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[cantilevers]

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[cantilevers]

No. I expect you will.

[He meant no disrespect. He could guess what she was going to say.]

[clavesregni]

[There's a long pause as she composes herself, enough that her voice won't sound too angry, or too devastated.]

She's going to kill my mother. Tomorrow, for me. I may go home to Runeterra one day, but I'm never going to see my mother again.

[cantilevers]

I'm sorry for your loss, be it tomorrow or be it a year from now.

[He thought of leaving it there. What more could he offer? And yet...]

I understand what it is like to lose family.

[clavesregni]

[She knows. And she feels for him. She's barely managing to wrap her head around even the idea of losing her mother, she can't imagine what it's like to lose children. But...]

Then you understand how I feel about her.

[cantilevers]

I do. And you're perfectly in your rights to dislike her, and for however long it takes you to grieve. However, that kind of hatred born out of grief is worse for you than it is for her.

Eventually, for your own sake, you should find a way to make peace with it. And if you can't, you might just wake up not liking the person who looks back you from a mirror one day.

[Speaking from experience? You betcha.]

[clavesregni]

This isn't a matter of disliking her!

[Her ironclad grip over her emotions slips, just for a moment, revealing just how angry she really is, but she clenches her teeth and manages to continue in a more even tone.]

She's murdered easily a dozen of my colleagues, and I'm lucky to have escaped with my life. Ever since I met Vi, Jinx has hounded us, tried repeatedly to kill me for reasons I can't even begin to understand, kidnapped me from my home, and tomorrow she's going to murder my mother and there is nothing I can do to stop it. You have to see how dangerous she is.

[cantilevers]

I understand.

I've experienced all of what you described personally as well. Except for me, it was Enforcers.

[He wasn't discounting her pain; his tone was calm and sympathetic. He had played the tit-for-tat game before, and it didn't end well for anyone.]

You have a right to your pain, Caitlyn. Awful things have been done to you and yours.

[clavesregni]

[She pauses for a long moment at the reminder that it was enforcers who hurt him. Who killed Vi's parents.]

I'm less interested in discussing my pain than in ensuring she can't cause more to anyone else. And that includes not sending newcomers directly to her.

[cantilevers]

If she does based on my recommendation, I'll hold her accountable.

And respectfully, I don't take orders from you or anyone else.

[clavesregni]

And how will you hold her accountable, exactly? Where's the accountability for her other victims?

[cantilevers]

Depends on what she does. What are you looking for me to say, Caitlyn?

[clavesregni]

[She doesn't even really know, that's the most frustrating part. At home, she could arrest Jinx, but here...]

At the very least, don't recommend her services to strangers.

[cantilevers]

I'm sorry, but until I see signs of what you're saying personally or unless Jinx tells me not to recommend her, I will not be limiting her opportunities.

[clavesregni]

She poses a risk to everyone in this place. 'Limiting her opportunities' means limiting the chances of more people winding up dead.

I can't control your actions, but I will do whatever I deem necessary to make sure she doesn't hurt anyone else.

[cantilevers]

[He was silent on the other end of the line. Then he sighed heavily.]

You've been generous and kind to me, so I'll say this once as a courtesy: if you move against Jinx without probable cause, I'll put a stop to it.

[clavesregni]

We're well beyond probable cause. I've seen precisely what she's capable of with my own eyes.

[And, coldly, but with the wholehearted sincerity of someone who truly means it:] I thought you would understand.

[cantilevers]

I think I understand more than you give me credit for.

[His tone remained amicable, even reasonable.]