I'm still just as weak though."
"Fine. Let's get you in some real battle clothes first."
Ekko watched Vi come back over. "Did you get it?"
"Yeah. Hardass Vi made it happen," Vi said softly. "This better work, Ekko. This is going to look like shit."
"I think it will."
"I made her feel horrible. I want more than think."
"I need more to get more than an I think. It's a high I think," he tried again. "It's too worth it not to do this."
"I know," Vi admitted. "I can handle it. I've seen the vision for years in prison."
I don't get it. What was he hearing? Bear was bringing in stuff for the wedding area when Powder's sister Vi came in. They had started well, then Vi started to fight. Powder mentioned the liquid, which was a real no-no.
Now, Shields was coming in.
"I have to fight now, Shields."
"I have not even seen them approach the building. They didn't even look at the liquid."
Shields was talking about it too?
"I thought I'd find Ekko soon so he could look at the scientist stand. Today would have been an easy day to sneak around, hardly anyone's working. I know he could have seen something. Fine, I'll go and look by myself."
"You are the bride. It would be hard. Besides, now you have a ridiculous fight to occupy your time."
"Can you please try and reason with them? Just once?" Powder begged.
"I will try." Shields went out the door with Cake.
While Powder turned to get dressed, he snuck out too.
They watched as Shields came back out with Cake toward Anatoly.
"No. She doesn't get a choice. She has to," Anotoly said to her.
Bear blended in but it was hard to believe what he heard. Why would Powder do that?
Shields left toward Powder's friends. While she plead toward them, he made his way to Anatoly "Anatoly? Can I talk?"
"Hello Bear. Sure."
"Privately?"
"Privately with you Bear?" Anatoly asked. "Well, sure. Let's go." He took his hand and they walked away a little bit. "What's wrong?"
"I think Powder's trying to take all of our green liquid and I don't know why."
"What?"
"Her sister was talking to her, and then Shields talked to her. Everyone was talking about our liquid, Anatoly." Bear grabbed onto him. "Powder really wouldn't be trying to take it would she? That's a no-no. Why would she?"
" . . . anything else?"
"Powder mentioned the science stand. She wanted to look at the liquid at the science stand. She wanted Ekko to look at it, but then she was like, 'I will just look at it'." Bear stared at Anatoly. "Anatoly? You okay?"
"Dr. Swords? Was he there too?" Anatoly was licking his lips, like they got really dry.
"No. Just Shields and Powder."
"Bear. Go home. Lock yourself inside."
"Why would Powder be mean and do all this? She's breaking rules." Bear looked back towards her wedding tent again and went back in.