Donning the Big Hat

Jinx wasted no time, grabbing a couple of things from her hideout - some tools, a spare grenade, the usual - before collecting Samira's empty skin and gear in an old suitcase. She almost changed her mind about switching skins - the bounty hunter's identity and skills had served her well, but if there were people out there who knew she was hiding in Samira's skin, then right now she needed as much distance between them as possible. So, she'd carried the suitcase up to the top of an old tower, laid out the empty skin, and fired the costume gun at it - staying just long enough to see it start to inflate before quickly dashing away.

By now, night had fallen, and much of Piltover was in their beds. Jinx had rarely ever done any of her usual antics at night, feeling that unless it was for a specific purpose then it was no fun causing mayhem with no witnesses around, and so she knew that the Enforcers were also less on guard during the night, which made it easy for her to stealthily approach one apartment in particular - the apartment of Sheriff Caitlyn Kiramman.

Jinx scowled at the thought of what she was about to do. It went against everything she claimed to stand for. "Becoming an Enforcer? Vi was one thing, she's barely an Enforcer, but her?!" Ultimately, though, she'd decided it was for the best - she needed a face to hide behind that no one would dare mess with, and who better than the Sheriff of Piltover, with an army of Enforcers at her disposal. Sure she would have to put on a "goody two-shoes" act for a few days, but having the Sheriff's resources at her disposal would help her investigate who was after her, so that made it worth it.

As she crouched on an adjacent rooftop, she peered into the windows of Caitlyn's apartment, squinting to try and make out any sign of movement. Sure enough, she could see the flicker of a light down a hall - the dutiful Sheriff was no doubt working a late night on some report or something. Jinx quickly leapt across the gap, landing softly outside the window, and waited a moment to make sure no one had heard her before slipping a knife under the window. After their infamous "shower incident", Jinx was sure that Caitlyn would have better home security, but evidently she was either confident in her ability to fight off an intruder, or confident that no one would even try. After a few seconds, she heard the lock click, and gently lifted the window before slipping inside, her heavy boots landing with a soft *thud* on the carpeted floor. She looked around the room, her eyes adjusting quickly to the darkness, and noted that she was in some kind of guest bedroom - clearly one that had been unused for some time.

Quietly, Jinx stepped out into the hall, and spotted the light she had seen from outside peeking under a door a few doors down. She briefly glanced into the open door next to her, and what she saw nearly caused her to jump - it was another bedroom, likely the master bedroom given the size, but someone was in the bed... someone with bright pink hair. "Vi...? But it's only been a couple of days, did she move in with Caitlyn after I left her body?" She shook her head, not wanting to waste time on that for now, and continued softly making her way down the hall towards the room with the light.

As she approached, she noted the door was slightly ajar, and peeked inside to see it was indeed an office, and a pajama-clad Caitlyn was indeed sitting at a desk inside, her back to the door and head leaning on one arm as she read over some official-looking document. Jinx quickly glanced back at the bedroom where Vi was sleeping, making sure that the flash of the costume gun wouldn't be visible, before reaching out a hand to push the office door open a little more. Once she had enough room, she pulled the gun from her pocket, raised it slightly, taking aim at Caitlyn through the crack-

*creak* Jinx panicked as the floor suddenly groaned beneath her feet, and as she watched Caitlyn raise her head and start to turn towards the door, she quickly pulled the trigger and...

Watched as the blast hit Caitlyn square on the side of the head, its effects instantly rippling through her form and causing her skin to rapidly deflate and collapse in her chair. Jinx let out her breath, feeling her heart racing, and glanced once more towards the bedroom, waiting a few seconds to make sure Vi hadn't woken up. "Heh.. still sleep like a rock, don't ya, sis?" Stepping into the office, Jinx closed the door behind her before turning to look at the Sheriff's deflated skin. Her eyes, normally sharp and observant, were now just empty sockets waiting for someone to fill them, and her long dark blue hair cascaded down around her pale frame. With a slight chuckle, Jinx realized that Caitlyn was going to be the most overtly 'feminine' skin she'd worn - Vi and Samira had both been on the more butch side, the dock worker was just a cis dude, and the older boat captain had been rather androgynous. But Caitlyn had long flowing hair, smooth skin, and wore things like heels and dresses, even if not day-to-day... strangely enough, Jinx was almost excited to experience that kind of life.

"Enough wasting time... let's get this over with." she hummed, before quickly undressing. She took one last look at her own form in the reflection in a nearby cabinet, before picking up Caitlyn's skin and peeling open the now-familiar opening down the back. She stepped inside, sliding her legs down into the Sheriff's, and feeling them extend to reach her height, before worming her arms down into Caitlyn's as well, squeezing into her torso and feeling its warmth wrap around her like a hug. Finally, she took a deep breath before diving her head into Caitlyn's, feeling her face twist and deform to match its new features, until her vision briefly went white...

...And she gasped as sensation returned to her, snug and tight in the skin of Sheriff Caitlyn Kiramman. She briefly looked down at herself, taking a moment to admire her tall form and perky breasts, and smirked before reaching down to pick up the pajamas that had fallen off of her - a simple purple tank top and short black shorts. She slipped them on, noticing for the first time how Caitlyn did in fact have a bit of muscle definition, before looking back up at the glass cabinet, admiring her new reflection with a half smile.

It didn't last long, though, as the fatigue suddenly hit her - dipping into Caitlyn's memories, she found that the Sheriff had spent the last several hours reading up on known bounty hunters, trying to identify who it was that she and Vi had fought on the rooftop. Unfortunately for her, it seemed that Samira had some important people keeping her activities hidden, as there were very few public records of her, which meant that Caitlyn had spent hours poring over crime reports for nothing. Jinx let out a yawn, feeling the stress of both hers and Caitlyn's day getting to her, and decided that maybe it was time for bed. She quickly swept up her gear and stuffed it into a nearby drawer, one that she knew Vi would never check, before clicking off the light and making her way down the hall. Slipping into bed, Jinx was acutely aware of how weird it was to be lying next to Vi in her girlfriend's body, but right now she was too tired to care about that, and pulled the covers up over her, quickly letting sleep claim her.

"...ait... Cait..." she heard, and groaned as she blearily opened her eyes to see Vi looking at her. "Hey there, sleepyhead," Vi said, smiling slightly, "Not like you to sleep in - come on, don't wanna be late."

"Ugh..." Jinx whined, but as her memory returned to her she silently agreed that yes, she should maintain Caitlyn's normal behavior for the time being, not wanting to risk somehow being identified again. She swept the covers off of her and swung her legs off the bed, needing a moment to steady herself in Caitlyn's tall body as she stood up. She glanced at the clock, noting that it was only about 20 minutes after Caitlyn normally woke up, so she still had plenty of time, and quickly made her way into the shower. "Heh... remember last time we were in a shower together, darlin'?" She didn't waste any time, though, quickly washing herself up, taking only a moment to look at herself in the mirror. "Sheriff Caitlyn Kiramman, at your service." she whispered, roleplaying to try and to immerse herself in her new personality - a personality she would need to wear for the time being.

Wrapping a towel around herself, Jinx stepped out of the bathroom to see Vi stretching her legs - her eyes going to Vi's injured foot. Caitlyn's memories told her that Vi luckily hadn't broken anything, her heavy combat boot deflecting the bulk of the impact, but she had sprained it slightly. "Feeling any better?" she said, trying to act the part of a caring girlfriend (and boss).

"Ugh," Vi grunted, rubbing some ice on it to try and reduce the swelling. "Better, but I doubt I'll be doing any rooftop running for a couple days."

"Goodness, whatever will you do? Perhaps filling out your own reports for a change?"

"Ha ha," Vi replied humorlessly, rolling her eyes, "We both know you'll probably just end up rewriting most of it anyway." She then stood up and limped into the bathroom - her turn to take a shower.

Jinx curled Caitlyn's lips into a smile, but the strangest part was that she actually felt that happiness. It felt weird having this sort of friendly banter with Vi, even if it wasn't technically her doing it. Somehow, she couldn't help but feel glad that Vi had someone in her life who she could have that kind of relationship with - even if it was the annoying Sheriff.

She walked over to Caitlyn's dresser, and pulled out a set of her usual sheriff uniform ("jeez lady, how many sets of the same clothes do you own?"), setting it down on the bed. As if she'd done it a thousand times before, she pulled the tight leather pants up her long legs, slid the dark blue dress over her torso, slipped the short brown jacket over her shoulders, and fastened a variety of belts around her - each one with a specific purpose or carrying a specific type of ammunition. "More organized than I am, I'll give you that... I usually just carry what I can wherever I can." Finally, she stuffed her feet into the tall brown boots next to the bed, slipped her hands into the shooting gloves, and finished it off with the most important piece - the Big Hat. Jinx couldn't help but smile internally at the irony - she had made fun of this hat so many times in the past, and now here she was wearing it. She walked over to a mirror, and almost gasped at the sight - she really had become Sheriff Caitlyn, hat and all.

Vi chose that moment to exit the bathroom, her shower concluded, and rolled her eyes when she saw Caitlyn staring into the mirror. "Cait, you look fine, as always."

Jinx turned to face her, having to stop herself from cringing at the sight of her naked sister. "You're not you, you're Caitlyn - hell, a couple days ago that was your body, don't be weird..." "Yes, well... some of us have to take a bit of care in our appearance - we can't all be as 'natural' as you."

Vi snorted at that, reaching down to pick up some clothes from the floor. "Coming from you, I should probably take that as a compliment."

"Yes you should," Jinx replied, still feeling extremely weirded out at the idea of flirting with her sister. "Anyway, I should be off - I'll see you there?"

"'Course," Vi replied, before reaching out and pulling her girlfriend into a gentle kiss. Jinx returned it, leaning as hard into Caitlyn's personality as possible to avoid throwing up, and gave Vi a smile before turning to leave. On her way out, though, she grabbed two things - one of Caitlyn's spare rifles to sling over her back (her good one having recently been ruined by... herself), and the costume gun that she'd hidden in her office, tucking it away in one of the pouches on her belt.

Jinx found herself walking fast to the Enforcer HQ, wanting to get right down to the business of figuring out who it was that had been able to identify her. Her mind was racing the whole way, using Caitlyn's knowledge to try and figure out how she could get the Enforcers on their trail. Unfortunately, they were currently a little preoccupied with the mysterious bounty hunter that had just shown up yesterday and embarrassed two of their top officers, so things like a random body being found down in Zaun had fallen by the wayside. "Ugh... what good is being the Sheriff if I can't just tell them to ignore the bounty hunter?"

When she finally arrived, she quickly made her way to Caitlyn's office - she'd been in here once or twice while impersonating Vi, but now it was her office, and as she sat down in the fancy leather chair, she finally felt the weight of her new title hit her - Jinx was the Sheriff of Piltover. Any other time, saying that out loud would've made her giddy, but right now she had to deal with the box of wrenches that had been thrown into her life.

She looked down at the documents on her desk, memories rushing forward to provide context - last night, Caitlyn had asked for a report on any known active bounties on targets in Piltover and Zaun, trying to see if she could identify who had hired the mysterious bounty hunter that claimed to be after Jinx. Of course, Jinx herself knew that information already - it was the Medarda clan, but she supposed it might seem a little too convenient if Caitlyn just pulled that information out of her oversized hat right away. So, she decided to start skimming through these reports, figuring at the least she might also be able to learn if there was anyone else out there who wanted her gone.

It was about an hour later when she heard a knock at her door, and as the door opened she glanced up for only a brief moment to see a flash of pink hair. "Ah, Vi, you're here - would you mind taking some of these reports? I think I might have an idea as to who placed that bounty, but I just want to rule out any other possibilities."

"Oh, I'm sure you have a very good idea," Vi replied as she shut the door, and something in her tone made Jinx pause. "Don't you... Jinx?" She looked up, actually looking at Vi this time, and saw... glowing purple eyes, above a grin just a little too wide for Vi's usual smiles.

"...Who the hell are you?" Jinx managed, not even trying to hide behind the facade as she slowly reached for Caitlyn's rifle.

"Now, now, mind your gun there... don't want to hurt your dear sister, do you?" Not-Vi said, casually taking the seat opposite her. "After all, you wore her face for a week and the worst you did was be a little mean to her girlfriend? Tsk, tsk..." Jinx stopped reaching for the gun, but remained silent. "Relax, child, I've come in peace this time, just to talk with you." Not-Vi continued, raising her hands in mock surrender.

"How do you keep finding me? How-"

"Child, the answer to most of your questions is this - I was hiding behind the faces of other people before the first bricks of Piltover were even laid. I know an imposter when I see one. And though you're not the worst I've seen, you're still a little messier than you should be - for those who know what to look for, you left quite a trail," the person wearing Vi's face smirked, the sight unnatural on her face. "Poor Samira, waking up on a tower with several blank spots in her memories... a boat captain **** in her cabin, a dock worker upside down in a closet... even your own sister, unable to reason why she had been so inexplicably rude to the love of her life. As for how I knew where to start... did you really think that you could just steal an experimental prototype like that and no one would miss it?"

Jinx remained silent for the longest time, the scale of just who, or what she was up against truly hitting her. "Before Piltover even existed... shit." Finally, she spoke, Caitlyn's voice unusually meek. "...So what happens now? What do you want from me?"

Not-Vi smiled, perhaps the first genuine smile she'd put on (though Jinx truly had no idea what might count as 'genuine'). "Good girl, you catch on fast. You won't be able to hide from me, let's just get that out of the way now. As for what you can do... The fact of the matter is that I truly don't care what you get up to in your little city. You can keep wearing the Sheriff for all I care, or even find someone else to masquerade as. I will ask politely that you stay out of Noxus, as people like Samira are rather important pieces on my chessboard, and I'd rather not have you disrupting plans centuries in the making. What I truly want, though... is the prototype returned to its creator, Jayce Talis. Though I do appreciate you taking it for a little test drive, it is still unfinished, and I would like for him to be able to complete it sooner rather than later. I'll give you a couple of days to decide, let you find a skin you like and all that, but come Friday morning I would like it to be back in his hands." Not-Vi tilted her head to the side, and Jinx found herself increasingly unsettled by how erratic and unnatural her movements were. "Tell you what, as a show of good faith, I'll even have the Medardas' bounty on you retracted, so Samira will leave you be."

Suddenly, Not-Vi stood up, walked around the desk to lean in close to Jinx's ear, and whispered, "If Jayce doesn't get the prototype back, though... I suppose I'll have to take your body for a spin, and make you return it to him myself." As Jinx looked up at her in horror, the Not-Vi laughed, before her glowing purple eyes rolled back in her skull and she collapsed, like a puppet with its strings cut.

"Shit!" Jinx exclaimed, reacting quickly to catch Vi as she fell, and stood up to set her **** sister down in Caitlyn's chair. She used Caitlyn's limited medical knowledge to check over her, making sure she was breathing, her pulse was beating, and her eyes... were back to their normal color.

Jinx crouched down in front of the **** Vi, and while she waited for her to wake up her mind raced with questions. "Who is this person?" "How are they able to control people like this?" "How do they keep finding me?" One question, though, stood out above all the others: "...Do I have a choice?"

Finally, Vi started to stir, and Jinx felt a rush of relief from both Caitlyn's mind and her own. "Vi, are... are you okay?"

"Ugh..." Vi groaned, raising a hand to her head. "Yeah, I... Oh, that's weird, how'd I get here?"

"What... what do you mean?"

"I mean, I... I was just talking to Harknor at the front desk, he was asking how my foot's recovering, when suddenly I felt someone brush against me, and... I thought I heard a woman's voice... laughing...? ...and then suddenly I'm waking up here." Vi sighed, rolling her eyes. "Shit, Cait, do you think I have one of those 'trauma' things? Am I gonna have to go see a shrink? I don't have time for that..."

Jinx couldn't help but let out a light chuckle, mainly out of relief that Vi was back to normal. "Vi, being perfectly honest I think you might have just about every trauma known to mankind," she replied, standing up to fix Caitlyn's uniform. "But as for therapy... I think perhaps we might both need something like that."

Vi looked up at her for a moment, and for a moment Jinx almost got nervous she'd said the wrong thing, until Vi stood up and pulled her into a tight embrace. "I love you, Cupcake," she said, voice muffled against Caitlyn's shoulder.

Jinx took a moment to react, before she also slowly wrapped Caitlyn's arms around Vi and hugged her back. "I love you, too, Vi..."

The two stood like that for a moment, silently embracing, before Jinx cleared her throat and released Vi. "We should... get back to work. Lot of... reports."

"...Right," Vi said with a firm nod, walking around to sit on the other side of the desk. "Lot of work to do." And as Jinx sat back in Caitlyn's chair, silently handing some documents over to Vi, she started to consider her options - namely, if there was anyone who might be able to help her.