Chapter Text
When she had walked inside the conference room, a sense of terrible, horrifying dread had taken over her, clogging her throat and rendering her a docile lamb stuck in her own mind, unable to find her voice to react to what was happening around her. As Caitlyn sat in that too comfortable office chair, she had felt like a broken doll, a puppet without strings, nailed down to the spot, mouth glued shut by an invisible gag while Silco declared his plan to basically take away her whole life's work out of petty revenge, twisting overly vague clauses to their advantage to stake their claim over ten years of her blood, sweat and tears like they owned her, as if she was nothing more than a slave.
It didn't matter that, according to Fitz and her own mother, they had the law by their side, Windmill Media and Silco especially seemed to be very much intent on dragging her to court, and while they bragged about how their contracts allowed them more than enough room to seize her work and keep monetizing it for their own profit, she couldn't even utter a single word to defend herself, or rebuke them.
She felt so useless, wimpy and powerless in that room, needing Fitz, her own mother and Vi to speak for her…
Like a scared child being reprimanded for misbehaving, adding shame to the maelstrom of feelings wreaking havoc in her mind.
What a mess…
She had ruined her career, barely weeks before her contract would have expired…
Now Windmill would most likely scorch the earth around her just to get back at her, just to be petty and vindictive, preventing her from negotiating a new contract with a new label.
No one wants to sign a singer that can't keep their mouth shut after all.
Exhausted, defeated and on the brink of a panic attack, Caitlyn immediately stormed out of the room the moment Fitz declared that the meeting was over, warning the label that they could contact her, or her family, exclusively through his law firm. She shut the door behind her and rushed towards the nearest restroom, ignoring the weird looks employees threw at her as she tried her damn best to keep the tears from falling before she was alone and away from prying eyes.
She slammed her shoulder into the restroom door and then again into the cubicle, closing herself inside with the latch. Once she knew she was out of sight, she let her back crash against the thick black plastic wall and slid down onto the pristine tiled floor, finally letting out all the anger and frustration she had bottled inside during the meeting.
The ragged sob that escaped her throat sounded utterly inhuman. Hoarse, guttural, pained, like an animal being skinned alive. It echoed on the empty walls of the cubicle and the tall ceiling, creating a dark, ominous resonance that thundered in the small space.
That's how she felt in that moment.
An animal trapped during a storm, a prey to a larger predator, toyed with, tortured even, before being eaten alive.
Tears streamed down her face in rivers as she curled up onto herself, arms tightly wrapped around her knees as she shook with wrecking hiccups at random intervals, making it hard to breathe.
She barely heard the restroom door slam open, or Vi's voice calling her name and banging on the cubicle. "Cait!" Vi called, loud and frantic. "Cait, open the door."
Her hands clenched, knuckles white and nails digging in the flesh of her palms, when she tried to move and unlatch the lock, but her limbs were locked in a tight spasm, she couldn't move, petrified with fear and anguish.
"Cait, I swear to anything divine, if you don't open this door I'm going to kick it down, consequences be damned."
Grimacing at the idea of security arresting her for property damage, Caitlyn found the strength and coordination to move and flip the latch so that Vi could open the cubicle. In no time, her girlfriend was inside with her, door shut closed once again, and Vi was kneeling on the bathroom floor, her own arms wrapped around Caitlyn and holding her tight. For some reason, Vi's touch felt like pinpricks through her clothes, but she bit her tongue and let Vi held her, because despite the strange tingly feeling, it was actually helping her with grounding herself.
At least she didn't say anything, she just held her, a comforting presence that didn't at least force to talk.
Caitlyn wasn't sure how long they remained there, barricaded in the too small cubicle for two women above average in height, but even if Vi had to curl her legs in what looked an extremely uncomfortable position, she never complained. Not even a whimper whenever Caitlyn would jostle because a hiccup, nor she protested when Caitlyn would sniffle into her hoodie, leaving snot marks on the dark cloth.
It was only when she finally stopped hiccuping that Vi finally dared to speak, soft and reassuring, a murmur in her ear that soothed her nerves immediately. "Whatever happens," she whispered. "Whatever they do, we face it together, okay?"
Caitlyn sniffled softly. "I don't know what to do…"
"Right now? Nothing," Vi continued. "Let Fitz handle it. He was speaking with your parents when I came looking for you, and he's sure you've got the higher ground. This doesn't mean it won't be messy, but that contract is basically shredded paper, from a legal standpoint."
"What if they find a complacent judge? Or one that can be bribed?" she cried out.
"He's mentioned that too. Actually, Mel brought it up. He claimed that it would be really hard for them to find someone to bribe, given your family name and status. No judge would ever risk their livelihood going against the Kirammans, it's almost unthinkable."
"Uh, that would be the first time my family name actually helps me with something…"
"Then let's exploit it! I know you don't like it, but it's gonna help, why not?"
"I guess I never really liked to do that, so I'm not sure I can do it now. Just that."
"Well get used to it now, because you need all the aces up your sleeve you can get. Fitz is positive you can get out of this unscathed," Vi said. "He's the expert in this, you should trust him."
"You think we can win this?"
"I do think we can win, yes. Fitz has spoken of a friend of his, a barrister very well known in corporate law for being kind of a shark."
"Uhm..." Caitlynn mumbled softly. "That barrister sounds exactly like the best type of person to go against Silco."
"A shark going against another shark? Oh yes, you're right," Vi added. "But seriously Cait, I know right now it must feel like the whole world is turning against us, I understand it very, very well, and believe it or not, I know that feeling. For different reasons, but I know the feeling. You'll be alright, in a nick of time Silco will find out you're smarter than he thinks, that you're a lot tougher than he thinks, and you'll beat his ass out in public. And you'll get your masters back, as they rightfully belong to you."
"I'm not really sure that will happen..."
"Give it time, and let the pros do their job. Let them handle this shit, just show up when and where they ask you to and you should be fine," Vi explained. "Maybe talk to Mel about you as a person and not you as the main character of a lawsuit though... You know, maybe think about disappearing from public eye for a while?"
Caitlyn let out a bitter chuckle. "Right now I just feel like crawling under a rock and let the world forget about me, disappearing doesn't sound so bad."
"Ask her what to do. Were it for me I'd keep you to myself a lot longer so yeah... We can move some of my stuff around so you can have more room for your things."
She nodded. "I'll ask Mel right away. I will have to go back to my place at some point though... You don't have to sacrifice your space to make more room for me, it's fine."
"Nonsense, if you're going to stay at my place for a little while longer, you should have your space. And I don't mind sharing, for real."
"We'll think about that, okay? We have time now after all, right?" Caitlyn asked, and Vi nodded.
"How about we get out of this bathroom though? I mean, it's fancy as fuck, but it's still an office restroom, not exactly comfortable if you ask me," Vi quipped.
"You're right," Caitlyn replied with a brief smile that immediately disappeared from her lips, as fast as it had come. "Do you mind checking if Silco is still out there?"
"No problem, Cupcake..." Vi said as she made move to stand up and helped Caitlyn at the same time. "He was on his way out with his little cohort of ass kissing assholes when I ran here, but I'll check all the same."
As Vi walked out of the stall to check if the coast was clear, Caitlyn took some time to freshen up her face at the sink. She knew she didn't look even remotely fine, but the mirror gave back the reflection of a stranger. Hair a mess, eyes bloodshot and puffy, the skin around her nose was red and inflamed for all the crying she had done in that short burst of time. She looked like she had just done a line of cocaine, but she felt as if she had been injected with a strong sedative.
She was exhausted, depleted of all energy, as if she could have slept for two days straight, and yet her limbs intermittently jolted with energy, and her hands especially twitched and itched, like invisible ants were running on her arms and hands specifically.
With a short sigh, she took off her glasses, cleaned them with the hem of her t-shirt and set them on the marble counter beside the sink, before she opened the tap and let the cool water run on her hands and wrists, letting the sensation of the running water on the skin soothe her nerves.
She took a few steadying breaths as she felt the still lingering panic slowly fade away and recede in the back of her mind enough that she could actually pretend to be a functioning human being, splashed her face with cold water, trying her best to wash off the streaked makeup. As light as she had applied the foundation, eyeliner and eyeshadow, the ugly, panicked crying had ruined everything, turning her face into a splotchy mess. She did her best to clean up, before she grabbed a way too soft piece of paper towel from the dispenser and wiped everything off, scrubbing hard enough that she left streaks of reddish skin by the time Vi came back into the bathroom.
"The coast is clear, the asshole and his goons have left," she said. "Your parents and Mel are still out here, but Fitz had to leave. He said something about preparing a new strategy."
Caitlyn gave her a quick nod and grabbed her hand. "I understand. Come on, let's get out of here."
"You're ready?" Vi asked.
"I am, yes," she replied with another quick nod. "I'll have to face the world sooner rather than later, no use hiding in the restroom of a building I don't want to see ever again."
With that, they walked out together and soon they found her parents and Mel discussing among themselves, most likely about what they wanted to do in the future, near and far.
"I'm surprised as well honestly," Mel was saying. "I... I don't actually understand how this was possible. I was confident they'd never try to retaliate fearing a blow to their reputation, but apparently they don't care, they just want revenge."
"Silco in particular, yes..." Her mother continued. "In hindsight, we should have expected it though. We've seen time and time again how he dealt with other smaller defiant artists, he always took it personally."
"Well to be fair," her father went on. "I wasn't sure he would try to play the same game with Caitlyn. I mean... Anyone in their right mind would think twice before going against someone whose last name is Kiramman."
"From what Dad told me," Vi interjected. "He's that power hungry though. And yeah, from someone that once joked about getting into Shimmer dealings in order to make money, I wouldn't be surprised if we found out that he actually thinks we're either backing down and letting him have the masters, or worse that he'd sure his case will hold in court."
"Wait, does your father know him personally?" Cassandra asked.
"He does, yes. They used to work together in the mines. According to Dad, Silco played the long game and managed to gather some wealth investing his money since he had a paycheck basically, he made some lucky moves in the early 80s and by the time the 90s rolled out, he had already become the major investor in satellite communication after Rupert Murdoch," Vi explained.
"Then came the internet infrastructure, the investments in high speed cable manufacturing and in the early 2000s the music industry," Caitlyn added.
"A media empire, cloaked in shadow," Mel said. "In this day and age, if the UK is connected to the internet it'd because of him. Buying that industry plant that makes optic fiber cable was his best gamble to this day." She paused for a moment. "Maybe. I'm debating if you were his best investment. After all, before you signed Windmill was a nearly bankrupt indie label that he rescued most likely to try and make a quick buck if he managed to find the cheap talent he needed to put the label back under the spotlight."
"After I was signed and my album started selling like crazy the label got financially profitable again quickly," Caitlyn muttered. "This allowed him to sign more people, who in turn made even more money for him."
Mel nodded. "That's exactly what I meant, yes. "You don't just made him millions in sales, merch and tours, you also gave lustre to the label, so that more people were interested about being signed just to say I'm under the same label as Caitlyn Kiramman!"
Caitlyn let out a somber chuckle. "Yeah, I figured… so, were you serious in there? About leaving Windmill?"
Mel smiled. "Dead serious, yes. I turned away from Windmill's shady dealings for too long, I won't stand for this, they took it too far. You didn't do anything wrong, the contract was exploitative to begin with and I'm tired of keeping up a nice face for a label that doesn't respect their artists. So I'm leaving. Enough is enough."
"Thank you, Mel," Caitlyn replied, smiling herself. "It means a lot to me."
Mel then placed her warm hands on Caitlyn's shoulders and pulled on her, dragging her into a tight hug. "I may not exactly be the warmest person, but I care about you Caitlyn, you're like a little sister to me, I can't stand to see you suffer like this, you never deserved it. They can go bankrupt tomorrow for all I care, they're a shit label anyway."
"You really think there's better?" Caitlyn asked.
"Oh, there is. Because I have an idea. Just… let me sit on it for a while, but I have an idea. I'll have to ask my mother's opinion, but I have an idea."
Beside her, Vi smirked. "Why do I have the feeling you're thinking about starting Caitlyn's own label?"
"You're not too far from the truth Vi, but I need to check if it's viable. I mean, my mother is one if not the top producer in the UK and Europe for pop, R&B and soul and she never wanted to start her own label, despite having the means… There must be some intricacies she never wanted to deal with I guess, but I can ask. Give me a couple of days, she's out of the UK right now, but she should return by the end of the week. I'll report back as soon as I have something, okay?"
"Thank you, Mel," said Caitlyn's mother. "On behalf of also my husband, your support for Caitlyn means a lot o us."
"Don't even mention it, Cassandra. Business is business, but human rights are never negotiable. It was time I drew a line somewhere."
Soon, they were all walking out of the elevator and into the lobby of the building, where they gave back the badges and signed out of the logbook, and then marched down to the parking lot, where they said goodbye and headed to their respective homes.
Vi was unlocking the chain when she heard Caitlyn's cellphone ring. "Hello?" she said, without checking the caller ID. "Oh hi Flo! No you're not disturbing, don't worry. Yes I'm in town but why are you here? Ah alright sure… well, yes I'm free tonight but I'm staying at Vi's place."
Vi stood and three the chain and padlock in the case mounted behind the seat. "Florence?" she mouthed, and Caitlyn nodded. "Uh, cool…"
"Yes we'd love to meet, sure."
At that, Vi paled. Going out with Florence Welch wasn't exactly how she had expected to end the day.
"No actually… I know a place. It's closed tonight but I'm sure Vi's Dad won't object if we met there, it's in Zaun. Perfect, yes…"
Holy shit… Vi thought. Sure of course it wouldn't be a problem opening the pub if Caitlyn wanted to meet her friend in a safe and neutral place. It was actually a good idea, so she immediately texted her father to ask permission to open up the pub for a private night. Not that she needed permission, she could come and go as she wished on closing nights, but she still liked to ask, because it was the right thing to do.
"Want to go out for something to eat before that? Ah okay got it, so you're free only after dinner, that's fine." Caitlyn sighed. "No Flo I'm fine, for real it's just… a tough day. I'll explain later, it's a long story. Yes, sure. I'll text the location. No don't worry, it's fine, we didn't have anything planned and Vi has to work tomorrow, so we couldn't really plan anything. Sure, of course. See you later Flo, can't wait."
She closed he call the shoved her phone in her purse. "I hope you don't mind…"
"Mind what? Meeting Florence Welch? You've got to be shitting me!" Vi exclaimed. "It's fine, trust me. I just hope I won't make a complete fool of myself."
"You won't, trust me," Caitlyn replied with a soft smile. "She's one of the sweetest people I've ever met in the music industry, I look up to her a lot. She has this way of making people comfortable I'm actually envious of that. Just be your usual charming self, you'll be just fine."
"Are you sure? I'm usually a bumbling mess when I'm myself!" Vi joked.
"Why do you think I fell in love with you?" Caitlyn said before kissing her cheek. "Come on, let's get out of here. I don't ever want to set foot in this building ever again."
The ride home was uneventful. A little slower than Vi had hoped due to traffic, but just normal. They arrived back in Zaun just in time for a cup of tea and a refreshing shower before dinner and then heading out to meet Florence. The thought alone was making Vi giddy, even if just three days prior she had met one of her idols of contemporary music when she realized the mysterous guest in the VIP pit was Papa Emeritus. Florence Welch was on a completely different level of fame, and Vi feared she'd make a fool of herself the moment she would open her mouth to speak.
If she managed to speak at all, since sometimes when she felt overwhelmed, instead of rambling about stupid things, she would often shut down completely and just sit quietly, listening to the conversations around her trying her damn best to look normal when in reality she felt like she was melting from the inside.
With hair still damp from the shower, Vi decided to kill some time as Caitlyn took her own time in the bathroom freshing herself up booting her Playstation and starting a new run on Dishonored, a game she had thoroughly played for the past four years, but the sequel would come out in a few months and a refresher was definitely needed.
When the splash screens passed and the main menu appeared on the screen, she stretched her neck side to side and hit New Game, a bright smile on her face. She had seen that intro sequence maybe seven, eight times, possibly more she couldn't really remember, but every single time, she remembered the joy of playing the game for the first time in 2012, when it had come out, and being reminded how much she liked immersive sim games and how much she missed them and wished they were more popular.
Sure, just that year she'd get two big releases in the genre with Deus Ex Mankind Divided in August and Dishonored 2 coming in November, but unfortunately, it was a genre that had a very niche audience and never really took off.
Oh well, at least she could enjoy this one.
"Damn the art style is fucking stunning…" she muttered to herself as she was finally free to move around.
She knew the ins and outs of that game like the back of her hand, and still, even with the sense of familiarity that came from four years of multiple playthroughs, Vi still found out ways to move around, new tactics to traverse levels, new nooks to hide or store unconscious bodies so guards wouldn't become suspicious. It was like playing a new game every single time she fired it up.
So she sat back against the couch, stretched her legs and propped her feet on the coffee table, and played, letting her mind concentrate on the tasks at hand, playing hide and seek with Emily, pulling pranks on the High Overseer… watching Empress Jessamine being murdered without being able to do anything about it… and then making her way through Coldridge Prison to gain Corvo's freedom once more.
She was about halfway through the tutorial level when Caitlyn walked out of the bathroom, dressed in sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt, long hair wrapped in a towel, and sat down on the couch beside Vi. She looked like she had just come home from a month long trek, exhausted beyond simple weariness. She smiled, but there was no light in her eyes.
Clearly the meeting with the label execs had left her deeply shaken, and even the thought of meeting a supporting friend like Florence wasn't nearly enough to cheer her up.
Immediately, Vi second guessed her idea of spending the rest of the afternoon gaming.
"If you want I can stop playing…"
She shook her head and leaned against her, resting her hand on Vi's thigh. "No, please, don't. I like watching you play, it's oddly relaxing, especially in story driven games. So… what are you playing?"
"Dishonored. It's the story of a bodyguard framed for the murder of the Empress he's tasked to protect, and how he needs to find the culprits, bring them to justice, and restore his good name. And save his daughter in the meantime, a couple of times," Vi explained as she navigated through the flooded sewers to move from one section to the other. "It came out four years ago and I love every second of it."
"So you go around killing people that wronged you?" Caitlyn asked.
"Well… you could, the game allows you to go full Rambo on your enemies and murder them in cold blood. But the fun part of this game is achieving your goals… without killing anyone in the meantime. Because you can do that, there are ways to get rid of your enemies non lethally… even though most of their fates fall under the category of a fate worse than death if you ask me."
Caitlyn seemed to perk up a little bit, probably due to curiosity. "How so?"
"See, the game rewards stealth play and non lethal takedowns. Like this…" She crept behind an unaware guard and rendered him unconscious with a chokehold. "As for your objective, you can navigate the levels to get clues on how to get rid of them in ways that will keep them alive, just in less than ideal conditions. For example, one of the first objectives is the leader of the in world church, see him as a mix of a Catholic cardinal and a Sheriff. If you don't want to kill him, you can brand him as a hereitc and have him cast out of the church, ruining him."
"That does really sound like a fate worse than death," Caitlyn commented.
"Yep… what you're doing, it's still morally reprehensible, but your character is considered a protector, someone that goes above and beyond himself to protect his ward and the ones he loves so… it makes sense you are allowed to take some moral compromises to achieve your goals."
"Uhm…" Caitlyn mused. "By the way you're describing him, this guy sounds a lot like you."
Vi paused the game and turned towards Caitlyn. "How so?"
"Yes I mean… you protect people. You give up to things that matter to you in order to protect the people you love. At the photoshoot, Sevika told me you gave up boxing after you got your jaw broken, because you feared concussions and you didn't want to risk traumatic encephalopathy. Or even just now, you were ready to stop playing to help me because you saw me sad. And while I appreciate that you're always up to cheer me when I don't feel at the top of my game, you don't need to completely annul yourself in order to make me feel better. You don't need to always be there for me, I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."
"But I like taking care of you!" Vi exclaimed.
Caitlyn smiled, truly this time, her cheeks turning up and blue eyes shining. Vi felt warmth bloom in her chest. "And I appreciate it every time you do it. I just don't want you to turn into someone else just for me. I like you the way you are, you don't need to change because of me."
Vi let out a sigh. "You know… you're the first person I've ever met that told me something like that, family aside. Everyone else wanted me to change and be more like a normal person, even my past girlfriends. You're truly the first one that doesn't want me to change to accommodate them. And as such a small thing as it is, I really appreciate it."
Caitlyn leaned closer and kissed her, just a peck on the lips, but more than enough to seal the deal. "I would never want to see you any different than this, because this is who I fell in love with. No masks, remember? That's the only rule we have."
Vi nodded. "Yes, one rule. No masks. Mind if I add another one?"
"As long as it's reasonable…"
"It is. Whatever happens, whoever may come and try to mess up with you, or with us, we face it together. So if that asshole of Silco and his sad goons decide to really sue you, we tear them a new one together. I can still throw a mean left hook, Silco is going to fly out of the court room with a broken jaw, if he ever tries to pull a stupid prank on you. Got it?"
"Got it. Whatever happens, we work on it together."
"Good," Vi said with a nod. "Now, let's see how far I can go in the game before we have to leave."
"Sounds like a plan, let's do it!"
Caitlyn wasn't really hungry, so when dinner time came, she decided to skip the meal, while Vi ate a quick pan seared chicken breast she had marinated with some spices and lemon juice for about half an hour and a big bowl of shredded lettuce, cherry tomatoes and sliced olives. As delicious and appetizing as it looked, no matter how many times Vi offered her even just a bite, Caitlyn always refused. She felt her stomach tied into a tight knot, with random waves of nausea that washed over her and made it difficult to even being close to food at all, but she endured.
It wasn't an unfamiliar feeling after all, when anxiety had the best of her and completely took over how her body reacted to any kind of stimulus. Most of the time, she withdrew into herself, desperately trying to fight off the dreadful voices in her head that told her she was the sole responsible for everything bad in the world. Other times, like in this case, her stomach decided to shut down, refusing all intake of food, even the smallest amounts, under severe threat of unpleasant retching.
Nothing new, in the end. She knew it would happen, given the grueling afternoon she had spent at the meeting, she was ready to face it. She just hoped things would get better before the time to meet Flo arrived.
So she waited, breathed through it, and hoped for the best.
After they had cleaned up, they got dressed and waited for Flo's text saying that she was close to arriving, as agreed. Once that came, they quickly got out and walked to the pub, right as a dark blue car pulled over to the curb and a moment later a tall, thin figure slipped out of the backseat, a full mane of bright red hair flowing in the evening breeze as the one and only Florence Welch stepped in front of the Last Drop as her Uber drive moved away to resume their rounds.
Caitlyn immediately felt like a weight had been pulled from her shoulders. It happened every single time Flo entered her life, without failure.
"Flo!" she called. "We're here!"
She turned and saw them, smiled, then proceeded to trot towards them and hug Caitlyn tight.
"I'm so glad to see you!" she exclaimed.
"Me too," Caitlyn replied. "How are you?"
Florence pulled back. "Same old. Visiting a cousin that recently had a baby, and I thought I could stop by for a quick meet up. So… you're out."
Caitlyn nodded. "I am, yes."
"And let me guess, they bitched about it."
In the corner of her vision, Caitlyn saw Vi roll her eye, as if meaning to say you have no idea, but too star struck to open her mouth.
Not that Caitlyn could really fault Vi for that. Florence had this ethereal presence that even when she wasn't in full stage or photoshoot get up that was bound to make an impression on people, there was no denying that.
"They did, but we'll talk about it later. By the way, this is Vi. My girlfriend."
Vi actually puffed her chest in pride being called that, standing tall and perking up.
Only to be caught completely off guard when Flo launched herself forward and hugged Vi tight, leaving her dumbstruck, arms flailing a little bit to maintain balance as the singer held her in a surprisingly tight embrace, given how lithe she was. Vi's face was a kaleidoscope of emotions, she was hopping between disbelief and thorough joy every split second.
She was absolutely adorable.
"I'm so glad to meet you, Vi!" Flo exclaimed when she pulled back. "I've heard so much about it, I couldn't really wait to meet you!"
"Uhm… Thank you, Ma'am."
"Oh please…" Florence said waving her off. "Out with the bloody platitudes, call me Flo, it's just fine. So… Caitlyn told me this is your Dad's pub, right?" Vi nodded. "Then let's get inside, I must admit I am kind of thirsty. I just hope you have non alcoholic options, I've been sober for two years and I'd like to keep the positive streak going!"
Vi smiled, proud. "You're in luck then, we just launched a series of non alcoholic drinks based on zero alcohol gin. Come then, we'll get in by the backdoor if that's not an issue."
Soon, they found themselves huddled at the pub counter, each of them their drink of choice resting on cardboard coasters in front of them and Caitlyn explaining the whole situation that had been presented in front of them just that afternoon, with Vi pitching in from time to time in order to either add further detail or add her two cogs about what had been said and done. Meanwhile, Florence listened carefully without saying a word beside sometimes asking for additional stuff or for a clarification.
By the end of it, Caitlyn felt a bit flustered, but she could see that Flo was visibly angry despite her usually pretty laid down personality.
"So, let me see if I understood the situation because it is quite convoluted…" Flo said once they had reached the end of the tale. "They are going to sue you for breach of contact and financial damage and if that fails, the owner of the label will personally sue you for personal damage? Are they even serious?"
"Apparently, they are," Caitlyn said, defeated. "Or at least that's what they threatened to do, whether they do it or not is still up in the air."
"But…" Florence appeared to be completely flabbergasted. "The legal team of the label is really that daft? They're allowing Silco to do something like that? I mean, I have zero legal training, and this sounds completely ludicrous, what the hell do they want from you?"
Caitlyn shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of beer. "Your guess is as good as mine. I guess they want to punish me for breaching the contract."
"But… you just came out as gay! Like… how many other musicians and actors or entertainers in general out there? Hundreds? Thousands around the whole world? What's the big deal?"
"Silco is a control freak, according to my Dad," Vi said. "He likes to keep everyone on a very short leash and lead them where he wants to. Usually to money, so he can become even richer than he already is."
"Damn…" Flo rolled her eyes. "This makes no sense. And they really believe this will hold up in court?"
"Your guess is as good as mine, Flo. I'm not sure how this thing will play out, as of now they only made threats, and according to my family lawyer, it's likely their legal actions won't be taken seriously by any court and it will all end up in a plume of smoke, but we can't be certain. He's currently preparing in case it won't be dismissed," Caitlyn explained. "So that we're ready to face them in court if we end up there."
"He said he would contact a barrister, a colleague from law school, to make her aware that Caitlyn might need her services somewhere down the line. He highly recommended her, said she's one of the best in town and he trusts her unconditionally with his cases," Vi added, since she had been present when Fitz had talked about the future of the situation, while Caitlyn wailed her soul out in the bathroom. "As of now, it's a waiting game."
"I'm honestly without words… this sounds like a nightmare."
"Yeah well… it kind of is," Caitlyn deadpanned.
"So what's the plan? Prepare for the worst and hope they will not pursue legal action?" Flo asked.
"That is… sort of the plan," she followed. "Right now I'm staying at Vi's place to avoid the press. By a massive stroke of luck, they never learned where I live once I moved out of my parents' home, so they immediately went there when the whole shitshow started after the concert."
"Oh I wouldn't call that a shitshow!" Flo added. "You know I'm not big on social media, but I can navigate them, and I saw first hand the outpour of support your fans gave you, and that's not a shitshow. That's rare, Cait, I told you countless times. Sometimes it borders on being unhealthy, but your fans love you for the songs you write, not for the person you love. They love you, and they don't care about the gender of your partner, as long as whoever that may by doesn't hurt you. What you call a shitshow happened behind the scenes and not because of your fans, but because unfortunately the music industry is dominated by white collar businessmen that care very little about the happiness of musicians, but they care a lot more about profit, specifically their own, and it's completely behind the scenes. Unless any of those involved goes public, there's a big chance no one gets even the faintest idea of them wanting to sue you until it actually gets to court and it becomes public knowledge."
"Then they will have to deal with the shitshow they created" Vi added. "The moment it turns out you were forced in the closet because of the contract they made you sign when you were a minor, their reputation will crumble."
"The problem is that I signed it, on my own free and naive will."
"Were you aware that the contract forbid you to come out?" Florence asked.
"At the time no, I wasn't. The way I understood that clause meant that I couldn't get caught doing anything that would tarnish my image or that of the label, like things fraudolent or criminal. The way the clause was worded never made me think about not being able to express myself regarding sexual identity, with a big stress on my own identity."
"Actually, I wonder how you could slip that line in Welcome To New York about people wanting who they want!" Florence interjected.
"The boys and boys and girls and girls? They tried to stop me, but Mel intervened and told them they could stick it in a dark place, that I wasn't expressing anything regarding my own homosexuality and I was just speaking plain facts about the culture of New York. After that, they couldn't really censor that song."
Beside her, Vi laughed. "Ah… smart woman."
"Indeed," Flo added with a chuckle. "So… any plan for the near future? Music aside, I mean."
Caitlyn was very glad for the change of subject.
"Well, if the weather holds, we're going to Farne Islands next week for Vi's birthday, that's as far as we have planned."
"We're going to see if we can track down some puffin chicks," Vi said. "My dad got me a new camera and I wanted to test it out."
"Well that sounds like a great plan! By the way… I'm working on the new album already and…"