((Quick research: The workshop Jinx stole from in episode 4 was in the Academy building unless I researched it wrong. So slight ge in w))

  Orion stood there, staring at the Academy building, Jayce's workshop visible from the street several stories up, pting whether he should act. He had told Silco he wouldn't do anything, but how many times had he been burned?

  Thinking about it- holy, not at all. Silco had given him jobs before Vander cut him off, then saved him from jail after the explosion- albeit with pns to experiment on him- and now he had freed him again.

  He exhaled slowly, his gaze still fixed on the workshop. If he blew it up, what would happen?

  Jayce, Caitlyn, and the rest of the topsiders would still bme the Uy, as usual. Enforcers would raid, duvestigations, search for the culprit, and the problem would remain.

  Even if he destroyed the b, Jayd Viktor would still create Hextech afterward- Vi's gaus, Caitlyn's rifle, the Hexgates. And those gates? Still a problem.

  'Those ons are almost a y, too, against Mel's mother… and against whatever catastrophe is ing.'

  His mind drifted to the memory of Vi's stomach being cut open when she fought the Noxians without her gaus.

  And why would Topside listen to Orion now? He was a mage- still illegal in Piltover- and six years in Stillwater Hold, locked away without a trial, had made ohing abundantly clear.

  Topside never wao listen.

  'The closest person to reason with would be Heimerdinger. Or maybe...' His gaze flickered down to Caitlyn, who had yet to notice him. 'Probably not her. She might still think that I betrayed her. reyson told her about me.'

  Sitting down on a bench, he idly munched on his meat skewer, his gaze wandering.

  Damn, it tasted good. He savored it. The fat, the spices- so much better than dry bread and prison slop.

  Tears pricked his eyes. He wiped them away quickly.

  Hide his identity? To hell with it.

  Only Greyson and a handful of Enforcers knew his face, and they were o be seen. If they tried something- if they disrupted Progress Day- well…

  'Sorry, Silco, but if they touch me, they all burn. You'd like that, wouldn't you? Well… maybe not yet. I'll listen to what you need.'

  Orion chuckled mindlessly to himself before reag for another skewer.

  "Nnn!"

  A soft, protesting noise came from beside him. Blinking, he looked over.

  A little girl, mucky with grease from the Uy, had her hand in his food bag.

  "Nnn!"

  She smacked his hand away- his hand, on his own food bag- befring at him defiantly and shoving a skewer into her mouth without apology.

  Orion started to sit up, his annoyance bubbling, when his eyes fell on her hat. No, not just any hat- a miner's cap.

  And not just any miner's cap.

  Something about the desig a jolt through his memory, dragging him back to both his gaming days and a particur little girl.

  "Isha?" he muttered in disbelief.

  She tilted her head, equally surprised, and started making a bunch of hand signs he didn't uand.

  A strange, sharp fear rippled through him.

  'She shouldn't be anywhere near me...'

  Stiffly, he pushed the bag of food toward her, unaware that a trace of fear was visible to her.

  To her, this ragged man, who somehow knew her name, looked afraid. And then, awkwardly, he offered her his food despite her stealing it.

  Yes, she knew she was stealing it and being haughty. But his reaade her curious.

  "Take it, and go," he said, his voice oddly strained.

  She grasped the bag in both hands tightly, her gaze locked with his. Yet, she did not leave. Instead, she stood still, childish curiosity flickering behind her inquisitive gaze.

  ------------------------

  Caitlyn's eyes expertly sed the crowd, her gaze sharp and disciplined. Jayce had just approached, teasing her about her duty post- one her mother had insisted upon.

  Despite serving for six years, she still found herself assigo these menial tasks occasionally. Money spoke loudly in Piltover, and when her mother wanted Caitlyn stationed somewhere, influeen won out over merit.

  Yet, her skill set far surpassed what these assigs required. Over the years, her iigative prowess had grown sharper than any other issioned officer's. What took others months to unravel, she could solve in weeks- sometimes less.

  Unlike in Are, where Marcus had actively hindered her progress, Greyson supported her.

  Under her guidance, Caitlyn shut down key Shimmer factories, disrupted supply s, and dismantled entire operations. Hundreds of criminals were behind bars because of her efforts- some for life as repeat offenders.

  Through her work, Piltover had bee a much safer pce. Crime had dropped nearly in half, even with Shimmer still in circution.

  In fact, many Uy residents had learo use it for less violent means- or so it seemed, at least on the surface.

  Caitlyn also made frequeures into the Uy over the years, often seeking the assistance of a particur red-headed brawler she had grown quite fond of.

  Where Caitlyn cked in close-quarters bat, Vi more than pensated with sheer aggression. Vi was willing to do anything- even work with a topsider- to put ao Silco's operations.

  But one case had tio elude her. One unsolved mystery, after all these years.

  Orion.

  The closest she had ever e to the truth was when the masked stranger had spoken to her six years ago, leading them to raid the Syntixi factory.

  That had been its own mess. A web of corruption that had taken years to untangle. Ferros had walked away unscathed. Their dealings with the factory were saned, after all. But the Chembarons? They had paid the price.

  Caitlyn had once asked Vi where she learo fight. Some of her teiques felt familiar-too precise, too practiced. They reminded her of Orion.

  "Just a few things I picked up from a kid I onew…" Vi had replied, her tone unusually somber and expression downcast.

  Caitlyn tried to press further, curiosity piqued, but Vi shut her down.

  "Butt out, Cupcake."

  And that was the end of that versation.

  Sighing with frustration, Caitlyn's brows tightened and she shook her head, sing the crowd again.

  She blinked, and then smiled.

  A man pushed his bag of food toward a young girl who had just stolen from him. No anger, no harsh words- just quiet acceptance. He wasn't scolding her, wasn't striking her.

  'A simple act of kindness,' she beamed.

  It was a sight that warmed her heart. A reminder of why she did what she did.

  Then the man turned.

  Caitlyn blinked again, and in an instant, her expression ged.