She walked a little faster and sat beside Crane, smoothing her skirt as she did.
"Butler, could you bring us some refreshments? I'm sure my guest is thirsty," Caitlyn said, not looking up.
The butler hesitated. "But Lady Cait—"
"It's fine," she interrupted gently, eyes still on Crane. "There are guards all around the estate."
A pause.
Then, with a reluctant nod, the butler turned and disappeared down the hall.
Crane stared ahead, toward where the butler had gone.
"I was actually kinda thirsty. How'd you know?"
"I didn't," Caitlyn said, eyes fixed on him. "I just wanted him gone."
Crane turned his head slowly toward her, body still facing forward.
"Oh?"
His voice dropped slightly. "And what was so important that he had to leave?"
Caitlyn stood, her smile fading. She stepped in front of Crane, looking down at him.
"I need your answer," she said, trying to sound stern. "Are we friends or not?"
Crane looked up at her and sighed.
"Do you want me to be brutally honest?"
Her expression faltered, losing its edge.
"No… but you can be brutally nice."
"Well, the answer to your question is…" Crane paused, then shrugged.
"Sure. Why not?"
Caitlyn blinked. "Sure?"
"That means yes," Crane said.
"I know what that means!" Caitlyn snapped.
"So why do you seem unsure of my sure?" he asked, tilting his head.
"It's just… I was expecting something more," she said, a little disappointed.
Crane's eyes narrowed, a crooked grin playing on his lips.
"Were you expecting me to do something like this?"
He leaned forward dramatically, voice rising with enthusiasm:
"Of course! I'll be your friend! What a fool I'd be to not accept! I am truly so desperate for a friend, I have to plead with a topsider who knows nothing of my struggles!"
He stopped, his hand still hovering midair as he looked back at Caitlyn. "You probably didn't want to hear that last part… it's something I didn't mean to say."
He did.
Caitlyn stared at him for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then, with a sigh, she replied, "No, no, it's fine. I needed to hear that. It just… made me realize how little I truly know about you."
Crane shrugged casually, his voice nonchalant. "I mean, I said sure. So I agreed to be your friend. Doesn't matter, right?"
"It does matter," Caitlyn insisted, leaning in slightly. "I want to be a good friend, not just an outsider. If we're going to be friends, I have to understand what it's like to be in your shoes."
"I'm wearing boots, but I get it," Crane said with a crooked smile.
Caitlyn's face softened, her voice earnest. "Please, I want to know you better. If we're going to be friends, I want to… I want to explore the Under-city with you."
Crane's eyes lit up, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Jackpot.
"I'll gladly show you around the Under-city," he said, his voice smooth with an edge of amusement.
Before he could even react, Caitlyn dropped down to hug him, her arms wrapping around him in an unexpected, genuine gesture. "Show me the good and the bad. I want to know what it's really like."
Crane froze for a moment, caught off guard. This is new.
"Uh, yeah, I'll be at Jayce's place tomorrow," he said, his tone shifting back to casual. "So, I'll bring you down into the Under-city—into mylife."
Caitlyn smiled, holding onto the hug a little longer than necessary, not wanting to break it and give Jonathan the satisfaction of seeing her happy.
She stayed there, savoring the moment, letting her joy settle before pulling away.
The silence stretched, neither of them speaking, until—
"Ahem."
The butler's throat cleared awkwardly from the hallway.
Caitlyn broke away from Crane and turned, quickly straightening up, her smile replaced by a more formal expression.
"Ah, you brought the refreshments," she said, her voice as calm as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
The butler looked at her, slightly exasperated. "Yes, it took a while because the refreshments weren't in the right place."
Caitlyn raised an eyebrow and brought her hand to her face in shock. "Oh, how 'peculiar.' Well, I guess we'll never know, will we?"
The butler paused, looking confused for a moment before nodding, clearly unsure how to respond.
He set the tray down on the table, glancing between them as if trying to make sense of the strange atmosphere.
Crane casually picked up a drink and took a sip.
"So… may I ask what transpired while I was gone?" the butler inquired.
"We had a talk. Like grown adults do," Caitlyn replied, trying to sound dignified—even though neither of them were quite grown yet.
The butler raised an eyebrow. "Was that the only adult thing that transpired?"
Crane set his drink down. "I can't hug a friend now? It was a mutual hug."
"Friend?" the butler repeated, then turned to Caitlyn with a small, amused smile.
"Congratulations, Lady Caitlyn—you finally have a friend your age."
Caitlyn flushed with embarrassment. "Well, Jonathan was just about to leave."
She shot him a look.
He blinked, slightly confused, then nodded. "Yes, I… should be heading back. It's getting late."
"Don't worry, I'll see him out," Caitlyn said quickly, already walking to the door.
Crane followed her, glancing over his shoulder at the butler's knowing expression.
"Tomorrow?" he whispered once they were out of earshot.
"Sure, I guess," Caitlyn said, smiling.
"Wow. Real mature. What was that about, talking like adults?"
"You started it."
They reached the door. Caitlyn opened it for him.
As Crane stepped out, he leaned in close—just enough to make her pause.
"You actually smell really good," he whispered, then walked off without looking back.
Caitlyn stood frozen for a beat, the door still open, her face rapidly turning pink.
She closed it slowly, muttering under her breath.
"…He's so weird."
—————————————-
Crane left the estate gates behind, his steps light as he walked through Piltover's polished streets.
I had to say it, he thought, smirking to himself. She dreamed about me telling her that—how could I pass up the opportunity?
Shops lined the streets around him, gleaming under the lamplight.
One caught his eye. Without hesitation, he stepped inside.
A few moments later, he emerged carrying a handful of small balloons, tucking them neatly into his pockets.
I'll fill these with my toxins later—no need to waste energy secreting it through my skin. Too inefficient.
He slipped into an alley, weaving through shadows until he reached the crate he had left earlier.
Crouching down, he retrieved the bag of clothes he'd hidden behind it.
Now, the organs… he thought, adjusting the weight of the bag on his shoulder.
I need to compare my organs to healthy ones. Maybe if I store them in my stomach, I can grow new ones like trees—see if the tissue adapts or grafts.
Regrowth by exposure…
A brick clattered down from above, landing inches from Crane's head.
"Damn," he muttered, glancing up. "That could've killed me. Or concussed me.
Or worse—made me forget which pocket the balloons are in."
He picked up the brick and tossed it into the air, catching it with a smirk.
Time to head back to the lab.
As he walked through the clean alleyways of Piltover, he kept tossing the brick up and down in his hand, his steps carrying him toward the elevator leading back to under-city.
Up ahead, a kid stood tossing a ball against a wall, catching it and throwing it again in rhythm.
"Hey, kid," Crane called out.
The boy caught the ball mid-air and turned to look at him. "Who are you?"
Crane stopped and gestured grandly to himself. "Can't you tell by the tux?" He spun dramatically in place.
The kid squinted. "Are you part of a rich family or something?"
"No," Crane said with a smirk. "But I plan to be. I'm gonna have a sugar momma."
The boy blinked, confused. "A sugar wha—"
"Catch this." Crane said, as he lobbed the brick toward the kid.
———————————————
Later, making his way back into the lab, Crane glanced around.
No sign of Singed.
He sighed. "Sleeping, probably," he muttered.
Crane dragged the kid's limp body through the lab, heading toward the back.
He reached the industrial freezer, its metal door creaking open with a hiss of cold air.
Just as he bent down to lift the kid inside, the boy jolted awake with a loud, panicked gasp.
"Wha—huh?" The kid's eyes widened as he took in the sterile lab surroundings… and then saw Crane.
Crane moved to lift him, but the kid tried to resist, kicking and scrambling.
"Stop! Please, stop! I'll call the Enforcers on you!" he cried, voice cracking in fear.
Crane's grip tightened as he effortlessly lifted the boy's struggling body, the kid's fingers scraping at the edges of the industrial freezer, refusing to be put inside.
"Just relax. You're not going to die in there… Well, there's a slim chance you'll live, but still, a chance," Crane said with chilling calm.
"Please don't! Please! I have a family!" the boy sobbed, his fear palpable as his hands shook.
Crane leaned down, his face mere inches from the kid's. "This is the end. You have nothing to be afraid of anymore."
The boy's eyes went dull, and the struggle faded.
Without another word, Crane shoved him into the freezer.
The boy's frantic breathing echoed in the cold, his panicked gasps the last sound Crane heard before—
SLAM.
The freezer door shut with a resounding thud, locking the boy inside, his desperate cries muffled by the thick metal.
————————
I started reading Alice's adventures in wonderland.
I'll read the books then watch the movies.
Then I'll play Alice: the madness returns.
I know it's not the same as the book but I still want to read it.