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"Ten years," says the portly fellow with more ring than finger, fellow visitor who has gravitated to a familiar face in a foreign land. "Why, I do still remember the day when the Sheriff showed up to work with a ring. Not even a notice, had us all scrambling for the scoop."
Vi chuckles into her tumbler of whiskey. "Did it, Fortinbras? You looked all around, high and low, scratching your heads to figure it out?" She takes a sip of the spirit, lets it sit warm on her tongue for a just a moment. "Or" —her smile grows— "did you just dig through all the photographs that your people had been taking of us for years before posting a full front page feature the next day, hm?"
Fortinbras laughs that same half hollow laugh he has had for as long as Vi has known him, which is, frankly, too long. "Now, now, there's not need to go about airing all my dirty laundry."
The small group around them titters. Vi tips her glass, but says nothing to that ironic statement. Instead, her eyes scan through the crowd again before they return empty-handed. "If you'd excuse me," she says. "I have a Sheriff to find."
It takes her a good quarter hour to locate her quarry, held up by some of the other dignitaries who insist on congratulating her on ten years of marriage. The Vi from twelve years ago would have blushed something fierce before beating a rapid retreat. The Vi she is now puts an easy smile on her face and does her best to ease herself towards an exit. She's not even sure how that got around, because this is not that party and surely people have better things to talk about. Maybe it's old Forti getting back at her for teasing him earlier, but surely word has not travelled so quickly. Or maybe it has. People talk. Who knows.
In any case, she finds Caitlyn eventually, tall in her tailored blues, leaning against the balustrade, deep in conversation with one of the Demacians.
Vi spends a moment watching, taking in the way the light that streams out from the ballroom dances over the creases of Caitlyn's uniform, the stray strands of her hair come free from the ponytail, the long fingers that keep a loose grip on the glass of bubbly almost done. She drinks in the slightest upturn of Caitlyn's lips, luxuriating almost in the knowledge that Caitlyn is having a good enough time to not have spotted her yet.
The moment does not last.
That one eye flicks up to her and now that smile grows.
"Ten years," Caitlyn says, voice drifting over. "Yet I learn a new thing about you every day."
Vi draws closer as she always has. "And what's that?"
"I hadn't pegged you for voyeuristic tendencies," Caitlyn drawls. Up close her cheeks are dusted a light pink but they both know she definitely isn't drunk yet; likely a side effect of all of that random liquid tasting she likes to do in lieu of actual safe procedure—Vi cannot think about that for too long without getting the urge to put a leash or a muzzle on a silly pup, which is not what she is here to do right now.
Right now, Vi takes in the stars and the adornments of their companion's gown. "Lady Crownguard," she says. "Don't you let my wife tell you lies."
"Vi," the Lady Crownguard says with a smile. "It's so nice to finally meet you. Caitlyn's spoken extensively about you. Please, call me Lux."
"Pleasure," Vi dips her head. "You have to be very careful, Lux. Don't let this one rope you into any of her schemes."
"I do not scheme," Caitlyn retorts primly, yet another sign that they are amongst a friend and not a stranger. "I consider things thoroughly. I plan. Scheming is such an uncouth word for what I do."
Vi wraps an arm around Caitlyn's waist, settling in next to the pressed silk and the familiar scent of cedarwood and warmth. "It took me a while to find you," she says, grin wide as she ignores what Caitlyn just said. "What secret schemes have you cooked up in this dark corner?"
"Wouldn't be a secret if we told you, would it?" Caitlyn rolls her eye.
"So there is a scheme."
Caitlyn snorts. "No," she says, taking a long drag from her glass and emptying it. "We were simply catching up. It's been quite a while." Her head tilts. "Seven years?"
"Five perhaps," Lux says. "It's possible some of the correspondence was misplaced."
Caitlyn's eye narrows briefly. "I'll look into it."
"Not right now you won't," Vi says.
Caitlyn shoots her a baleful glare. It is clear that she is restraining herself from rolling her eye again. "Did I say that I would do it now?"
A giggle. "So it is true," Lux says.
Vi shares a glance with her wife. "What is?" She looks at Caitlyn who looks back at her entirely unfazed. "What did you say?"
Caitlyn shrugs, fingers reaching to pluck the empty tumbler from Vi's grasp. "Behave yourself while I'm gone."
"Rude," Vi says but she hands the glass over. "Get me a—"
"Water, of course." Caitlyn finishes her sentence as the warmth retreats. "If you'd excuse me, Lux."
Vi frowns. "What about me?"
Caitlyn waves a hand at her and sweeps off.
Vi follows Caitlyn with her eyes until that head disappears around a corner, then turns to look at Lux whose smile is gentle and perhaps a little smug.
"You're good for her," Lux says.
Vi's mouth opens, then it closes as her heart does a little skip hop jump in her chest. She can feel the warmth dragging up her neck to her ears, sure to be pink as her hair. "Yeah," she says after a moment, after a swallow. "I want to be."
Lux hums, fingers pressing together. A soft glow hovers about her fingertips for just a moment, brightness in the dark, illuminating the electric blue embroidery that Vi knows a little too much about, before the light fades.
"She got me these gloves," Lux says. "We met that one time, and two months later they showed up as a gift."
Vi nods. "The materials took a while to gather but the family tailor made them, in case you're worried."
"She told me."
"She would have," Vi says with a smile. "She's that kind of person."
"Honest to a fault."
"Worst liar I've ever met."
Vi chuckles. Lux smiles, leaning on the banister and looking out at the stars that wink back. Then she turns. "You are good for her. She said so herself."
Vi blinks a few times. "And how much did you say you both have had to drink?"
Lux laughs again, bright and musical. "Is it so hard to believe that she'd tell a friend that?"
Vi opens her mouth, then closes it. She shrugs and knows she is deflecting but cannot help it. "Next thing you'll be telling me she said something sappy like she can't live without me."
Lux raises her eyebrows as if to speak before her eyes glint and her smile settles into something mischievous.
The words come from behind. "And if I did?"
"You did not," Vi says, rolling her eyes as she turns, as her heart does that same small backflip. "Caitlyn Kiramman, there's no way you said that."
Caitlyn's head tilts. Her eye glints "I did say that you make my life very interesting."
"That's different."
Caitlyn shrugs.
A quiet snort. "That's not all you said," Lux says.
Both of them whirl to her.
To her credit, Lux withstands the Kiramman glare as if she has simply conjured up a shield. Perhaps she has. Magic, and all that.
"I suppose," Caitlyn says after a moment, as she presses the glass of water into Vi's hand. "I did say that life would not be worth living without you."
The early fall breeze that tickles her cheeks must be cool, but all Vi can feel is warmth.