Hey guys! Yukami with more commission work. Nothing much to say besides this was similar to the last one. Enjoy!
"Defeat!" the announcer called, her tone solemn as it always was when one side was defeated in a match. The red team's base was littered with scorch marks and projectiles from the final fight. All of it leading up to the two stone towers previously standing to defend the glowing crystal of energy and the same crystal in question to be left shattered into millions of pieces and falling into the pit below. The blue team, or the remaining three members left from the fight, cheered in triumph to the fall of the nexus crystal.
Quinn watched on as the giant red crystal shattered and fell, standing at the staircase of her fountain to recover from her engage. She fell to sit on the stairs below her, exhaustion from the amount of work she had done setting in on her legs. She turned her gaze from the pit of the nexus to the fountain tower, her eyes falling upon the final score of the match between the teams. She led in kills by almost seventy percent of her team, where the enemy's kills were more evenly distributed. The ending score being red team's twenty-three to blue team's thirty-five.
"Looks like even with the lead we couldn't pull the victory…" Quinn mumbled to herself. Having recovered some strength from the healing aura of the fountain, Quinn stood from the stairs and looked to the sky, eyeing the silhouette that hovered in circles around her base. With a whistle, she outstretched her arm, knowing that the object overhead was her faithful and lifelong companion Valor. True to expectation, the shadowy figure dived down from the sky, before slowing its descent to land upon the scout's forearm. The Demacian eagle screeched lightly at the marksman, earning a light chuckle.
"You did well out there too, Val." Quinn mused. She pulled out the single rune that sat in her satchel and let the small bits of mana she retained in the rift fill it before small symbols of blue began to encircle her feet below her. Within seconds, the runic symbols brightened to a blinding point, before the scout and the avian was wrapped in a blue light. They closed their eyes, bearing the uncomfortable yet familiar pull from the Fields of Justice back to the Institute of War. When the sensation ended, the two opened their eyes to see themselves in a circular room with their team standing on a platform. She took a second to send some nods and glances to her team before the summoners who stood at the bottom step began arguing amongst themselves.
Valor screeched with an annoyed tone as he eyed the arguing summoners. "Val, they did their best. It was no one's fault that we were at the end of defeat this time." Quinn reasoned to her avian partner. Valor looked at her with a somewhat deadpanned gaze, before lowly shrieking. "…okay, so they made a few mistakes with decisions. What matters is that you and I did our best and worked our hardest to victory. Our ending score is evidence of it."
Valor screeched once more before pecking her on the hand. Quinn yelped at the sudden pain before glaring at her partner. "Val, I get it. You're not happy we lost when we had the biggest lead. It's not like it's the end of the world for us." Quinn scolded.
"I am offended, Valor!" a familiar voice called from behind the duo. Quinn turned herself to face the source, eyeing her summoner of the match with a knowing gaze. The male removed his purple hood from his head, letting his youthful face come to view. He had his blonde tresses slicked back, and his cream-colored skin bare of marring save the single scar framing the bridge of his nose. His blue eyes were shielded behind rectangular glasses, that he instinctively adjusted n his face. "I thought this was a three-man effort! Was I nothing in those fights?" he feigned offense.
Valor screeched happily before lifting off Quinn's armguard and flying over to the summoner. He landed on his shoulder before nuzzling himself into the side of his face. "Oh no, you're not buttering me up with this buddy!" the male stated with a laugh.
"Gaelen, give up the act. You know he was just referring to us in the rift." Quinn mused, stepping down from the platform to approach the summoner. "And you know he's not gonna stop until you give him the bird feed."
"Yeah, yeah…I hear ya, Val. You can stop pecking at my ear now." Gaelen chuckled before reaching into his hoodie pocket and pulling out a small bag. Valor eyed the bag with excitement, jumping down from the male's shoulder to his forearm and opening his wings slightly. Once he opened the top of the bag, the Demacian eagle dived his head into the bags opening. "Sucks we couldn't pull the win from that."
"I know, but you win some, you lose some." Quinn reasoned. "I'd be more concerned with Valor hounding you for treats more often the way you spoil him."
"Who says he doesn't already?" Gaelen replied. "He finds me just before I summon you two just for snacks. It's the main reason why we show up late."
"Valor!" Quinn scolded. The Demacian eagle lifted its head from the bag and looked at the scout, his mouth full of treats. His screech was muffled by the food occupying his beak. "You told me you were hunting!"
"Chill, Quinn. I'm always down to feed my little bro." Gaelen assured. "Besides, the more he shows up, the better for my avian studies. Do you know how awesome it is that my closest friends are the Demacian scouting duo? I get to study the rarest bird species in Runeterra!"
"That reminds me, how did you learn to understand Valor? I picked up what he was saying because we have been together for the longest time. Yet you have everything he says down like he's talking human." Quinn asked.
"I don't know. I just have a hunch." He said solemnly. Valor lifted his head from the bag before nuzzling into the male's cheek affectionately. Quinn watched on as Gaelen returned the gesture by petting Valor on the back. She smiled warmly at the closeness the two held, slightly envious that Valor was as close and understood to the summoner before her. The summoner was Freljordian and was one of the handful of summoners that still exclusively picked her for matches since her popularity as a champion declined. Due to this, they grew close from his almost identical understanding of the rare avian. In the off times of them not being in matches, they hung out at the botanical garden, where they'd idly chat while Valor freely flew about and exercised his wings.
"Finished the bag today, huh? What about dinner, little guy?" Gaelen mused to the bird. Valor merely screeched.
"No, you are not having the chipmunks in the gardens again. The last one you ate left you sick because it had worms!" Quinn scolded.
"Don't be like that, Quinn. He's strong enough to handle a little sickness." Gaelen reasoned.
"You're not the that has to take care of him." Quinn rebutted.
"Then if he gets sick, I will. That way I can make up for the slip, and we can hang out more. Sound fair?" he offered. Quinn widened her eyes at the statement, her thoughts immediately forming the idea of her and the summoner taking care of the eagle together. Her thoughts drifted to them alone while Valor rested, relaxing as they sat in the garden. Her thoughts were interrupted by Valor screeching.
"Wait, you just ate the whole bag, Valor. What do you mean 'food'?" Gaelen asked. It was then that Quinn recalled her errands after the match and the fact that the store was closing soon.
"He's talking about me getting groceries! I gotta bolt, Gaelen!" Quinn said hastily before moving to the door of the chambers. The Demacian eagle opened its wings and flew upward, following the scout out the chambers. "Well chat later!"
Gaelen watched the scout leave the chambers, letting loose the sigh of disappointment as he lost another chance to finally ask the scout out. While it was true that she was his primary champ to play, Gaelen was infatuated with the young scout as she was something he rarely could be as a person. In her life, being two years younger than he, she was able to travel across Valoran and experience more than he could dream of. It was her sense of adventure and lifestyle of freedom that attracted him, and he felt that after two years of trying to hint at the fact of his feelings, he could approach her. "Yeah…we'll chat…" he trailed off, conceding to the truth.
/
Quinn jogged through the crowds of summoners and civilians residing within the institute. She knew that the store was closing within an hour, and she had never set up a proper list to work with, which meant she would need to scour the store for necessities based on instinct. It never hurt her before, but she hated not having a plan, as it was her job and survival as a scout for Demacia. She looked overhead to see her partner following her movement.
"Quinn! Where's the fire?!" a male called out to her. She skid to a stop before turning to the nearby voice, slightly huffing. Seeing the tall figure of another one of her best friends at the door to the arcade made her beam.
"Sven!" She called, turning on her heel and running to the male. She nearly tackled him as she jumped to wrap her arms around his neck. The taller dark-skinned male laughed heartily at the reaction of the scout, fully aware and conditioned to her greetings. "When did you get into the institute?! I haven't seen you in months!"
"I'll answer that with another question, when were you gonna come back to Zaun? Grandma's missed you a lot." Sven returned. The scout looked away meekly.
"Well, I have the institute and Demacia to thank for that…If I'm not handling business for Jarvan, then I'm in a match with the league." She answered. "But still! You haven't called or written to me in months. Why were you so incognito?"
"I had to take care of Grandma's shop. She finally decided to step down and have me take over since she's getting too old. The only reason I am in the institute now is to try and move the business here since Zaun isn't the best place to sell food, as you know." He answered. "Which, by the way, I got a deal to set up shop down the road. I will be here for another three weeks to manage business with the league, then I head back to get everything moved. After that, me and Grandma will come here to live and run the shop."
Quinn couldn't hold back her excitement at the news and laughed as she buried herself in the chest of her friend. "That's awesome, Sven! Now we can hang out more!" she cheered.
"More importantly, we can game more," Sven added. "In fact, I was just about to head into this place to see how it was. Feel like gaming a little if you're not busy?"
Quinn stepped back and eyed him with glee. Looking into the arcade that was commonly used by summoners and effectively run by the arcade champions, she nearly screamed at the possibilities. Her best friend from Zaun was soon to live closer, and now she could no doubt play endlessly all the awesome multiplayer games she otherwise couldn't by herself. "Hell yeah! I've been aching to show you the newest clock crisis game!"
Sven widened his eyes at the mention of the video game. "There's a new one? I thought the series finished?" he asked.
"It did, but the devs decided to add some content to the last one, and secretly put in a new campaign," Quinn replied as she walked into the arcade. She paused as she heard the screech of her partner from above, and raising her arm to let Valor rest upon her arm guard. "What's up, Val?"
The avian cawed while looking at the taller male. "Hey, Valor. Long time no See, little guy." Sven greeted. Valor cawed at him.
"Val, if you're concerned about the groceries, we will play literally one game and I will be out in like ten minutes." Quinn convinced. Valor cawed at her before pecking her finger. "OW! Valor! I swear I will be out in fifteen minutes!" she exclaimed.
"To be fair, you said ten," Sven added, earning a deadpanned glare from the scout. "Gotta go with the bird this time."
Valor cawed once more. "Val, I promise you. No more than ten minutes, okay? We haven't seen Sven in months. We're gonna catch up with each other and play clock crisis. We likely won't get farther than the first map anyway." Valor cawed with an annoyed tone. "I know the first map is almost half an hour long! Valor, I won't take that long. If I do, you can eat the leftover chicken in the fridge tonight, okay?"
Valor paused, before cawing once more and taking off to the sky. Quinn smiled widely. "Okay! I've got a few minutes! Let's play!" she announced, grabbing the male's hand and pulling him into the arcade. The two began on the clock crisis game, chatting with one another while they played. Sven laughed and smiled at all the newer stuff Quinn spoke of, and enjoyed being around the scout as she was one of the few people who came from Demacia and played with him. It was always a challenge to beat her in a game, and the challenge of beating her score or her team made him fall for the young woman. It didn't help his case that he was the same age as her and that his grandmother actually suggested him to ask her out.
Time passed fast, and before long the arcade grew quieter, save the cheers of the scout and the Zaunite. She cheered as the clock crisis game read out 'game over' and the final boss defeated.
"Whew! That was hard! But I'm glad we beat the Zero Mech, I wouldn't have been able to beat them solo." Quinn mused.
"Yeah…I couldn't have seen that guy coming even from the other games. That was fun though, Quinn. We should do that some other time." Sven replied.
"Yeah! We can definitely do this again some ti-" she paused mid-sentence, her face freezing up into a blank stare as she looked at the Zaunite. Sven looked at her confusedly, before widening his eyes.
"Time," he deadpanned. "What time is it?" Quinn remained silent as she turned her head to the windowed doors of the arcade, seeing the light of the sun when she entered void from view and replaced with the nighttime sky.
"Too late…" Quinn weakly mumbled. "I lost track of the time…and forgot about getting groceries. The store closed nearly two hours ago…"
"That, right there, is rough. I'm sorry Quinn." Sven said. "if you needed dinner, maybe I could cook you something…?" his tone was hopeful towards the end. He silently prayed that the misfortune of losing track of time was his ticket to taking his relationship with the scout further.
"N-No…I'll just head to the twenty-four-hour convenience store near my apartment and get something small for dinner," she replied glumly. "Likely gonna eat another microwave dinner anyway."
"Wait, I insist! I can make you something to eat." Sven pressed. Quinn shook her head as she walked to the exit of the arcade.
"I couldn't, Sven. It's not that you're not an amazing cook, but you're on your own budget. It wouldn't be fair if I was put on there because I messed up and didn't follow through with what I planned."
"Oh…well, ok then. Can we hang out some other time when you're not busy, or out of food?" Sven asked. "I'd rather not be here knowing you're around for three weeks and not chill once, or get back to the arcade."
"Of course! In fact, I'll give you my number. Text me yours so whenever I am free, we can hang out again." She offered with a smile. Sven had looked away, his face growing blush as he saw the cute expression of the scout before him.
"S-sure. Just text me whenever you're free or want me to cook for you." He said, pulling out his cell phone and handing the device to the scout. She quickly tapped the touch screen buttons and handed the device back.
"Well, I gotta jet. Val is either hunting another chipmunk or waiting for me. Both of which are bad." Quinn mused, waving at the Zaunite as she left the arcade.
When Quinn exited the arcade doors, she saw the avian sitting atop a nearby shop cover, looking at her with a deadpanned look. "Not a word, Val. Not. A. Word." Quinn growled as she walked down the street. Valor cawed, to the chagrin of the scout. "Okay! You were right, and I was wrong. You get the leftover chicken then. We're gonna head to the convenience store near the house and pick up a microwave dinner. Happy?" Valor cawed, before flying down from the perch of the shops cover and landing on Quinn's shoulder. The scout began walking down the sidewalk to her institute housing in the Demacian sections. After roughly twenty minutes of walking, eventually passing the grocery store she was to go into before it closed and getting another scolding caw from her avian partner, she came to the convenience store which was right around the corner of her apartment. Walking into the store, the cashier eyed her suspiciously as she entered with Valor on her shoulder.
"Umm, miss? You can't have pets in the store." The cashier warned. Quinn looked at the male behind the glasses and saw his shit eating grin.
"Sir, I don't think you're allowed to be reading the devil kid mangas when you're supposed to be mopping the floors." She retorted with her own grin. The male widened his eyes, his grin dropping immediately.
"Dammit Quinn! Not so loud! I don't want Jack to throw another bar of soap at me!" the male warned, waving his hands up. Quinn laughed at the distress from the male.
"Then you should stop focusing on the magazines and start doing your job, Lance. Did you guys get any big business today?" Quinn asked, walking to the freezers of the store. The male walked around the counter and grabbed two magazines from the nearby rack.
"Nah, it was mostly quiet today. But we did get the recent edition of Demacia weekly." Lance hinted. Quinn looked at the male with a blank stare. He presented her with a newspaper before chuckling at her clear annoyance to his suggestion. "…and the February mag for GameReader, which has the info on the Empire Souls game where Sona Buvelle is supposedly doing audio for."
Quinn's eyes widened, as she stepped from the freezer to eye the newspaper. Lance flipped the stack of paper over to reveal the front page of the favored magazine. Quinn nearly ripped the magazine from his hands, opening the pages to the middle and flipping through to the most interesting article.
"Page thirty-seven has the details, page forty-five has the pictures. Page fifty has the top tens of the month." Lance stated as he pulled his own copy of the magazine from behind him and opened the pages. Quinn followed his words and came to the pages he specified. Her eyes lit up as she read through, excitement filling her features.
"This…this is insane! This game isn't due for four months! The company doesn't reveal anything to even partners until the month before, yet this magazine has literally the whole story and the soundtrack in it! How in the world did you guys get these?!" Quinn exclaimed.
"We didn't," Lance hinted, earning a confused look from the scout. "I pulled a few strings with my bud in the company to make two copies of the May article about the game. You and I technically know more than everyone else in these two magazines. So long as I keep quiet about his little secret I found out about, he set up for these copies to reach our store, to which I snuck out the inventory for you and I." he whispered.
"You cheated the system?!"
"I didn't cheat anything. I am just resourceful." Lance answered. "Are you saying you don't want the May article in the February edition? Cause if that's the case I'll just take that back and-"
"No no no! forget what I said! I'll take it!" Quinn corrected. Valor cawed at the scout. "Val, you know I have been anxious to play the new Empire Souls game! I need to know what they're doing to my favorite characters!"
"Apparently, they're changing his old LockEdge to the one from Nayumi in Mirror of Dreams," Lance added, earning a star-struck gaze from the scout. "Page forty-seven has deets." Quinn nearly ripped the pages to get to her destination, which made Lance chuckle at the scout's enthusiasm. She squealed cutely as she saw the truth behind his words.
"Mystic Dream is going to be main!" she screamed, a bright smile stretching across her face at the fact before her. "Oh my gods, Lance! I needed this after today! Thank you so much!"
"Oh, hells no. this ain't for free." Lance rebutted. Quinn looked at him with a heartbroken look. "You wanna keep the mag, I need some compensation."
"Lance, please. I need to see what they're doing to my game! I'll do anything!" she pleaded.
"Anything?" Lance repeated suggestively, wiggling his eyebrow.
"Within reason!" she added, earning a laugh from the male.
"Then how about we go out together sometime this week? Catch a movie or something?" he offered. Quinn's eyes brightened at the suggestion before she furiously nodded. Lance smirked before opening the freezer door and pulling out a microwave dinner. "Then it's a deal. Here's your dinner."
Quinn looked at the cashier with curiosity. "How did you know I came in here for dinner…and what I wanted to eat?" she asked suspiciously.
"Quinn, you come in here between eight thirty and nine-thirty every time you are looking for dinner and don't have food to eat or too lazy to cook. You always get the chicken and mashed potato dinner because the bird eats half the chicken you don't like, and you love mashed potatoes." He answered.
"And how do you know all that?"
"You told me it when I asked literally a month ago!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms up comically. Quinn widened her eyes slightly before recalling that he was telling the truth.
"Oh yeah…That was the day I caught you trying to eat the cookie dough ice cream." She retorted.
"And the night I had to clean out the freezer and the counter because Jack found out I did…" Lance said somberly. Quinn laughed at his faux sorrow, to which he laughed with her. He stopped halfway to enjoy the sound of the scout's laughter, always being fond of the soothing laugh she had. He could never tell her that everything he did was to make her happy because he liked her and he hated to make their good relationship shatter.
Valor screeched at the scout, pecking her hair impatiently. "Ow! Val, alright! We'll head home to eat!" she exclaimed, her laughter teetering out in her words. "Sorry, Lance. Valor is getting impatient about dinner. How much I owe you for the magazine and the dinner?"
"You got it. I'll cover the cost for ya this time." Lance replied. Quinn smiled before leaning up to the taller male and placing a light kiss on his cheek. Lance froze up before raising his hand to touch the spot, his shock leaving him speechless for the moment.
"Thanks, Lance. Promise sometime this week, we'll get together." She said before heading out the sliding doors of the convenience store. Lance merely looked in the distance with his hand on his cheek, dreaming about the kiss he just got.
"Y-yeah…No problem…" he said hazily. When the doors closed, he jumped in the air with his fists clenched in triumph.
Quinn reached her apartment shortly after, to which Valor took off to the sky and scanned the building once over. It was a habit that the two made to check and see if anything occurred with their home. When the avian returned to the scout's arm, he nodded his head once for the okay. She walked up the outdoor staircase to the fourth floor where her apartment was.
"I can't wait to crack open this edition and see what the company is doing to Empire Souls!" she said excitedly as she eyed her bag with the magazine within. Valor looked to the scout with a dry expression before cawing loudly. "What? What are you talking about now?"
Valor cawed once, tilting his head to the right. "I'm leading them on? Who are you talking about, Val?" he cawed again. "Gaelen, Sven, and Lance? You're not making any sense, Val. They're good friends, no doubt, but how is all of this leading them on?"
Valor cawed twice this time. "Okay, Lance is the cashier at the convenience store that hooked me up with an exclusive copy of my favorite magazine. That doesn't mean- "he interrupted her with another caw. "And Sven offered to cook my dinner for me in my situation. What does that- "he interrupted her once more with another caw. "…and Gaelen exclusively summons me, knowing that I am not optimal in the league right now…all of that could mean anything!"
Valor looked to Quinn with a blank and knowing expression. "…Okay! I get it! They all MIGHT have some bigger feelings for me. It's not like I- "Quinn paused her sentence as she recalled that she feels something special about the three males as well. "…Okay, I do. But I'm not leading them on!"
Valor pecked the scout's ear once before cawing loudly. "Ow! Look if you're gonna keep pecking at my ears like that, I am gonna keep Gaelen from giving you treats!" Valor nearly screeched, scolding the scout. Quinn's eyes widened as she realized her mistake. "Oh…Oh no. I am crushing on three guys at once…and all three of them like me too! I don't know what to do with this!" she said in panic.
Valor leapt off Quinn's arm and landed on the railing outside her door before cawing once. "Ask them? Ask them what?" she inquired. Valor cawed again. "How am I going to ask three guys what they actually feel about me?" Valor cawed twice before looking to the store they came from. "Well…I did promise them we could do something together at some point. Maybe I could ask if they like me that way then?" Valor nodded, before cawing. "You're right! I can call them up and ask if they want to hang out sometime this week! I'll do that now while we eat." She concluded before pulling out her phone and keys and unlocking the door. Within seconds she was speaking with Gaelen. Waiting for the phone ring to pick up, she pulled out the dinner for her and Valor, pacing around the kitchen of her apartment.
"Hey, Gaelen? It's Quinn…Nah, just calling to say hi is all…I know I never call, but I was bored and just got in…No I didn't make it to the store in time…I got sidetracked okay? You're just as bad as Val with that…Look, Dad, it was a small mistake. I still have food to eat okay?...Well, I was actually wondering if you'd wanna check out the library tomorrow night since you're still researching avian species…Great! What time do you wanna hook up?...five? that's cool…I stay at the Justice Residency in the Demacia sections…Fourth floor, room J…Alright I'll see you tomorrow…Okay later!" Valor was eating his food, which was the leftover chicken Quinn promised while he listened to the conversation.
"Alright, that's Gaelen. Now for Sven." Quinn said quietly. She checked her messages to see that Sven did text her his number. "Let's see…'hey, you. I just realized that convenience store food is barf in comparison to your food. I might cash in on that offer'."
The phone buzzed once within seconds. "'Okay, how does tomorrow night sound?'" she said to herself. Valor heard her reciting her texts and looked at her in shock. He cawed twice in alarm to her, but she ignored him. "Five sounds great. Can't wait to try your food…'" she continued before her phone vibrated once more. "'Come to my place, it is the justice residency apartments in the Demacia sections. Fourth floor, room J.'"
Valor cawed again but was still ignored. "Alright…Sven is done, now for Lance…" she mumbled to herself before dialing her phone. The ring came up before the cashier's familiar voice came from the other side of the line. "Hey, Lance?...Yeah I know we just spoke but listen, I figure we might as well get my debt handled asap, so you feel like heading out this Saturday?...you work this weekend? Bummer…well when are you free this week?...tomorrow night? Sweet! The sooner the better! What do you wanna do?...Karaoke bar? Sounds like fun!...Five is cool for me. Just come to my place…its on the fourth floor, room J…Alright I will see you tomorrow…Okay bye."
It was as she hung up the phone that Valor flew to her head and pecked her several times, earning cries of pain from each. "Ow! Ow! Ow! What the hell Val?!" she exclaimed. Valor cawed loudly. "When am I going out? Tomorrow at five!" Valor cawed again. "With who? With Gaelen-oh my god…"
Valor cawed again. "Yeah! I get it! I just asked out three guys to a date at the same time! I told you I don't know how to deal with this!" Valor cawed once more. "Ask them together? Wouldn't that start a fight since they all like me?" Valor cawed again. "Well, it does make sense to burn the bridge while I have the chance…but it seems like I am putting them up to competition at this point, and I like them too much to have them fight over me…"
Valor cawed again. "Hmm…I can't just choose one either. They're all literally the perfect guy. One can communicate with you like I can, another has the best chef skills between here and Zaun, the last one shares almost all of my interests. It kind of makes me wish they were all one guy…" Valor cawed again. "Test them? How?" Valor cawed once more before flying over to the partially open closet. Quinn stood from her seat and opened the door, seeing her various outfits. Valor dropped down and pecked at the pink colored box.
"You want me to wear that?" Quinn said exasperatedly. "That thing looks like something Ahri would wear!" Valor cawed again. "…that makes sense. If they like me for my looks, I can drop that for that. If they like me for more, they'll ignore it and enjoy the time more. That makes it so much easier!"
Valor cawed again before flying back to his meal. "Yeah…while I hate this overly flashy outfit, it'll show whether they like me for me or for my body. I just hope it doesn't make things worse…"
Sven approached the tall building from the directions Quinn gave him yesterday, eyeing the seven-stories tall housing complex ominously. Ever since they set up this event, he had been intensely nervous. He had ruined his normally cleaned room trying to fathom what clothes he should wear and got very little sleep the night prior as he thought of everything that could go right or wrong.
Maybe she is gonna ask me to just make her dinner…or maybe to relax with her. He thought. She could be in the mood and wants me to scratch an itch…NO. she wouldn't do that. It's just a simple dinner, Sven. Cook, clean, eat and leave.
Steeling himself once more, he walked up the four flights of stairs to the fourth floor directed by the scout. Checking his phone once more to see if the address was right, he nodded as it read out room J on his screen. He sent a text to her thirty minutes prior saying he was on the way but didn't get a reply. He checked his modest outfit of a white collared, short sleeved shirt with a black sweater vest over it. He wore simple blue jeans and some black loafers to compliment the casual style.
Reaching the floor, he turned the corner to the pathway labeled G-J and peered down it. He was surprised to see someone walking down the hall to the end with flowers in hand. He wore a black and gray jacket with black pants and black and white sneakers. His hair was slightly spiky blonde. Sven eyed the male as he approached the door, curious as to his intent to what could be Quinn's apartment. Sven walked down the hall, keeping his attention on the male as he stopped before a door and adjusted his jacket slightly. Looking at the door label close to him, Sven deduced that the male was indeed going to Quinn's room.
"Uhh, excuse me?" he called, garnering the attention of the male before he could knock. "Can I help you, sir?"
Lance looked at the new male approaching him with curiosity, noticing his tone of mild annoyance. "I doubt it. I am here to see someone." Lance replied, trying not to give any information with his awareness of Quinn's status. "Is there something you need from me?"
"No, no…Just curious if that someone happens to be in my girlfriend's apartment." Sven suggested, taking an offensive stance in the conversation but leaving his tone as neutral as possible. Lance looked at the male offended but merely smirked as an idea formulated.
"Curious, why are you calling my fiance's home your girlfriend's apartment?" Lance returned. Sven cocked an eyebrow, his irritation beginning to boil at the persistence of the male before him.
"Because I know you're lying, now if you will get the fuck out of here, I can take my girlfriend out for dinner, because I planned to cook after we went to the arcade." Sven retorted, stepping forward warningly.
"Really now? I was under the impression that me and my beloved was to enjoy a relaxing evening at the karaoke bar that opened recently. Of course, afterward, I could properly proclaim my love to her once again in a more…private manner." Lance returned, his tone growing in darkness as he stepped towards Sven.
"Now look here, you little fuck-"
"Back off you shit stain-"
The two began arguing loudly before hearing the content humming of another approaching from the staircase. Looking to the source, they saw Gaelen in his white button up dress shirt and black overcoat walking past with a happy tune in his voice. They looked at him as he casually ignored their presence and knocked on the door.
"Excuse you?" the two males called to him. He looked at them without concern, smiling and waving.
"Hey, guys? You here to talk to Quinn about something?" he said nonchalantly.
"I am here to take my girlfriend out on a date." Sven growled.
"I am here to take my fiancé out on a date," Lance growled simultaneously. They looked at each other dangerously before looking to Gaelen.
"Weird. She asked me if we could hang tonight at the library. Didn't know she had stalkers." Gaelen shot, earning heated glares from the other two. They opened their mouths to argue once more, but heard the lock of the door turn and eyed it curiously. As the door opened completely, their open jaws fell to the floor at the sight before them.
"Oh, Hi guys!" Quinn said cheerily to the three males. She stood before them in her recently acquired heartseekers outfit, her normally dark hair colored teal with a heart-shaped ornament tying it into a ponytail. Her combat gear the three knew from her normal attire was replaced with a red and white corset-like dress, her skin near bare and exposed above her bust. The dress had a short red frilly skirt that went to the half of her thighs, where white feathers on her sides stretched further down. Her legs and arms were covered in purple stockings and gloves, with her right arm having an ornate heart-shaped arm guard and her shoes a pair of red heels.
"Holy…" Sven breathed.
"Shit…" Lance added.
"You look awesome!" Gaelen announced, earning a giggle from the scout. Valor flew up to the door and rested upon Quinn's armguard, his normal dark blue feathers a pristine white, and his right leg had a red ribbon tied to it. "And Valor, you look cool!"
The avian looked to Gaelen with a deadpanned expression before cawing dryly. Gaelen laughed. "I'd bet you feel like an idiot like that. You look like a dove, bro." Valor cawed again. "The institute gave you that? For heartseekers day?"
"Yeah, I didn't want to wear it or show anyone because I felt weirdly exposed to it. I mean really," Quinn mused, before turning around completely before dipping forward to accentuate the modest curves she held. "I feel so…nasty. Like something Ahri would wear."
Sven broke from his trance of admiring the divine appearance of his crush to take the initiative. If these two were going to play foul, he's gonna play fair. "I-I highly doubt Ahri could pull off that better than you could." He complimented. Both Lance and Gaelen looked at him in shock at his bold complement.
Quinn looked to the Zaunite chef with surprise. "Really? Thank you!" Quinn replied.
"Uhh…I think you look great in any of your outfits!" Gaelen piped up. Quinn looked at him with a smile.
"Aww. That's so sweet, Gaelen!" she called before walking over to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. In the close proximity, he could smell the strawberry scented lotion she was wearing and feel the smooth skin of her arms around his neck. He was half tempted to wrap his own arms around her waist and lift her up into a hug but was interrupted by Lance clearing his throat.
"While I don't deny you look like a goddess in that, Quinn, can you explain to me who these two are and why they are here before we head to the Karaoke bar for our date?" he announced.
"Actually yeah, Quinn. Who are these guys anyway? They seem like stalkers saying you're their boyfriend and fiancé." Gaelen asked. Quinn made a guilty expression as she pulled away from the summoner.
"…well, there is something I have to confess to…" Quinn said meekly. The three looked at her with curious gazes. "You see, Gaelen is a friend of mine from the Freljord that happens to exclusively summon me, regardless of my lower than average popularity in the Fields. Sven is a friend from Zaun that runs a restaurant with his grandmother, whom I play games with frequently. And Lance is a Demacian cashier I have known since I became a champion and moved to this apartment."
"Okay, I know who. But why?" Sven asked. The other two males nodded.
"The thing is…Valor told me that I may have been leading you three on. And I admit, I genuinely like all three of you for what you mean to me and what you do for me. The thing is, I don't know right now who I like more out of all of you. And I was hoping that tonight, I could both decide who I like the most, and which of you honestly likes me for me instead of my status or my looks."
"So…it's a competition?" Lance asked. The moment Quinn nodded in approval, Lance immediately pulled out the bouquet of flowers he brought with him. "Then might I add that I brought you some flowers?"
Quinn eyed the assortment of flora with glee, the intricate colors and fresh aromas filling her nostrils with pleasant smells. She breathed contentedly at the kind gift. "Thank you, Lance. These look lovely. Where did you get them from?"
"I actually bought them from the Rise of Thorns earlier. Of course, I had to evade her trying to eviscerate me when I asked to clip her precious flowers. But a small price to pay and a small thing in comparison to you." He stated, bowing lightly. The two males glared daggers at him.
Brown nose…Sven mentally spat.
Show off…Gaelen internally shot.
"Look at you, being a silver tongue so suddenly. Makes it seem like you want more than just my company, to be frank." Quinn stated, raising an eyebrow warily. Lance looked up at the mention of his folly, internally swearing that his over complimenting might put him below the other males.
"Hey, Quinn! Remember we gotta hit the library before the place closes at eight!" Gaelen announced suddenly. Quinn looked to the summoner in alarm.
"Dammit, you're right! We better hurry!" she announced moving past the three to the stairs. The males looked at one another with glares, internally announcing the same thing and reading it from the others before moving to the staircase to follow the scout.
She's mine.