I
Meeting with a Fox
Spring Afternoon:
Ionia. One of Valoran's most wondrous countries that was indeed magical, filled with various creatures and native culture. This land was once a battlefield, a land shed with blood and honor, back with the war that many had suffered a greater loss of their loved ones.
There is this one Ionian that was cloaked with hate and anger towards the neighboring country of Noxus; though it was the country that started everything. She was in her young adult year, with her will by her side which is none other than her blades. All what matters is that she lived in solitude without hostilities, her peaceful living and freedom.
Her name was Irelia. A woman who has been seen as a heroine of Ionia, a captain of a military, nothing more, nothing less. She rose up from the purgatory of life as she had felt the death called her after she was struck with a curse from Noxus's mages. In fact, she was saved by a Celestial being from the brink of death, she was still at her teens yet she fought so many legions that could take a province respectively. How impossible it seems that she fought them with floating blades that were menacingly dangerous enough to decapitate and shred anything across its path, her own innocence of life was corrupted, her purity was bathed with bloodthirst that could bring the monster out with her soul, it was her own curse that only her could understand which is so deliberating.
She was left alone to this world, her father died from a mysterious sickness that no medics nor the Celestial being can cure her father, her brother was missing from the voyage to Demacia to seek assistance for the never ending war between the faction of Noxus and Ionia. She has nothing with her, and this made herself vowed to protect Ionia because it was only that she have.
Her eyes kept closed as she meditates while she leisures herself with a herbal tea, her form was clothed with loose kimono that was seen as a normal civilian clothing of Ionia, she sat with her knees over a soft cushion, placed on the middle of the hallway. In front of her was a serene garden that her family took care of, since she lives alone, she was the one who preserves its beauty, everything was neat and good for the eyes, the trees stood strong as those blossoms sways along with the wind that brought the season's elegance and that is Spring.
A blossom landed on top of the smooth ripples of the tea, her trance broke off respectively then she made a sigh, taking a glance on the floating bloom as it continued to make soft ripples throughout her tea. With her lips made contact to the cup, she sipped slowly and let the bitterness sink down through her throat.
"Subtle." She murmurs, she admires the tea's green liquid then her eyes went ahead towards the garden.
Before she could take a another sip, one thing that caught her eyes, something was waving behind the bushes. It was something white but countless of them, in fact, it was nine things that she saw wagging behind.
She raised her brow and asked herself that what was that thing wagging behind, her curiosity switched on as she left her position to investigate. Behind her was her floating blade, ready to make actions as its master commands it. Slowly she tiptoed towards the mysterious being that was hiding, she put her hopes up and swiftly went behind the bush, her eyes couldn't believe on what she saw.
It was a woman with tails. Nine of it.
The woman has ears that was likely of a canine, she also has markings which was proven that indicates as whiskers drawn to her cheeks, and by judging of the the tail, it was the same as a fox.
Yet, she have known this fox woman to begin with, her own existence that says she was a creature from Vastaya, it was a race that was believed that lived many years ago in Ionia before it was discovered by humans, a hybrid between animal and human filled with magic. However, this woman dreamt to become mortal, and it was a treacherous decision that betrays its own race.
Furthermore, she put her blade down and swept away, the fox woman peered her ears and gasps, she chased Irelia and ranted.
"What's that? You don't want me here?" The fox woman pouted, she didn't lose her eye contact to Irelia.
"What brings you here?" Irelia avoided the question and asks instead, her voice has coldness that made the fox woman intimidated.
"Is that supposedly meant to be answered?" The fox woman crossed her arms. "Of course I am here to visit you!"
"That I, has to repeat the question again." Irelia pressured, she sat now to the cushion and took her tea. "You made a visit, I take that, but what is your purpose here?"
"Really.. You are no fun." She drooped her ears and disdained.
"Yes, I am no fun." Irelia finished before she took a sip.
The conversation ended with a certain awkwardness emanating around them, Irelia poured tea on a next cup and placed near her just to break the silence.
"Have a seat." Irelia offered. Quickly, the fox woman got excited and sat carefully to be formal in front of Irelia.
"Finally, you spoke." The fox woman smiled.
"I don't want to make you stand there and be a tree to begin with." Irelia answered, making a quick glance to the mysterious, orange eyes of the woman.
"But I want to be a human more than a tree." The fox woman replied. "Yet, I don't think I could achieve something which is traitorous against my existence."
"Eating souls as a requirement to become mortal? I don't think so." She sipped her tea again.
"I like it. Human souls are deliciously interesting." Now, the fox woman sipped the tea, grimacing on how bitter it was. Irelia made a soft chuckle on how the fox reacted, pretending to cough a little.
"I say, you are so bitter as this tea, Irelia." The fox woman said while she grimace the taste.
"Hilarious, I am happy that you have realized that, Ahri." She now said the fox woman's name before she made a smirk behind her cold demeanor.
"Still sarcastic as ever, more than the owner of that floating mansion." Ahri made a contact to the shadow that was shaped as a large boulder which was floating above the clouds.
Irelia glances above to see the floating castle that was a stronghold of a biggest threat of Ionia, she could feel the malevolence of the person who lives there, the power that emanates the whole fortress is giving her goosebumps because of its undeniable aura, behind those clouds it hid, still it was a worth of sighting as one of Ionia's iconic structures.
"She isolates herself away while you let live by yourself alone." Ahri made a statement while she admires the tea cupped by her palms. "You two are alike at some point."
"Seriously? The most wanted person of Ionia was likely as the most praised person of Ionia? Such irony." Irelia leered at the fox.
"Well to be honest, both of you are like those characters in books." Ahri made a thought.
"What?" Irelia chuckled.
"The Heroine and the Villainess. What a pair." Ahri joked, she laughed a little to emphasize her tease.
"There is no way a heroine will be at good terms of a villainess." Irelia huffed then glances away. "By the way, since when you are into books?"
"Oh? I only took a peek at the place where lots of books located! It seems humans are into those kind of stories. Curiously I made my investigation." Ahri admitted with a glimmer of her eyes, showing amazement.
"A library. You say." Irelia corrected.
"Library? Is that what it calls?" Ahri leaned forward to make a gesture of interest.
"Yes. You better follow the rules inside the library if ever you wanted to read." Irelia reminded.
"Yes, Captain Irelia."
Now, they took a sip of tea while they chatted together. Some of Ahri's topics are vague, all of them are about human activities, how to cope them, how to be like them, just to say they are related about life, Irelia only answered straightforwardly to let the logic flow, avoiding to slip the terms for her to prevent the topics went unconnected.
Then, Irelia opened a topic that gained a major interest to Ahri.
"About that book that you elaborated earlier.." Irelia started. "What is it all about?"
"It was about a woman who fights for her life, she protects the neighborhood from a villainess who was a rebel." Ahri explained, not mentioning how IT was familiar to Irelia. "Well that's it, I forget things so.."
"Is this kind of.. coincidental? " Irelia deeply thought.
"Hmm~ How familiar huh?" Ahri teased. "Am I right?"
Irelia choked the liquid as she made a drink, upon hearing Ahri's words that were teases for her, she coughed and glares at the fox, holding her mouth with her sleeve.
" She have read my mind as well?! " She gasps internally.
"What's up with that reaction? Stop it." Ahri grinned and placed down her tea cup. "It's cute."
"Shut up." Irelia got flustered and glances away, a form of blush entered her cheeks after she was teased like that.
"Oh well!" Ahri hummed before she playfully wagged her tails. "Let's change topic."
Quickly enough as Ahri stopped wagging her tail, she faced in front of the captain, she stared at Irelia's green eyes for a second then she spoke.
"What if the heroine was in a good terms with the villainess? Can you predict what happens?" Ahri raised a question.
"You are still pursuing that thing again?" Irelia replied with a question back at the fox.
"It's interesting. I feel a lot of revelations would happen when it was possible." The fox gestured as if she was thinking.
Irelia paused to think, Ahri was right, there would be more than meets the eye if that happened. She finally started to think around, since Ahri sees the person who lives on the floating fortress above as a villainess; which is true, and herself as a heroine. Connecting those pieces together resulted into absurdities, and she has a reason why.
"That would be, implausible. Those characters' relationship are none other than an irony that could destroy each others' beliefs." Irelia logically answered while she gazes upon the sky.
"Oh. More likely you and Syndra." Ahri finished as she finally stated the person who lives the floating mass of land above.
"Hmph. Kind of."
"Hey Irelia. Tell me, what do you think of Syndra?"
The question made Irelia staggered, she have quite brazen on how Ahri opened a topic about Syndra who was silently resting above her. In fact, she have concluded that Ahri wants to talk about Syndra in the first place by using countless questions as a flow for that.
Before Irelia could reply, she hummed and think, it doesn't matter if she could answer it within her opinion.
"She is quite selfish and stubborn at the same time, what she really wanted is to have revenge to the elders." Irelia sighed. "Especially when ninjas are included. Oh, goodness.."
"Ninjas? Oh right." Ahri remarked. "You mean Zed?"
"Yes. Zed was the only one she could rely on, I often receiving reports of having threats of attacks last time, some of it are about ninjas. I called The Kinkou to relieve the issue but somehow, Zed's plans are always hiding itself away from them."
To be honest, the fact that Syndra uses Zed's plans is really threatening, since Zed was dangerous, Syndra is far more than that.
"In other words, Zed plus threats equals Syndra's visit. Within my investigation, Syndra was only using Zed for her to lure the elders out while Zed uses Syndra's magic to get enough power he desired for to be the most powerful. What a duo." Irelia went back sipping her tea.
"A deadly alliance you say." Ahri sighed. "I wonder what The Kinkou will say about this. Zed only cares about his power, he is scary as ever."
"Syndra was more scarier than him. She could burst down Zed at any second." Irelia chuckled.
"Yet your face was the scariest when agitated." Ahri joked, snickering as she imagines Irelia's grumpy expression if mad.
"I'll take that as a compliment, fox." Irelia puffed and went back to sip her tea.
"Aw. Don't be like that. I am just joking." Ahri got worried, she placed down her tea and leans forward and tried to confront Irelia.
"Are you mad?"
"No."
"You are mad."
"What if I am? What will you do?"
"Then I will ask forgiveness."
"That badly?"
"Yes! Because I don't want Irelia be mad at me."
A sigh escaped to her lips because on how the conversation went off. She finally stood up and took the tea cups and prepared to move out until Ahri grasps her leg to prevent her from going.
"Ahri.." Irelia called as she felt Ahri's tight grasp beneath her.
"Irelia.. Forgive me." Ahri mewled as she was dragged along with Irelia's movements.
"Fine, fine. Just let..go." Irelia continued to drag her foot but Ahri kept sticking on her leg.
"Just.." Irelia clicked her tongue because on how Ahri can be an annoyance.
But, the fox woman glanced up and stared at Irelia, using her soft expressions that were begging to be forgiven, her puppy-like eyes glimmered, her ears droops a little, yet her tails are wagging slowly; some of her tails wrapped Irelia's other leg to restrain her movements.
"She really is a canine. Do I have to train her or what? " Irelia thought.
Irelia glances down and made a cold stare before she made a word.
"Ahri." She called.
Immediately, Ahri spoke. "Yes?!" Her tails finally wagged endlessly.
"Geez. Now her tails are slapping me." Irelia felt Ahri's tails touched her arm with the tray of tea cups on it.
"I just wish I could tie you up on that tree for you to behave with a leash." Irelia said, her eyebrows dropped down a little.
"Wait, what? L-Leash?!" Ahri gasps.
"Hey! Are you treating me as a dog?!" Ahri cried, she stood up and her tails stopped wagging.
"Now, her tails shrilled." Irelia just let her dead eyes wander on Ahri, she hummed and went back to her movement.
"I am a fox!" Ahri screamed.
"Foxes are in the canine family. So yes, you are a dog." Irelia made a blunt reply.
"Well I am a different type of one! I am not just a typical fox you know." Ahri crosses her arms.
"A fox human, yes. Still a dog." Irelia flatly said, she reached the kitchen then placed the tray.
"Now you made things got weird, Irelia. We are supposedly talking about Syndra but you changed it!" Ahri pouted.
"So it's my fault? You started it." Irelia pointed at Ahri as she made her words.
"No, YOU started it." Ahri fights back.
"Ugh, fine. My fault, indeed." Irelia gave up on giving reasons, she went back cleaning the cups.
Silence falls again as two women fights for it, only the sound of running water and clanking of cups can be heard. After few minutes, Ahri pouted and glances away.
"Guess that's it. Huh."
Irelia caught her attention and made a glimpse at the fox.
"I should be leaving. I know that you don't want me here." Ahri anticipated and faced the garden. "I will see you tomorrow! Get ready, Irie!"
Ahri swiftly ran away, leaving a teasing wink back at Irelia whom is dumbfounded on that sudden action from the fox.
"What the hell.. Don't call me that." Irelia's face got lightened up upon hearing one of her nicknames by her family. "It makes me remind them." After that, she left a soft smile and made her way to her room.
"So? What happened?"
"Cold as ever, she even tried to treat me as a dog!"
"Just what you are anyway? A tree!?"
"Even you? You two are alike."
"Tch. Don't compare me to her. Mutt!"
"See!? You two are alike! You also treat me as a dog!"
She facepalms on the conversation she was having right now, the fox that she tasked to do something for her was acting so excited yet not happy on how she was seen today, after those days of staying inside her fortress because on how boring the weather was, she just did nothing but to let the time pass and waited for Ahri to meet up with her, she was now in a secluded location beyond the woods near below her fortress with Ahri.
"Now you wasted my TIME with nothing." She barked.
"Watch your mouth, Syndra, I put on my effort of waltzing inside Irelia's home." Ahri crosses her arms and defensively muttered.
"Really? Tell me, what efforts have you done so far?" Syndra called one sphere and sat on it.
"Ok, first I snuck her garden." Ahri gestures her pointer finger signifying one, then Syndra hummed and nodded on approval.
"I hid the bush." Ahri added. "Then she saw me, right on spot."
"I told you not to get spotted!" Syndra shouted. "It was YOUR tails, I am so going to cut that OFF from your..r-rear!"
"WHAT?!" Ahri gasps, she hugged her tails so tight and wrapped her body. "My tails are NOT meant to be blamed!"
"Yet.." Ahri smirked.
"What?!" Syndra raised her voice.
"Did you just stuttered?" Ahri teased. She covered her mouth to hide her laughter.
Syndra got furious while she blushed, the embarrassment she felt was humiliating that a mere fox was laughing at her because of that.
"What do you call this?" Ahri positioned herself facing away from the mage, she pointed her hip and snickered.
"Are YOU mocking me?!" Syndra surged her aura, the spheres that was rotating around her orbited swiftly.
"No. Just admit that you can't say those things." Ahri laughed hysterically. "That's cute! How a mage like you, who wants to destroy everything can't say this part?" She still points her hip.
"YOU. LITTLE SHI-" Syndra got interrupted.
"Nu-uh! No bad words this time, Syndra. It was YOU who planned this and it is your responsibility to accept my criticisms."
"SILENCE!" Furiously, Syndra's cheeks went red on how she was filled with shame.
"But Irelia's can be.." Ahri slyly puffed from laughter.
Syndra widened her eyes as she heard the name, she have gotten her interest and pretends.
"What of her?!" Syndra glances away.
"Oh? What of her? Hm.." Ahri gestured as if she was thinking. "Her.."
"Her?" Syndra asked.
Ahri leered at the mage, she wagged her tails in a teasing way.
"Her what?!" Syndra pressed.
"Hmm~" Ahri just snickered on how Syndra acted.
"You MUTT! Her WHAT?! ANSWER ME!" Syndra readily called her spheres to threat Ahri but it didn't work.
"Guess it." Ahri challenged. "Or maybe not, you can't even say that word properly without stuttering."
Syndra got annoyed on Ahri's rants, she hit a nerve and prepared to attack Ahri. However, Ahri's agility made the spheres missed, all of those magical spheres hit the trees, creating smoke and explosions that are alerting to a nearby town.
"Oops. More humans coming~" Ahri cheerful gasps and faced the mage, she waved Syndra and scuttled away.
"You better leave now or she might spot you~!" Ahri's voice echoed as she screamed her last words for Syndra.
"Damn it." Syndra flew in a blinding speed to avoid Ionians that were alerted, she went straight to her fortress and made a glance below.
"That mutt is-!" She puts her brow downward and huffed angrily.
"I haven't received news from her stealth mission that I have given to her yet she ranted inappropriate things!" She stomped the ground furiously.
Still, her command for Ahri was her purpose, she felt it was a failure but who knows it might be a good one. Upon hearing Irelia's name, her skin crawled a little from an unknown feeling, the fact that the captain was one that interests her, she still sees Irelia as her rival, in terms of battlefield where they clashed their own talents whether on manipulation or airborne. Irelia holds the power to control blades while Syndra has the ability to control what's around her which manipulation was also included. This information alone piqued Syndra's curiosity for the captain.
"I think I have the feeling that I might needing that mutt's service again."
NOTICE:
-This notice will be once and I am not going to make some of it for the future stories-
A fresh start of a story I say! Here, I made Syndra a little bit uncultured due the fact that she lives alone inside her fortress which it may lead into mockery and jokes that will infuriate her. I made Irelia very normal in the sense of judgment; a typical one, but she will lead Syndra along with the story :D
Next, I will introduce you to the cameos of certain champions as well in between of the future chapters.
Also, I do have a lot of time to update my stories, this time, I will depend whether I do have time or not, since this story is seriously long. I must implement all seasonal events between our beloved characters.
Lastly, I say this story would be as a Syndra x Irelia again, however I will make some rivalries for it, which is fun to write. *snicker
Anyways, happy reading!