Light Hearted

by Idiot Anonymous

Lux quickly loses any progress made as her mind goes completely blank the second she feels Vlad's lips on hers. She freezes in place as she had before, and she again feels him smirk against her lips in response; this time, she does manage to regain her bearings and kiss him in return. It seems no matter how long they've known each other, a kiss from him almost always stuns her.

An old request I wrote back in 2013 (full story on Tumblr). I hope you enjoy!

-x-x-x-x-x-

Well, the note said to meet up at eight o' clock, and it's fifteen minutes until nine by now. Lux sighs, shaking her head; is this another one of her brother's jokes? The two siblings enjoy a little prank here and there, but this is a bit dull not to mention rude…must be payback for the time she cast an invisibility spell on his pants while talking to Jarvan. Come on, it was funny.

This, however, is not funny in the least. She cannot be certain this is a joke or not either, and that means she has to stay at least two hours to be certain. It's all business stuff, she doesn't really enjoy the regulations that much, but if this is a business thing then she has to wait. It would explain the note mentioning nice clothing, which she dug up from the depths of her usual armor or casual or formal wear. Lux will admit, she quite likes this dress though. It's a nice, light blue color, her favorite, mixed with a bit of yellow on the edges or for decoration. She doesn't mean it as a patriotic thing though, it just looks pretty to her. There are a few little layer things on it too, which just adds to it she thinks. It's not too revealing, so it's formal kind of, but it's not completely stiff like most her formal wear for meetings. Hey, the note said to look pretty not look like she's trying to sell the guy or girl a house. Also she hasn't worn fancy shoes in a little while, so these ones are a nice change from armory boots.

Lux shifts on her seat, a stone bench near the café her mysterious note writer said to meet at, and looks around. It's sort of on the late side, so the city doesn't look too crowded and the street lights are starting to pop on, but there are still a few people that walk by. Most seem a little confused as to why Luxanna, such a famous magic user and League champion, is just sort of sitting around bored next to a small café in one of the further edges of the city. Oh well, as long as her brother doesn't come stomping up saying she needs to go to bed or something she doesn't mind. Besides, it's a beautiful night anyway…though she is still more anxious than in wonder of the sky.

Footsteps sound behind her, boots or something close from the sound of it, but they go silent soon enough. Looks like this café is still getting business, even this late- or, so she thought. Two hands cover her eyes, though with little force behind them, and she almost whips out her baton to cast some spell that would make this creep rethink sneaking up on people, but the man speaks up beforehand, and immediately she recognizes his voice.

"Guess who." A deep, though still kind in nature, not to mention charming, voice says with a hint of humor in his tone. Lux can hear the smirk in his voice without even having to look, though the singsong tune helps.

She perks up immediately from her previously bored demeanor, "Vladimir, I almost blasted you to a puddle for sneaking up on me!" He chuckles, moving to sit next to Lux, seeming to take great care in not sitting on her dress or anything. It isn't that poofy, in fact it barely is at all. "Were you the one who put that letter on the front door this morning? Conveniently timed so Garen was already out yet I wasn't?"

Vladimir nods, his smile widening, "I did indeed, and I apologize for my tardiness while on the subject. I truly meant to be here sooner, however I ran into several complications…the guards being some of them. The feuding between our city-states might have calmed a bit, but the guards still despise Noxians, it seems." His proud grin turns apologetic, and he then offers a small box Lux didn't even notice he was holding, "This does not quite make up for lost time, but I know how much you love the Sinful Succulence's chocolate."

It certainly does make up for it; that stuff is only in Noxus, and because Lux rarely gets the chance to visit that city-state she rarely gets any of the stuff sold there. Oh, if only they had one here…anyway, she does perk up, but holds back a bit for now. She raises a brow, her tone professional, "Hmm, it miiight be enough for waiting about forty-five minutes in the cold night for a stranger." Vladimir is certainly a little downcast at this, so Lux is quick to let him off, her usual cheery smile spreading across her face shortly before she quickly gives him a hug for his generosity. Honestly, she really doesn't care about waiting around for someone she loves. "I'm just messing with you, it's more than enough! Thank you so much, Vlad!"

There's his smile again, and there's her heart skipping a beat again, "Excellent," Vlad leans forward and gives her a kiss, smirking into said kiss when Lux just blinks a few times, stunned, "now why don't we go inside? It is a bit chilly this evening." He of course continues his sentence after their saddeningly short kiss, but that smirk stays right on his face the whole time. Vlad then urges her to stand, which she does without much hesitation, then opens the door with a slight bow as he so often does. While Lux dislikes special treatment, which she gets a lot of at work, she lets it slide. Vlad is just being polite after all, so why complain?

The very second she walks into the café, the smell of coffee and pastries is everywhere. That's to be expected and is very much welcomed along with the warmth from the heating in this place. Lux lets her eyes wander, her wide smile still right on her face and never once fading; she is usually pretty upbeat, but she feels considerably more so with Vlad around. Seems ironic, but it's the strange truth.

It's so…so colorful here. It's always so nice to come here, especially with company she cares about. The walls are a few different, light and mellow shades of green, blue, and yellow; surprisingly, they mesh very nicely together. It's like sunshine and grass and the sky all mixed up together. The room itself is small compared to most other cafés, but it works for dates perfectly…well, she assumes it will. She hasn't been here with Vladimir before, but she's sure it'll be just fine.

Soon enough, Vlad leads her to a nice little booth in the corner of the room; Vlad always goes for corners if at all possible. Lux would usually guess it's 'cause of the amazing squishy booth seats that are usually there, much like the one he chooses this time, but not all places have those and Vlad still leads them to a corner. Maybe it's because it feels more secluded? She's heard her date say many times before he's usually one for being alone, Lux of course being one of a few exceptions that he doesn't mind being around. But anyway, the seating thing doesn't bug her at all, she actually really likes his choices.

Vlad waits for her to seat herself, which she does after looking around a bit more, before sitting down, ensuring he keeps some distance between them likely for the sake of being polite. Lux knows by now this hemomancer wants nothing more than to be right next to her, yet in public he keeps his distance as if proving he has the restraint in him to do so. Though she kinda really likes Vlad closer to her, Lux doesn't move or ask him to do so, which sets them both to sit sort of diagonally from each other. It works for a date anyway, she thinks.

Speaking of dating, Vladimir's clothing is simply amazing as usual. He has some sort of nice suit, similar in design to his League uniform, which is his casual wear oddly enough, but without the blades and in black and white instead of red and white. The usual raised collar on his coat is much less so, and his coat in general is a more normal size. His pants are all one color, black, rather than striped and his undershirt is a deep crimson color that just leaps out in contrast to the black coat and pants. It looks like he has a nice black tie as well, which looks a lot nicer than one might expect.

"So," Lux snaps her attention from Vlad's clothing to the man himself, which he lightly smiles at, "have you found anything you might like to order? Anything you wish, my dear, you know well that money is no object with me."

Oh, yeah, she forgot he likes to pay for things, darn it. By 'likes' she means Vlad insists he pay. He says it's because that's how dates work in his book, but honestly Lux thinks it's just because he dislikes people buying things for him. She doubts this is kindness in most peoples' cases, though, and is willing to bet it is a pride thing. With her, however, it appears to be out of politeness…anyway, he does appreciate things given to him and he does like it, but he doesn't like it at the same time. It's difficult to explain…Lux is pretty sure that in friendly cases it's just Vlad not wanting money spent on him rather than pride, but hey he isn't the only one with money to burn. That said, if Vlad wasn't a grump about it, she'd be the exact same in terms of money use, just with more kindness rather than stubborn pride. Go figure.

Anyway, Lux assumes it's because Vlad hates people he likes paying for his stuff, so she lets him get away with paying for things himself. Occasionally she does manage to sway him into letting her pay, but for now she leaves it be. Lux nods to him, gives her order, then watches him stand, walk off, and give said order to the guy working at the counter. It's a slow business time, so their simple dinners are made and given to Vladimir soon enough without so much as raised eyebrow at Vlad being here in the first place. Good thing, too, 'cause Vlad's got a pretty nasty reputation back home for his…interesting choice in magic use, and here it's so much worse.

Vladimir places Lux's food and drink down in front of her, flashing a charming grin as he does so. He then moves around the table and seats himself, placing his own order before him on their little table. Lux thanks him, earning a light kiss on the cheek from Vlad and his usual statement of 'anything for you, my dear.' After this, both begin eating in a comfortable silence. Lux glances over at her date often, almost as if to convince herself he is indeed still there and this is in fact not a dream. Meetings for them are rather uncommon given the distance between both city-states and the fact their city-states hate visitors from their enemy. Noxus tends to be a little more lenient, but Demacia is still very much spiteful toward Noxians.

Well, it's that along with the fact she finds it difficult at times to believe someone likes her for her rather than her looks or status in this place or because she's a champion…especially someone like Vladimir. She means this in a good way of course, it's just uncommon for dark mages to be friendly, much less very friendly, to light mages. That and the whole Noxian thing but despite what everyone says about Noxians, Vlad's really polite. On top of all this is the simple fact from before, that he actually respects and likes her…sometimes she finds herself curious as to why, but she is by no means complaining.

Soon enough, Lux finds herself glancing up at her date once again, this time meeting with Vladimir's crimson eyes staring right back at her. Both hold eye contact for a few moments until Vlad laughs quietly, raising a brow, "Do you need something, my dear?" His tone is deep and charming as always. How did she get so lucky?

Lux shakes her head, smiling back at him, "No, no, I was just thinking."

"About?" Vlad inquires, his smile turning to a smirk that easily gets a small shudder from her. It is not fear, however, as it would be with most others; no, this is just a bit of a shake. She has seen that look a lot, but she always loves it.

She points her fork at him, a small piece of meat skewered on the tips, "Why you are the only guy who is near me often yet has no fear of my brother. You avoid him, sure, but that's only to prevent having to deal with him, you aren't actually threatened by him. It's weird." She flips her fork back around to eat the item speared by it; though funny enough Vladimir watches that action with quite the interested spark in his eyes.

Vlad shakes his head the slightest bit as if refocusing himself, then grins, "Men do not scare me, dear Luxanna, but as you have said some are an inconvenience I prefer to avoid." He picks up a bit of his food, taking pause to eat that piece before continuing, "Moreover, if he saw me with you, he would have a fit."

That makes sense. Lux again stabs a bit of her food with her fork, politely, and points it at Vlad, curious as to if it will get the same response as before. She doesn't usually look at others while eating, even on dates, so she hasn't ever noticed that strange look Vladimir pulled before. Then again, she hasn't pointed a fork at him before either. "Yeah, he's a bit of a pest sometimes to be frank. I love him and all, but hiding in bushes only to jump out and scare off some guy I'm talking to tends to be a bit much. Only men, too! He's being way overprotective; he of all people should know I can handle myself." When she's done with her tiny rant, she finishes the bit meat on her silverware to signal she is indeed done.

Again Vlad's focus is on that fork for but a moment, however he does an excellent job of hiding that. Interesting. "Does he do that often? I myself have not witnessed it, but I also have not been here frequently."

Lux tilts her head left and right a few times then stops and again points her fork at him, this time without food on it, "Kind of. It's not all the time because he doesn't always follow me, but it's enough to be annoying. My classmate was asking for help the other day and Garen went and scared him off! Can you believe that?" She sets her fork down and notes there is little to no attention paid to that action. Huh, how strange. He must just be really hungry.

A shake of the head, "It is quite rude, but then again this is Demacia." Vladimir's voice lowers after his short pause, likely so the man at the counter doesn't hear. Lux pulls a clearly faux scowl and stands slightly to shove him playfully from across the table, then seats herself once again. Vlad laughs, not at all affected by that shove, "It is true! Many of your citizens lack manners, and me having to snoop about only proves it." Lux pouts in response to this, again not at all seriously, but enough to get a grin. Vladimir laughs, then again takes a bite out of his food.

"I'll just say that Noxus has just as many." She stops there to again lightly poke and impale another piece of food; a date is really no place for discussions over Demacian and Noxian manners. Lux points her fork at him again, noting that same hint of interest. Hm. "Hey Vlad, do you wanna try some of this stuff? I think you might like it. Plus, I don't think there's much similar to it in Noxus 'cause we get'em from Piltover and all." She would mention it also repays him a tiny bit for the Sinful Succulence stuff, but then Vlad would probably grump about it.

Vladimir seems the slightest bit surprised but no less pleased by the offer, "So long as you do not mind sharing, I would be delighted to. I quite like tasting new things." Typical Vlad. Amusingly, he doesn't usually ensure Lux means what she is saying unless he was thinking about something along those lines. Like this one time when Lux offered him to stay over at her house while Garen was gone; it was really obvious he wanted to and was thinking about it for awhile yet would never ask, but he kept making sure just in case. It's kinda comical.

Lux rolls her eyes, again not at all seriously, "Pssh, would I ask if I minded? Go on, try it out and lemme know what you think!" She half- okay, more than half, expects Vlad to just take the fork from her, but instead he leans forward and eats his offered share while Lux holds the utensil. She again by no means has any complaints, they've been real close for awhile now, it's just a tad unexpected. Also he lingers a bit longer than needed, appearing to smirk slightly with that fork still in his mouth as he looks Lux dead in the eyes. He seems to be looking for a reaction, but soon backs off. Lux giggles quietly at this, earning a curious raised brow from Vlad, whom so licks his lips a few times. She ignores the light shudder that shakes her and the odd feeling in her stomach, "Well? What do you think?"

He hums once, then nods, "You were right, I do quite like whatever that is." Vlad again leans forward, head resting on his hand and a wide, toothy grin plastered on his face, "I wouldn't object to more, if you would not mind." And there's his playful side again. So, it seems his interest was wanting this…for someone who spends all his time alone, Vlad sure likes attention and romanticy stuff. Sounds good to her.

In response, Lux again lightly pushes him then sits back down; despite her action seeming a playful decline, she again offers Vlad a bit of her dinner in the same manner as before. That grin of his almost seems to widen, though it changes from teasingly playful to almost wolfish in nature. He eats his share in the same way as before, though he tugs lightly on the fork with his teeth this time around. How strange.

This continues for awhile, and somehow the two end up sitting right next to each other and pretty much finishing the other's food. On that note, Vlad has a good taste in dinner meats. Anyway, both end up satisfied…probably in both terms of meal and the fact they are seated much closer than earlier. Vladimir certainly seems a bit more animated, though it's probably because somehow eating turned to kissing and both end up having to back off before the man at the counter, whom so probably isn't entirely focused on that newspaper in the first place, gets more of a show than he should. Vladimir probably wouldn't care too much and he was likely just teasing again anyway, but Lux prefers to not have rumors go around. If that happens, then Garen finds out and then things get interesting. Of course by interesting she means stupidly complicated.

She'll probably just invite Vlad over tonight anyway, so no big deal they can kiss later. Lux lightly elbows the hemomancer's side, "So, any plans for after we leave this place?" judging from the way he has to hide his smile and try not to look too interested, he did indeed have plans after this. Lux resists the urge to shake her head; men. "I mean any trips to any other places? Maybe you want to visit a library here or something?"

Vladimir shakes his head, "I did not plan for anything after dinner, I had hoped you might have an idea after this. We probably would have had more time had I not been late, but…" he shrugs slightly, pretending to not notice Lux's accusing eye-squint at him about being late, "we may still go out if you wish it."

Oh, true, it is probably close to ten by this time…Garen will be home soon, and she should probably get home before he does to avoid questions as to why she was out so late or what she was doing in the dark or something like that. Lux sighs, smiling as she pats Vladimir's arm, "I'll have to get back home soon, or else it's going to be a long night of questions." Vlad nods, clearly the slightest bit saddened by the fact, or lack of an offer for him to come along, but just as clearly tries to hide this. Now that sadness just won't do. Lux stretches then leans against her date, her head tilted upward to show her full attention is on him, "But! Let's stay here a little bit longer. My brother should be out until maybe half past ten, so we're fine for awhile longer." And there's his smile again, wide and eager.

"So long as you are certain, I have no concerns with staying for as long as you wish." Vladimir says this in a calm tone, but it's clear as day he's overjoyed by this and even appears to perk up a noticeable amount. He soon shifts as if he is trying to scoot a bit closer, even if they're kinda already against each other, as he puts one arm around her.

Lux, meanwhile, wracks her brain for some other topic to bring up, but quickly loses any progress made as her mind goes completely blank the second she feels Vlad's lips on hers. She freezes in place as she had before, and she again feels him smirk against her lips in response; this time, she does manage to regain her bearings and kiss him in return. It seems no matter how long they've known each other, a kiss from him almost always stuns her. She loves it, but she never usually expects it and Vlad is sure to use that to his advantage. Vladimir backs off soon enough, a proud smile on his face while Lux is left with a bit of a blush on hers.

Now she's the one that shifts a bit, trying to again ignore that strong, unexplainable feeling in her stomach. At least something pops to mind in terms of what to say, "So, we both know what I've been doing is business as usual, school, brother, work, but what about you? What have you been up to since our last visit?"

Vladimir chuckles, but allows the subject change from their kiss, "Nothing much, really. I have practiced my own craft, read a few books, did some housework for the first time in awhile, planned out when I was next going to visit…the usual." He again utters a laugh upon feeling Lux squirm next to him, "I truly have little to do, so why not aim for what I like most? Visiting you is always a pleasure, a nice change in routine, and simply something I enjoy greatly. Be it just a day or even a few weeks, I adore our meetings." It feels like he's leaving out something here from the way his tone is, but she doesn't press further.

Mostly because now she's blushing. Again. Lux manages to keep her smile and eye contact with Vlad despite the redness on her face…and the urge to hide her face in his coat, "I love your visits too, Vlad- I, er, actually look forward to them. A lot. It just gets so lonely around without you, you know? I mean, I can bring friends over and stay with them, but it's not the same, you know? I-" She cuts her sentence off here; it's a stupid one anyway. Really corny, if one were to ask her. It's the truth of course, but it sounds like she's trying too hard or something.

Her date is clearly curious, though, and is this close to asking or nudging out an answer when the clock tower's toll rings through the city. Both startle slightly, though not much…okay, it's mostly Lux, actually. She sits up immediately, picking up the box of chocolates Vladimir so courteously gave her then standing up, "I really gotta go! I'm sorry, Vlad, but my brother's gonna be home soon and we still have to walk back and- did I just say we?" As if her face already wasn't hot enough. Vlad didn't even ask to walk her home she just automatically says he will and- oh why can't she just watch her wording?

Vlad thankfully doesn't seem the least bit bothered and in fact grins as he stands to walk around the table, stopping in front of Lux before offering his arm, "Indeed you did, my dear Luxanna, and I appreciate your kind offer. It would be my pleasure to walk you home." Oh he really is too nice to her. Again, not a complaint; if he's willing to look over her little wording error then it works for her.

-x-x-

As Vladimir had said he would, he pays for dinner on the way out and then they immediately head toward Lux's home. It's a good distance away, but neither feel like a mad dash to her and her brother's mansion so they simply walk and hope Garen isn't home early today. He shouldn't be, but one never knows in her brother's field of work. With any luck, they'll get a few hours before Garen returns…wishful thinking, but one could hope.

Lux keeps her arm locked with Vlad's, her free arm usually clinging to his as well; she likes being near him, what can she say? Okay, so one other thing she could say is that it's cold and she only has a dress on. She didn't expect to be out so late and thus didn't bring a jacket or anything…but it is well worth it, that much is even subconsciously obvious as her wide smile never fades. Even when she shudders every now and again, she just can't feel the least bit upset.

Her date, soon to be guest, however, shows a bit of concern and moves to take off his coat. Again, typical Vlad. Lux huffs a bit, "Vlad, keep your coat on, I'm fine. Besides, it's only a few more minutes, it's not like I'm gonna get sick or anything."

Vladimir sighs, though not exasperated or annoyed…he actually sounds amused, then removes his jacket anyway, which takes a bit more work as Lux still clings to his arm, "I do not mind it, dear Luxanna, and in fact rather enjoy the cold air." He again offers his coat, and by 'offers' she means he pretty much put it on her himself. Lux just shakes her head, which gets another smile from Vladimir, "See? Much better for you and I both. You are nice and warm while I better feel the night air."

Again she lightly elbows Vlad's side, but she thanks him all the same. It doesn't surprise her, the whole night air thing that is. Vlad's told very few vague stories of him 'hunting' humans in the dead of night simply for the thrill of killing them. According to Vlad, it was a common training method his teacher used way back when and soon became a hobby of his even after killing off that teacher.

The rest of their walk passes quietly, but again it is a comfortable type of silence that neither feels like breaking until reaching Lux's home. When they are a good distance from her and her brother's mansion, Lux stops walking and tugs Vladimir to halt as well. He turns around, curious of why they stopped. She would have thought he would know by now.

"I'll head in through the front as usual, but you're gonna have to sneak in or however it is you usually find your way in there without being seen by guards." Lux offers Vladimir his coat back with a grin, "I'll probably be a bit late 'cause I'll need to talk to the guards and make sure they don't tell Garen, but I'll meet you in my room, okay?"

Oh, well that looks like an 'okay.' Vlad immediately leans down to kiss her, though swiftly this time around, then nods, "I will eagerly await your return." And there's his really low tone that he knows Lux really likes and uses because of it. He smirks in response but says nothing more.

On that note, both head off. Lux still isn't sure where exactly Vlad enters their house or if he climbs up to the balcony or something, but he always manages to get in and never be seen. Sneaky not-so-little hemomancer. Anyway, getting in the house is easy enough for her, the guards don't even bat an eye at her being out so late. They probably assume she met up with friends or something. She does request the guards she sees along the way not to let Garen know about her returning at such a dark hour, but it's anybody's guess if they will respect her wishes or not.

She manages to get upstairs and into her room without having to stop and explain herself to any of the few guards they have around the house. Garen insists on guards, mostly because of the whole champion thing and their role in politics and all that…it makes sense, she guesses, though it gets really annoying when she wants to stay out late. Also, if Vladimir can get past them unnoticed, an assassin like Katarina, though not her in particular for reasons involving Garen, could with ease.

But, that isn't her concern right now. Lux closes her door, looks around her room, then shrugs; Vlad must not be here just yet. The fireplace in her room is lit, though, and has been for awhile, which is good because it's going to be cold tonight. Lux takes one last look around her darkened room, the only light being that fireplace in the center wall, then turns and heads for her closet. Which nightclothes to wear tonight…how about the usual light blue shirt and pants, those are always comfortable and rather warm. She picks those ones out and immediately heads toward the bathroom to change, though she considers taking a quick bath or something first. She probably should before Vlad pops by anyway unless she wants a party of two. Also, it gives her time to think of what to tell Garen in many thought-up scenarios of what could possibly happen tonight. What to say when she greets her brother upon returning home, and in case he hears talking, and in case of any noises, and in case he walks in without knocking…

Yep, Lux decides to take a bath and allow herself some time to think. She gets a bath ready, which should hopefully buy her a good few minutes before having to speak with her brother. At least until the water goes cold, which usually takes awhile thanks to keeping the bathroom nice and warm as well but hey if Vlad finally shows up then he can walk right in, so she's staying here for as long as she can. She will have to speak with Garen before bed, but at least now she can put it off awhile.

Once nice and relaxed, and of course after taking a bit of time to mess with the bubbles gathered atop the water because who doesn't, she gets down to business. She will need to convince her brother she wasn't out late, which usually isn't difficult, and then excuse herself to her room. By this time, Vlad will probably be waiting and they can talk and stuff for a bit before he leaves. Simple stuff.

But what if Garen hears them talking? Lux talks to herself sometimes, and her stuffed animals, but never in a manly voice because that would be weird. Garen would rightfully suspect someone in her room and barge right in, sword brandished and battle cry fresh out of his mouth. Neither Lux nor Vlad will want to deal with this, so she will need to ensure both of them keep their voices down. But if by chance Garen does hear something and knocks, maybe she'll have time to get Vladimir to hide or something and then she can talk Garen into leaving. Easy enough…hopefully.

Now about random noises, hm…easily explained as nightmares or something no big deal either. If by chance Garen does barge in without knocking and then witnesses a Noxian of all people with his little sister, and probably in some compromising position knowing her luck, that will be the fun part. The first thing that comes to mind is Lux claiming to be planning something with Vladimir; Garen's birthday is coming up so it's perfect, really. Except for the whole positioning thing but hopefully Vlad and she will be all formal and sitting next to each other or something. Then, when asked why a Noxian, the simple answer could be…uh…something about Katarina and getting her the week off. Yeah, that's perfect, actually. Lux holds back a proud grin at her own idea; man, here's hoping it works out so easily.

No, scratch that, here's hoping Garen doesn't walk in at all. That would be easy. But, knowing the fact Vladimir likes to play with her, there will possibly be noises and loud talking so it is likely Lux will have to shoo her brother away somehow tonight.

Shortly after, she hears her name called and ends up almost falling on her face in a mad rush to get some clothes on and get downstairs. So much for easy.

-x-x-

"This guard has informed me you returned but twenty minutes ago, Luxanna Crownguard." Aw, man, he has a serious voice and everything, which of course means he's just about two seconds from grounding her for life or something. Also it means that guard is a dirty snitch. Garen glowers at her, crossing his arms and all; Lux is still pretty convinced he got that from Katarina. "Is there anything you wish to say in your defense?"

Lux huffs, putting her hands to her hips, something she picked up from Katarina ironically enough, "Not guilty is what! You know that rude guard is always trying to pin stuff on me!" She holds back a glare to the now stunned guard, "I was in the bath the whole time, Garen, and you know I take forever in there. Seriously, I had to rush out just now! My hair's still wet and everything."

There we go, crisis averted and now the guard is getting chewed out by Garen. Lux tries her best not to send a taunting smile the guard's way; that might get her in trouble. She hates lying to her brother, but…well, she'll just tell herself she didn't exactly lie. She was in the bath the whole time, while at home, and this guard does like to accuse her of stuff because Garen likes to make sure she gets indoors and whatnot on time and guards that catch stuff get paid well. Her brother's reason for this curfew is justified, to prevent being kidnapped or killed or something and if she is hurt he will know 'cause she isn't home, but it's still annoying.

Anyway, the guard walks off with his tail between his legs while Garen lets out a sigh and sheepish smile, "Sorry, I should have checked your room first." See, this is why Lux is honest with him…usually; he takes her word over everyone else's because he knows darn well she tells the truth more often than not.

She shrugs casually, "Not your fault, it's no big deal."

And thus starts the chain of 'how was your day' and both parties giving lengthy summaries of their day. Garen, much like Lux, is completely honest about where he went today. He was at work most the day, but Katarina was also in town on business matters and the two met up and went out for awhile before both went back to their job. Of course Garen's face turns a bit red at this, even if his expression stays his usual grump face, but he says it. Honesty among siblings is key, after all.

When it comes to Katarina, Lux really does like the famed assassin, it's just the double standard Garen has with her dating while he himself is getting comfy with a professional Noxian assassin that wanted nothing more then to wipe Demacia off the face of the earth but a year or so ago. But, she doesn't bring this up with him or bug him about it, she remains quiet and offers some input every now and again, partially because Garen doesn't know jack squat about romance, then is asked the same question. Thankfully she took that bath and relaxed enough to plan this totally elaborate story.

Garen asks how her day was and if anything eventful happened, so she says she spent all day in the library. All of it. Garen knows Lux does this often, so he doesn't find anything suspicious about it at all and nods. She then says she stopped for a quick snack at some café then went home; it's best to keep close to the truth. She did spend most her day in the library, just not the important part.

As for anything eventful, she just sort of shrugs and says she learned a better version of her invisibility spell and tried some new food. Garen noticeably pales at that but does an amazing job at waving it off and excusing himself to bed, more than happy to take her full story. The two hug then go their separate ways, Lux probably walking a tiny bit faster than usual to get back to her room and get that chocolate box out of plain sight.

-x-x-

Upon reaching her room and quietly closing the door behind her, Lux sees that her guest has finally snuck past the guards and whatnot and has made himself comfortable on the couch in front of the fireplace. Vlad sort of just stares into the flame, his neutral expression showing nothing of what he is thinking about. Lux is able to walk across the room, put the chocolates under her bed, and yet not be noticed until she plops down next to him and asks how he's doing.

Vladimir startles slightly, then smiles, "I am doing well, just thinking." Her raised brow is enough of an inquiry to get him to speak up again, a low chuckle escaping him before his answer does, "I was merely thinking over today and am wondering if you enjoyed yourself this evening. I sure did, but it is you whom had to wait almost an hour in the cold before things got started and you who have the risks here."

Lux exhales through her teeth, not in a pained or scared or annoyed way but sort of a carefree 'pssh' sound, "I really didn't mind waiting around, Vlad, I was just joking when I said I did. Today was fun! No need to over think it or anything, it was all fun today." She pats his shoulder as if to reassure him; he noticeably calms, which is always interesting to see 'cause usually he looks pretty normal until he relaxes, and only then is it obvious he was sort of tensed up or distressed. Strange guy, she must say.

After this, both go silent for several moments. Lux keeps looking Vlad over for any signs he might be worried still, but she looks to the fire after awhile because it would be kinda awkward to stare too long. Vladimir keeps his attention forward but he seems much happier now- until he speaks again, that is.

He shifts then seems the slightest bit saddened, "I should probably get going and let you sleep, hm?" Vlad stands to leave, but Lux snatches his arm and tugs him back to sitting down; it doesn't take too much, really, he wasn't too keen on leaving. He blinks then smiles, a brow raising, "Unless you do not want me to, in which case I won't mind staying a little longer."

A nod, "We should talk awhile! More about you this time, though, 'cause you were asking all the questions earlier." And because, of course, she dislikes talking about herself and it's been forever since they last spoke- not counting tonight of course, so she's curious as to what exactly he's been doing. Reading and practicing magic only is doubtful with this guy.

And so begins a lot more talking than was expected; eventually Lux moves to sitting on her bed because that couch isn't as nice to sit on. Vlad, of course, perks up then follows, hopping up then taking a seat directly in front of her. Lux immediately begins quizzing him again as she idly toys with one of many stuffed animals she keeps on her bed. Hey, she might be all grown up and serious, but she still loves those little guys. Anyway, soon enough it's brought up Vladimir indeed wasn't only practicing and reading. Lux knew it was just too simple, boring would be a better word, for someone like this.

Vladimir goes on to talk about doing chores around his home, which much like Lux he owns some mansion thing, as to be expected of the more high class people of Demacia and Noxus and really anywhere, and being asked to help out with something at the prisons that Vlad doesn't go into detail about. Getting requests from Darius and Draven is pretty rare, so Vlad says he accepted and did whatever it was they had him do. Lux tries pressing for details, but he doesn't give much up. Knowing them, it had to do with the execution work there.

On top of this, Vlad mentions a visit from someone he says taught him a thing or two about hemomancy…or, scratch that, everything. Didn't he say he had to kill his master? Lux inquires about this and Vladimir sighs wearily and says apparently he missed something and his teacher was able to pool enough blood together over the years and pop back up on his doorstep asking for dinner and his room back. Lux can't help but giggle, though she will admit she had enjoyed stories of Vlad's teacher and can't say she isn't glad to hear he isn't dead. That and she has never been one for killing, which most certainly makes her affections for a murderer, and amusement of his teacher, nothing short of ironic. Seems to run in the family.

Those few minutes turn to hours in no time at all, and once Vlad finishes talking about some weird incident with Talon getting that weird, bladed cape of his stuck on Vladimir's roof and sort of dangling there awhile while Katarina laughed her head off, Vlad starts asking her questions again. What had she been up to aside from schoolwork and work and study? How about any new friends? Anything interesting happen? She answers these simply, but really she hasn't been up to much. Between work and more work, she only really uses free time for practice and sometimes goes out with friends.

Once she runs out of stuff about her, which doesn't take long, Lux smoothly transitions to talking about her brother. By smooth, she of course means she dismissed further stuff about her and started talking about how Garen had been visiting Noxus more often. Turns out, Darius is vying for Katarina's attention as well, and she is giving no hints as to whom she prefers, so Garen's been a bit worried lately. Poor guy treats her to dinner and anything else he has time for while she's here whereas Darius, Lux heard, tends to be more casual and focuses more on chatter than gifting, but the executioner would be flat-out lying if he said he didn't buy stuff for Katarina. It's a pretty interesting story to tell, and Vladimir pitches in a few words of his own about how Darius and Katarina get along. It is eerily similar to how the assassin acts around Garen, actually.

But, as for how both men get along, it is sorta obvious they are a bit less than friendly toward each other. Darius had first try at Katarina and things were pretty smooth until Garen started trying his luck, now neither is making much ground. How Katarina feels about all this is between amusement and flattery; according to Vladimir, whom so is close friends with the assassin, she finds it feels quite nice to have two guys interested in her. As for the situation in specific, she expressed a little more preference for Darius but keeps an open mind and relations with both men obvious to the other. All dates so far have been personal and yet formal…it's weird.

Vladimir puts his money on Darius, though, as Katarina spends more time with him and, according to Vlad, is more likely to give a kiss to Darius after a date than Garen. Poor guy. Vlad asks what Lux thinks about all this, but she really can't say too much. She of course wants her brother to be happy, but Katarina's feelings are just as important so…either way works for her. She doesn't know Darius as well, but from what she has met of him he is kinda like her brother. It's weird when both are in the same room, it's like an evil-looking twin with the original except neither one are exactly bad.

Finally their conversations wind down, and after Garen they talk about random subjects from food to those stuffed animals Lux has idly petted or messed with to doors, and Lux notes the late hour. She holds back a disappointed sigh, both at herself and the fact Vlad will have to leave, then laughs, "I think we should probably get to sleep, it's late. Sorry to have kept you so long, I really didn't think we'd get so caught up."

Her guest puts on a sly grin, leaning forward a bit, "Mhm, sure you didn't. You know all too well we always talk for hours when we meet. You probably planned this whole thing! I am impressed, Luxanna." Vlad says her name in some really odd emphasis, but in a really good way. Her stomach feels funny after he says it, and his chuckling says he notices that. "I have no business to tend to for the next few weeks, so it is up to you what we do these next few weeks."

Lux smiles; no work, huh? That means he could stay here if he wanted…though if he doesn't then asking him would be really awkward to say the least. She fiddles with her fingers as she debates this for not very long at all; she really does want him to stay…she looks up at him again, finally finding her voice, "You know, it's kind of late and dark, so you could stay here for the night if you want." Oh, that gets a huge grin from Vlad, "It's your call though, I mean it's a weekend so we could just meet up tomorrow again-" Or he could kiss her, that works too.

It doesn't take much effort from Vlad to deepen this kiss; all he ends up having to do is lean forward until Lux can't lean back without falling on her bed from her previous sitting position, which he takes full advantage of when she does and makes himself nice and comfy. Due to the way she falls, Vlad ends up over her as well as between her legs, which he naturally finds quite amusing judging from the fact he smirks into their kiss once again as he shifts about. Lux gives him a light glare, but the little detail that she is close to laughing doesn't make it very threatening. She trusts him, so she doesn't mean that glare anyway. Vlad hums, chuckles, then breaks their kiss only to let that slick tongue of his run across her cheek, to which Lux playfully attempts to shove his head away.

"I would love to stay here for the night, so long as you would not mind sharing a room." Vladimir pauses a moment, lifting himself off the slightest amount and looking Lux over as if debating on his next few words depending on her mood. Seeing as he smiles faintly again, her curious expression must have been enough, "Perhaps, if you are comfortable, a bed as well?"

If she says yes too fast, would that sound odd? Vladimir and she have only ever stayed in the same room once before 'cause usually one has work the next day so Vlad ends up having to head off back home…Lux would be lying if she said she hasn't thought many times over about sleeping next to him. It seems so silly, but it's just something she's really wanted to do again for awhile. He's just so warm and cuddly and sweet and…

So, naturally, Lux nods and tries to keep the red on her face from being too noticeable as she looks up at Vladimir. She can already see his previously faint, heck, she would say nervous or unsure if this were anyone else, smile widen a bit more at her accepting gesture, "I would really like that, as long as you don't mind the stuffed animals making things a bit tight quarters." Oh, who is she kidding, Vlad won't mind in the least. He likes being close to her, despite his usual solitary nature.

And, as expected, Vladimir shakes his head and leans back down, "I would not wish it any other way." He starts in on another kiss after his statement, often gently nipping at her lips. Lux is again a bit surprised, but returns his gesture in due time. It takes a bit, but she does all the same- and then she realizes this was a distraction for Vlad to move his hands under her shirt to rest against her sides. She squeaks a bit at this sudden contact, and because his hands are cold, earning another laugh from Vlad and a deeper kiss. That is, he pushes himself forward a bit more.

Eventually Vladimir again ceases their kiss to move his head to nip at and kiss her neck, to which Lux again makes some weird noise and squirms under him a bit. It's a good thing Vlad changed into his nightclothes earlier…turns out he keeps a bag somewhere in her room, though she didn't ask where in case Garen pops up and searches and uses her subconscious glances to locate it and then they get in big trouble. Works out perfectly now, 'cause Lux doubts he will be getting up anytime soon. She's kinda really glad he won't, but at the same time- oh great now she's giggling.

She pushes her date, trying to suppress her laughter at his hands feeling up and down her sides; that jerk, Vlad knows they're supposed to keep quiet, though his smile and a few other indicators say he doesn't quite care. Lux shakes her head, her laughter subduing somewhat as Vlad gives her some time to catch her breath, which she uses to send a not-at-all-threatening glare his way, "V-Vlad, come on, you know we have to stay quiet-!" And then he utters something close to a growl and leans back down, doing the same action as before plus running his tongue across her neck before kissing it. Lux cries out, thankfully not too loud but surprised all the same, "C-Cut it out!"

But he of course does not cut it out, and in fact makes it worse by gently running one hand from her side over her stomach; to believe Lux had never considered herself ticklish. So much for that. Vladimir chuckles, continuing with the hand stuff on her sides and stomach while his lips trace her collarbone- and then he moves his head up again and starts using his mouth, be it kissing or nipping or whatever, to mess with her neck. Lux admits that she never tries to hide her neck or move out of the way too often, minus a few times while trying to stay quiet. Vlad, however, keeps her in place pretty easily given his position.

Also given his position, it is real easy for him to shift forward to start lightly nipping her ear. On the other side of things, leaning forward causes him to kinda brush or push up between her legs rather than simply resting there, be it on purpose or an accident she is unsure as it somewhat feels like his hips were involved there- anyway, it goes without saying this sort of gets a small scream from Lux. Not scared or maybe not even startled, no, just- she doesn't know, it just sort of happened. She got a rush of some really strange, and strong, feeling then bam. Needless to say, Lux's face is certainly a nice shade of red, mostly from embarrassment now, as she gives a sheepish grin to a laughing Vladimir. This guy seems proud of earning such a response from the usually rather, somewhat, controlled Lux. She huffs once, then pulls Vlad down by his shirt's collar to shut him up with a kiss. It certainly works, that's for sure. She can feel him relax, then begin returning her kiss and-

And then comes the knock on her door, causing both to freeze in place- "Lux?! Are you alright!? May I come in?!" Garen. Oh great.

Lux shifts up from underneath Vlad, whom so seems the slightest bit peeved at the interruption yet just as much unnerved at the thought of being found here, then sits up and pushes down on his shoulders until his head rests near her stomach. Vladimir no doubt gives her a strange look, but she pulls her covers up to her chin before she can check, "Yeah!" She pauses, both for an added thought and because she is messing with the stuffed animals lined on her bed against the wall; all part of the backup plan. "To both questions-!" And right that moment, in barges Garen with his sword drawn and an angry look on his face.

"What happened, why did you scream?!" Garen looks around the room, behind the curtains, in her closet, everywhere but under her bed strangely, thankfully, enough. One would think he would look there first. Also, why is he still yelling he isn't behind the door anymore?

She shakes her head, "I'm fine, it was just a nightmare, that's all." Garen stops his search at her balcony door, turning and raising a brow, to which Lux nods, "Mhm! It was a real nasty one, too! But then I remembered I keep my stuffed animals here for just such an occasion and everything's fine now. Thanks for checking, though!" Oh, she has never been so thankful for thick covers. Well, she's thankful for them every winter just not as much as she is now. Also Vlad keeps still which helps greatly, though he does wrap his arms around her waist instead of having them rested by her legs. Poor guy, it must be uncomfortable down there.

Garen appears skeptical, but he flips his sword to point then rests it at the ground kinda like a cane, "Are you sure? I have never once heard you scream after a nightmare…" He frowns, clearly trying to work something out as he eyes how strangely she is holding the covers. And, of course, probably how red her face is from earlier.

Speaking of which, Lux nearly jumps out of her skin when she feels Vladimir's teeth at her waistline. He is gentle, of course, but still it makes her stomach feel all tight again and it's almost making her squeak from such a feeling. Why now of all times to be a moron, Vlad? Oh, just wait 'til Garen leaves then she'll show him what for-

"Lux, are you sure you are okay? You seem a little flushed." Garen walks over and places the back of his hand on her forehead, frowning somewhat. Oh please no.

She makes another one of those 'pssh' noises and waves one of her hands at him, ensuring the other hand has a tight hold on her blanket, "I'm fine, Garen, just go back to bed I wanna sleep." She does squeak quietly this time and shift about; okay, she also wants to maybe get Vladimir to stop licking and kissing and biting anywhere near her waistline. He is really pushing it, he really is. Lux manages to subtly knock the back of his head with her elbow, which does get him to stop for the time being, thankfully. She really couldn't take much more of that.

Her brother purses his lips, looking over her again and clearly wondering about that noise she made but hopefully won't ask- "What was that for?" Of course he has to ask.

Lux shrugs in an attempt to hopefully look much calmer than she feels, "I slept wrong and it hurt to move my arm like that earlier. No biggy I'll be fine soon." Oh Vlad just stop it, now he's tightening that grip around her waist and that kissing and nipping and licking and whatever else from before feels quite a bit more feverish- Lux jumps somewhat, yelping and being oh so sure when she composes herself to slam her elbow down on the back of Vlad's neck. She looks to her brother and laughs nervously, rubbing the arm now holding her covers as best she can, "Sorry, my arm is bugging me."

Garen frowns this time around, "Are you sure you are alright?" Lux nods, smiling one of her genuinely happy smiles and trying dearly to ignore the hemomancer that is behaving for the time being. She feels Vlad's head up against her stomach, but thankfully not doing anything he shouldn't. "Well, how about what's under the covers, then? Did you snatch some pillows again? I have told you to not do that."

If only. At least a pillow wouldn't again tighten its arms around her middle and stick its head up her shirt then run its warm and slimy tongue right below her chest. Lux squirms in place, though attempts to do so subtly; Vlad knows that tongue stuff feels weird. She shifts her foot then jabs it upwards, hitting what feels like his stomach, which fortunately stops him again. "Uh, no, I just put some of my stuffed animals under the blankets 'cause it'll help me sleep." She sticks her hand under the covers to fetch one of said animals, though takes that chance to also bump Vlad's back once as a warning to stop what he's doing and sit still a little while. Though he just sort of pulls his head out of her shirt and catches her hand in his teeth instead as she tries to bring said hand back up. It really feels like he's trying to swallow her thumb or something the way he moves his mouth.

Noxians are mean, simple as that. Lux huffs and pokes him with her foot again to get him to let go; Garen raises a brow at the huff but thankfully doesn't comment and seems satisfied with the stuffed animal proof. Sadly, Vlad puts his head back under her shirt and starts nuzzling at her stomach, thankfully without that tongue of his, and again almost gets some weird noises for it. Oh if only he knew how much Lux wants to toss him off her balcony right now. Why in front of her brother? This would be fine if he would just wait for Garen to leave. But no, he has to act up now.

Garen, though convinced by the stuffed animal thing, still seems dead set on finding out Lux's strange behavior. Chances are he might suspect she's hiding someone, he tends to be just that paranoid…though it seems that paranoia is justified this time around. Man, why couldn't Vlad just sit still? Her brother pokes at the covers, thankfully a place where Vladimir isn't, then looks as if he's probably gonna flip said covers right off. Lux starts, "Come on, Garen! Can we all just go back to sleep now?" Apparently not.

He pulls the covers down and Lux braces for the yelling- which she doesn't get but her eyes sure snap open the second those covers are moved and she looks down immediately after. Well, Vladimir being able to melt into a pool of blood is nice and all, but now this is all levels of uncomfortable. The front of her nightshirt is red, as are her pants, sheets, blanket, and everything near where Vladimir was. Ew…just, ew.

Okay, she can use this. Her brother looks surprised, borderline embarrassed, so Lux huffs, looks up at her brother with a glare, and crosses her arms- ew, more blood. This is highly unsanitary. "I told you not to look! Man, Garen, you're such a pest sometimes, really! I'd rather you not poke around like that, sheesh! I gotta clean all this up, could you please let me do that? I need a shower now, too…"

The look on her brother's face is priceless, at least. Garen clears his throat awkwardly and fidgets a bit, "I…I apologize. Do you want me to take those to the wash for you?" Lux shakes her head, still frowning. He nods, "Alright, I'll…I'll leave you to it, then. Goodnight." And so Garen finally leaves the room as hastily as she has ever seen. The door clicks shut, marking the end of that little nightmare.

She looks back down and grimaces, wiping her hand on some not-so-bloody sheet. This is really gross. She's used to blood and all and it doesn't really bother her much, but who, besides Vlad, wants it all over them? Ew is all she can say. Lux holds back a groan as she wrings her shirt out a bit; what a mess.

Vladimir finally starts to reform himself soon after this, and while in the League he does so right away, right now it looks like he's pulling himself out of some gooey pit. It's really interesting to watch, actually- Lux jumps slightly then shifts in place, "Vlad, you of all people know women don't like to feel blood in their pants, especially when it moves, so please get rid of that." Bonus points for that blood being part of him, so that certainly earns an extra heated face.

He grins, though apologetically this time, then does as asked, "Sorry about that, but it is better than Garen finding me." Though his apology is genuine, Lux is pretty sure Vlad doesn't regret his actions the least bit, just the discomfort it causes her.

It must take more energy to regenerate all at once and so quickly, 'cause Vlad's upper body reforms a good few moments before his legs and such begin to shift back into being solid. Vladimir acts as if he doesn't notice much, either, and focuses on cleaning up Lux's clothing by running his hand above those bloodstains and immediately removing them. Though, any blood on her skin he removes by licking at it or kissing. All said and done, it doesn't take too much longer after his apology for him to completely reform, leaving no trace at all of blood. Well, minus the smeared bit on her hand, which he has no problems licking off the moment he notices it, smirking at Lux all the while.

Lux, however, gives another huff and smacks his shoulder, lightly of course but enough to get the point across, "What was that?" She keeps her voice down, but she'd be lying if she said she didn't want to yell.

Her guest gives a charming smile, keeping eye contact as he sits up and returns to a cross-legged position in front of her, "What was what?" As Vlad says this, he leans forward; man, he really does know she can't stay mad at him for long. And that she won't laser him to a fine red mist for being a jerk and pulling her closer to him.

She is, however, angry enough to put up a slight struggle to being pulled onto his lap; nothing much, just trying to push her guest away, "You know very well what, Vladimir! Seriously, couldn't you just wait until Garen left? Now I have to change my sheets and my nightgown, both of which I will need blood on by the way, and I need to run the shower for awhile to make sure he doesn't think I just got covered in blood and didn't shower afterward." Lux frowns as Vladimir takes it upon himself to try and cheer her back up with a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek once he settles her in his lap. "I'm serious, Vladimir…"

Once more Vladimir just smiles, making some sound that she would say is a purr if it was humanly possible to make such a sound. He sure mimics one quite well, though, "As am I, dear Luxanna. I meant you no harm, and nothing ill came of it, so I do not see a problem here."

That certainly gets a sputter of a reply before Lux finally finds her words again, "Nothing bad?! Did you not hear a word I just said?!" Again her voice is low, but it comes out in almost a hiss; he is so lucky she doesn't want to blast down a few walls with her laser right now. Maybe a simpler spell…

He nods, keeping one arm around her middle as he moves the other to run through her hair, "I did, but those are not bad per say. I will provide the blood for those sheets and your clothing once in a pile, and I will make the bed and reorganize your little toys while you put those in the wash." Vladimir's hand trails to her face, to which he then starts lightly caressing her cheek with his thumb, "It is not too bad, my dear, and your brother still suspects nothing. After all of this, we may continue our conversation, if you wish it."

She sighs, rolling her eyes and shaking her head but deciding to return his embrace rather than remain trying to lean away; Vladimir's a real sweetheart even if he is just as real a jerk. He makes a valid point, she guesses…it isn't too bad an outcome. Lux nods, but holds her glare, even if said glare has lessened since when the door first shut, "I'll forgive you, but first you have to answer my question."

Vladimir chuckles, "You would even if I did not," Lux groans, "but I will answer your question." She perks up, to which Vlad gives her another light kiss, "Truthfully? I could not help myself. I might have been riled up from before, and it might have been just too tempting an opportunity to let pass. If it truly bothers you, it will not happen again…though I hope it does not bother you, because that was quite fun." Again his voice goes down and he leans forward to nip at her ear and whisper his last line, "I just love it when you squirm and squeak."

Another roll of the eyes and sigh borderline groan to cover her not-so-nervous shiver, but a nod; at least he's honest about it. Truth be told she didn't care so much of what he was doing as when he did it. She sighs, "I…won't object, but just don't do it when my brother is around, please?"

That must be close enough to a positive answer for Vlad, as he again kisses her, "Mhm," he breaks their kiss, licking his lips, "it will not happen again." He grins at Lux's short shudder, but doesn't call her out on it- "Feel free to do the same to me sometime, my dear."

Lux playfully pushes her guest, again trying to ignore the heat resting on her face, then squirms in his grip, "On that note, I need to get these sheets and clothes in the wash and have the shower run awhile." Vlad makes some sort of disappointed sound and gives Lux a quick nip on the neck before releasing her. She thanks him then gets up and waits for Vladimir to move before bundling up the sheets from her bed and a few blankets, setting those on the ground to bring out in a little while.

Vlad helps out with fetching new sheets and blankets then getting those set up while Lux heads to the closet to change, to which Vladimir does send a few glances in that direction before the door shuts. She just shakes her head, picking out one of her darker gowns to match with her new little excuse; men. She quickly changes then walks out and tosses her clothes onto the pile. Vladimir, thankfully, doesn't mind summoning a good bit of blood to his hand then plopping that down on said pile. What Lux didn't quite expect, but should have, and feels guilty for is that Vlad gives a faint smile after that and says he'll need to take it easy for a bit as he's dizzy. It's to be expected after such blood loss, and Lux immediately coaxes him to lie down on her bed while she takes care of the rest.

It doesn't take long to plop those sheets into the laundry room to be eventually washed. Sure, Lux could wash those now, but tomorrow she wants Garen to remember her excuse…that, and she thinks he deserves to do the laundry after what he pulled tonight. After those are set, she rushes back upstairs and starts running the shower, which she'll likely keep on awhile to ensure Garen buys it.

Then again, she was covered in blood so maybe she should take a shower. Seriously, it'd be kinda gross if she didn't. Lux holds back a sigh, but soon recovers from that and walks out of the restroom, closing the bathroom door behind her then returning to where Vlad is lying. She hops up onto her bed then seats herself at his side, 'combing' his hair a few times with her fingers. Lux asks if Vladimir is feeling any better, but he never quite answers that outright.

Her guest smiles, though, and sits up on his elbows, "Mm, you sure you don't want to go in there? It would be a nice chance to relax and talk…there would be noise already from the water, so we could certainly be much more lenient in volume." Vlad's previously harmless smile turns to one of his teasing smirks when Lux blushes at the thought alone of doing such. He suggests this in such a way he makes it out it will be only her in the shower and he sitting outside, which Vlad would not mind in the least, but Lux is one hundred percent sure she would invite him to join her eventually and he looks forward to that possibility, even if it never happens. Ever the gentleman, he wants her to invite him and choose what will happen.

True, she has bathed with Vladimir once before because she felt bad having him wait outside that room so she invited him in to talk and then somehow one thing led to another and he ended up joining her…anyway, she's bathed with him once before and it was surprisingly relaxing despite having company, but she felt nervous the whole time. She's never been one for showing skin, that much is clear even in most her League outfits. She still hates that witch one…but, anyway, showering together is nothing but skin and it naturally is a bit unnerving in front of others.

Vladimir never seems bothered by it, though, that much is always clear when he visits. If he needs to change his clothing while staying over, he has no qualms in doing so in front of her while calmly holding a conversation, never once skipping a beat. Also, in warmer months, he tends to sleep in nothing but shorts, which he wears only for decency's sake and nothing more.

Point being, though enjoyable, Lux is always left with feeling uneasy, so she tends to avoid bathing with Vlad around or changing in the same room. But, Lux is always one to conquer her fears, or at least try to, or uncertainties any way she can. Besides, their previous bathing experience together was enjoyable aside from the nervousness she felt, so why not? As she brought up before, she does need a shower anyway after that bloodbath…she shrugs in reply, "I might. What about you? My house is your house as long as Garen and the guards don't know, and that includes the shower by all means."

He smiles again, "I might have to take you up on that, I am a bit of a mess after my trip." …He calls that a mess? He looks like he's already taken like three baths today. Sheesh, he is fussy. There is a brief silence and Vladimir tips his head in thought, then refocuses on Lux, "If you wouldn't mind me borrowing a towel, I think I will accept your offer."

Another shake of the head from Lux, "Not at all! Use whatever you need, Vlad, that's what it's there for." She sits up again as Vladimir does, watching as he stretches then swings is legs over the side of the bed. He seems to have recovered quickly, but then again he is a hemomancer and they would need to. Lux stays in place, quite content with watching her date sit at the edge of the bed and look around the room a few moments, his eyes resting at the balcony's glass windows and door. He no doubt is enjoying the nighttime view from here; nothing but stars and the moon from this angle. Typical Vlad, always the nocturnal kinda guy.

Vlad eventually turns his attention back to Lux, his smile widening to a toothy grin moments before he speaks, "I would not object to company, by the way, even if you simply wish to sit outside the shower. It is completely up to if you want to sleep, wait out here, or follow along, I just want to make sure you know I do not mind in the least."

With a smile and nod, Lux sits up and scoots to the edge of her bed, "I'll come along with you. No offense to your cleaning skills 'cause you are really good at keeping things clean, but I'd rather take a shower after that bloodbath than leave it at that. Also I wanna talk a bit more before bedtime." Hey, he came here to visit her, and it's clear he still wants to talk, so why not? On top of this, she wants to be more comfortable around him in situations like this. She beams up at Vlad once done speaking, whom so returns that smile with one of his own for a brief moment before he stands and heads to the bathroom.

"No offense taken, and I am pleased you have decided to join me, my dear." Funny, Vlad had a teasing smirk before while offering to share a shower, yet right now his smile is his usual, around her, anyway, calm and kind one. One would think that would usually be reversed. Huh.

Lux stays put for the time being, intending to give Vlad a bit of privacy despite the hemomancer's previous invitation and the fact it really won't matter in a few minutes. Still, it'd be rude to just waltz in on him like that and she isn't the type to- oh, there he is. Vlad pokes his head out the door, tilting his head curiously in a silent question of why she hasn't followed him. She figured he wouldn't mind, but it never hurts to make sure. Lux shifts her weight forward to slide off the bed and land her feet on the floor below, a slight run to her pace as she makes her way to the bathroom.

After she shuts and locks the door behind her, just in case her brother shows up, Lux turns to see her guest testing the water with his hand as he sits on the tub's rim. Vlad seems satisfied with the temperature as he then starts unbuttoning his nightshirt…even though he could simply pull it off like most any other shirt. Lux holds back an amused laugh as she slightly hesitantly starts on her own clothing. By that, she means she's fiddling with the bottom of her shirt while watching Vlad at the corner of her eye. What can she say? He's rather distracting.

The only reason Lux turns away early is 'cause Vladimir locks eyes with her for a split second, to which Lux immediately turns her attention to pulling her shirt off. This hides her blush nicely, if she does say so herself, and sort of avoids having to see the prideful, taunting grin that is no doubt on Vlad's face for catching her attention for so long. She gets her shirt off easy enough after that mild distraction, though she holds that shirt over her chest while-

She pauses her current actions when Vlad jokingly, or maybe teasingly would be a better word, tosses his shirt onto her head. Lux pulls that off and sets it down beside her, raising a questioning brow and putting on her best 'business' face, as she calls serious looks. Vladimir just begins all-out laughing, no doubt finding said look more, and she quotes, 'angry kitten' like than stern. Darn it, Vlad. Not only for laughing but for getting a light blush from Lux when he keeps his attention on her; looking her over and easily getting her to hold her shirt a bit tighter over her upper half. This isn't a teasing action and he doesn't have one of those grins…honestly he looks curious more than anything, then slightly confused about her unease after a few moments. Vladimir appears to catch on soon after, but rather than joke or taunt, he turns his attention back to his own clothing as if to give her a chance to get used to things again. Whew.

It must be said, Lux is finding this time more difficult than the last. Last time was a bubble bath so in a way it was more forgiving, plus she kicked him out to change. But, that's part of the challenge, now isn't it? She returns to taking off her pants, this time setting her shirt down beside her in an attempt to just get her used to this already. What does she have to worry about, anyway? Stupid brain, always giving her problems that aren't even logical…even so, she keeps one arm over her chest after discarding the shirt.

Soon after this, another clothing item is tossed at her and lands on her head; Vlad's pants, no doubt. Lux hears his laughter as she removes that from her head then tosses it right back, "You're lucky I don't just hide your clothes around the house then make you hunt for them." Lux chimes in a singsong tone, which she usually only uses when giving compliments or stating something neat or cheering someone up.

Vlad yet again laughs, tossing his pants onto the shirt Lux placed awhile ago, "You should know by now that wouldn't bother me, my dear. I have no qualms in just spending my stay in your room without clothing." That and he would probably remember that bag of clothes he keeps somewhere in her room.

Lux breathes through her teeth again in her usual 'pssh' sound, which the sound of water hitting the tub's floor probably drowns out a bit, "I'd think of something, you can count on that! I have so many plans, Vlad, so many." She turns back to finally taking off her pants and underwear, which Vlad is likely moving to as well…well, minus the pants; certainly hides her seemingly constantly heated face. Sheesh, Lux never knew she blushed so easily until meeting this guy.

Knowing Vlad, he probably would be, possibly is, raising a brow, if not both, as he hums curiously, "Oh, really now?" It sounds like he is going to continue, but there's such a long pause that- another clothing item to the face. Really, Vlad? "Care to elaborate?"

Another huff as Lux again tosses his garment aside- and then finds herself sort of staring. For a few seconds too long. Right at his lower half. She catches herself a bit late on that and shakes her head; her face is simply burning and her stomach feels weird now. Vladimir, meanwhile, as she can see from her peripheral vision, stands up a bit straighter and grins, "Like what you see, hmm?"

Oh, she dares not even look at him at this point. Vlad again snickers as he seemingly decides he'll give her a break, for now, and steps into the shower then closes the curtain. Lux holds back a sigh of relief, then removes the rest of her clothing and ensures said clothing is folded and placed on the counter for later retrieval. She's even nice enough to fold up Vladimir's shirt and the rest of his stuff before walking back toward the curtain. She pauses next to it, however, then shakes her head at her own hesitancy; it's ridiculously uncalled for. So, she moves the curtain, checks to make sure Vlad isn't standing right there so she doesn't bump into him, then steps in.

One of Lux's favorite things about her parents being rich and making Garen and herself live in this mansion is that the warm water lasts a long time. It's kinda ridiculous how much warm water can be used before it goes cold, but then again this mansion is made for more than two siblings and a few guards, so of course it would. Anyway, when Lux steps in, it is wonderfully warm even without standing under the water just yet. Man, she loves steam.

She also notes that it appears Vladimir rather likes the temperature of the water, as he is quite content to keep his head under the nozzle and let that water run down him. Mostly, he just doesn't notice he has company which makes it incredibly tempting to try and startle him. Hm…Lux glances at the side wall of this fine shower and snatches one of the washcloths resting there. Yep, this'll work just fine. In an ever so ladylike manner, she chucks the wet cloth at the back of Vlad's head- and victory is hers once again. Vlad starts somewhat, not all-out jumping but there's a noticeable jerk and a slight jump before he turns around.

Lux, arms crossed over her chest once again, stands up straight and raises her chin a bit in mimicry of Vladimir's usual proud stance, "A little jumpy, hm, my dear?" Ah, yes, the old 'quote something he has said to her a billion times in the time they have known each other' thing. Never fails to get a smile from Vlad, whom never seems to mind in the least Lux's attempts to startle or fool him. One could blame Garen and her growing up trying to outdo each other in the form of petty foolery, as outright fighting would get them grounded. Nowadays it's more subtle things, sometimes, but all the same to her.

Vladimir shakes his head, though that smile on his face still says he's amused nonetheless, "I will admit, you did startle me that time, however, the amount of times you have tried and failed to do so still greatly outweigh your triumphs." Pssh, now he's just being mean…truthful and completely not mean or rude in any way, shape, or form, but mean. Vlad snickers at Lux's huff aimed toward his reply, then beckons her to come closer and join him.

Of course, Lux hesitates a moment, but follows his suggestion soon enough. Vlad greets her, so to speak, by pulling her toward him and into a light hug, his head resting on her shoulder a few moments before he releases Lux once again. She raises a brow, not quite sure why Vlad decided to do that in the first place, to which he replies with a smile and his reasoning…kind of. "Thank you for joining me, my dear. It is always nice to see how much you trust me around you."

Ooh, that's why. Lux shrugs, though she's quite happy Vlad is feeling cheery about all this, "You're a nice guy, even if you're a jerk, like, eighty percent of the time." He shakes his head in reply, to which Lux laughs at as she picks up the washcloth from its place on the tub's floor, then hands it to Vlad. By hands it, she means pushes said cloth against his chest then moves her hand when he gets the idea and takes it from her. "You said you wanted to wash up, so you go first."

He smiles, then bows his head slightly in an unspoken 'thank you' and fetches the soap from the side of the shower. He curiously sniffs that soap, which smells of some sort of fruit if Lux recalls correctly, then starts in on getting the washrag all soapy. Lux, meanwhile, decides to hold off on washing her hair or anything until Vlad's done, 'cause otherwise she'd probably get in his way a ton. So, she sits right down and out of Vlad's way yet still within range of the falling water. She has a habit of doing this in showers anyway, it's just much more comfortable than standing around…also less a chance of someone calling her name and startling her and almost causing her to slip and fall down. Again.

On the other end of things, this must be something Vladimir hasn't seen before or simply didn't think Lux would do, as he backs up a bit and looks down, tilting his head and certainly appearing quite confused. Lux shrugs, "It's more comfortable to sit, I find. Kinda like a bath, except the water is constantly falling on you instead of puddled up around you."

Unexpectedly, Vladimir seems to debate something a little while before taking a seat a short ways in front of her, just behind water's reach, legs crossed and grin plastered on his face, "Strangely, I have never considered this before…it feels nice."

Lux nods, "Bit difficult to wash yourself from this position but-" well, now, this is kind of unexpected. Vladimir, immediately after she says this, offers her the washcloth he prepared.

"In that case, would you care to do it? I will be more than willing to return the favor, if so." Vlad offers quite the innocent smile, if even possible for this guy, despite what he is suggesting. She only meant it takes a bit of moving around to wash the backs of one's legs and such, not exactly that it's difficult but…honestly, she doesn't mind the idea.

Though she's still tempted to call him out on it, Lux holds her tongue and accepts his offer with a smile of her own. The only reason she does it is because of that look he's pulling…Vladimir just looks so happy, adorably so if such a word can be used to describe this man. "Alright, but only 'cause, minus the whole Garen thing, you've been real sweet today."

Vladimir's kind smile turns proud once again, "Aren't I always?" Talk about blatant lying.

She shakes her head, giggling despite her previous, and somewhat current, nervousness and starts in on scrubbing down her guest. She, naturally, begins with Vlad's face and neck, caring to not get soap in his eyes. Vladimir's proud grin shrinks back to that kind, ghost of a smile from before as he leans forward a bit in an attempt to help Lux out. She thanks him and continues her task in silence. For the most part, Vlad keeps pretty still aside from leaning into her touch every now and again, uttering a low hum as he often does while happy.

Soon enough, Vlad scoots forward to wash off the soap from his face, neck, and shoulders, then backs up again. Lux, of course, backs up and moves forward accordingly until her guest is still once again, to which she moves to washing his arms. The silence aside from water falling is almost calming…Lux is eventually able to calm down enough to sit normally again, that is a mirror of how Vlad is at the time. Well, was. Before he was sitting criss-crossed as she is now, now he has his legs spread to either side lazily as he so often does after awhile. Anyway, Vlad keeps most his attention on where Lux is washing, but she notes every now and again his eyes wander back to her, which is to be expected of him, even if no comments are made on the fact. She will admit, she kinda is enjoying this. Even though they aren't talking, it's still a sort of bonding experience, right?

Next up the chest and whatnot, which Lux admittedly enjoys washing up and does have to scoot a bit closer in order to do so. She's honestly surprised he doesn't cross his feet behind her or something as he often does while in similar positions, but it's a welcome surprise as, at the moment, she kinda would prefer he didn't. Still, Vladimir smirks every now and again when she touches his sides, stomach, or his waist, which she chalks up to being sensitive areas of his or something. Kinda like how before he got her into a laughing fit by gently running his fingers up and down her sides. She will take note of these for later use, even though she has no idea how in the world they could be of use unless she can get him into a laughing fit too. That'd be something to see. The thought of it gets Lux to snicker quietly, to which Vlad lifts his head from watching her clean his thigh and tilts his head.

Lux looks up as well, raising a brow and 'hm?'ing at him. Vlad does the same in response, but thankfully also voices his question, "Something amusing about this?" Again his lips quirk upward in one of those playful smiles.

She pauses then shakes her head, "Not exactly, it was more I was thinking about something else. Like how nice you smell covered in fruity soap." Vladimir quickly takes her story, which is actually partially true he does smell really nice and she was thinking about it, and leans forward, this time to kiss her. Lux blinks a few times, then returns his gesture despite her guest's tongue already in her mouth. Man, Vlad really likes doing that. Well, sometimes really likes that. A lot of other times his kisses are very tame, gentlemanly actually, but then there's a fair amount like this. She has nothing ill to say of it though, as she doesn't mind too much.

Vlad breaks their kiss soon after having started it, yet keeps his face right in front of hers, "Do I taste good, too?" Oh, that's why he did it. His grin widens further at Lux's faint blush, however he keeps his mouth shut…not counting the fact he licks his lips.

"I…I guess?" She really isn't sure. His mouth tastes like his toothpaste, in other words minty, so in a sense he does. Sounds weird saying it, though. But, then again that's Vlad; weird yet still completely normal at the same time. Polite one moment, yet he can be quite bold in certain ways the next. All depends on how he feels at the time, which is partially why each and every date they've had has been so incredibly different despite following the same pattern.

He seems pleased enough by her answer and snatches another quick kiss, again licking at his lips once finished, "You do too, by the way. Chocolate…cream…reminds me of winter, when we sat by the fire and drank that heated chocolate drink you like so much." Oh, that date was one of her favorites, she can't even express how happy she is Vladimir remembers it.

The blizzard outside was vicious and snow piled up in no time at all…it was the first time Vlad stayed at her house, even if it is because he had to. They spent a lot of time on the couch by that fireplace, undisturbed by guards or her brother, both of which were elsewhere at the time the storm hit so they couldn't return to the mansion for the next few days. She and this charming hemomancer had the house to themselves the whole time, and of course there was hot chocolate. Vlad rather enjoyed kissing her right after she took a drink, or licking whatever cream might remain on her lip after sipping from her mug. Lux would blush each and every time, swatting him away and yet pulling him right back to kiss him. Ah, that was a fun date, even if unplanned.

Lux shakes out of this memory, smiling, "Glad you remember that as clearly as I do! That was the best winter I've ever had." Once finished with washing his legs, she motions for Vlad to turn around so she can get his back washed up real quick. He obeys, deciding to wash the soap off first then turn around and sit still once again. "Do you want me to get your hair all fruity too while we're at it? You're gonna smell like a dessert by the time we're done here, Vlad!"

Her guest laughs, nodding, "If you wish, my dear, if you wish." Vlad pauses a moment and then continues, "As for the winter event, of course I remember it, it is the first time I stayed here, after all. I adored the look on your face when it was somehow brought up that we should both sleep in your bed or on the couch by the fire to keep warm. Let us not forget the fact you were still so surprised each time I kissed you, as before then I had kept doing so to a minimum. Your face always went such a deep red!" Again Vlad starts laughing, taking the chance to glance over his shoulder to see Lux's reaction to this.

As to be expected, Lux 'pssh's again, "Any girl's face would with you around! I bet you cheated and used that hemomancy trick of yours anyway, 'cause I used to be really good at hiding my embarrassment and attraction and everything until you came around! Cheater." The shampoo bottle opens with a click and she dumps some of that on her hands before rubbing them together then sitting up on her knees to start scrunching that fruity stuff into his hair. Hopefully he likes strawberry 'cause he's stuck smelling like it now.

Vladimir shakes his head, "I have done no such thing. You merely do not have as much control over yourself as you first assumed. I, on the other hand, am very good at controlling myself, as you have probably noticed by now." By that, he means he uses hemomancy to cheat. That, or his teacher totally taught him how to keep such a cool composure to the point of not so much as blushing when accidentally walking in on Lux changing clothing that one time awhile back. He just turned right around and showed no sign at all of losing his calm despite the unexpected, ahem, event.

So, she rolls her eyes and tugs at his hair a bit harder at one point while scrubbing it, "Sure, whatever you say, Vlad." He is no doubt wearing that taunting grin of his despite the fact Lux can't see it. He's just that predictable in certain regards. After getting his hair all sudsy, Lux starts washing his back as first intended. Again silence takes them, but again it's not minded as Lux finishes her task with a 'if you want any of your other parts washed up, you do that' and shoving the cloth back at him.

Her guest rinses his hair and skin until no soap or suds remain then seats himself once again, busying himself with prepping another washcloth. Lux is confused as to why until she kind of remembers she accepted his deal of she washes him if he returns the favor. Oops…she didn't quite listen to that last part too much, did she? Already her arm is right back over her chest and her sitting position is a bit more withdrawn; man, why can't she just keep her cool like she does in battle?

Vlad sets the soap back then, of course, notices her change in stance, so to speak, and scoots himself forward. He leans down somewhat, "If you are feeling uncomfortable I could leave you to this, if you would prefer me not to look." Oh, Vladimir, always the gentlemen during serious matters.

Lux shakes her head, "I'm fine, I'm just not one for showing skin, you know?" Despite her idiotic nervousness, Lux moves out from under the nozzle's reach while Vlad sits back under that water. Basically, they just swap places, and Vlad seems quite pleased to be under the warm water again judging from that quiet, pleased sigh he lets out.

He refocuses soon enough and leans forward only to run one of those 'claws' along her jaw line, "Mm, well, you need not worry so much about it," again, Vladimir smiles one of those kind ones she loves so dang much, "it is no different than any other time we are around each other. But, if for some reason you become uneasy about something, let me know, hm? I will be sure to stop."

She can't help but pull Vlad down for a tight hug and quick kiss, "Thanks." Lux releases him soon enough, shifting back to her usual seated position as Vlad's goofy smile from that surprise kiss fades. He was taken aback, but that smile sure says he enjoyed that surprise.

And with that, Vlad starts in on his cleaning. As Lux did, he starts on her face and neck and shoulders, but surprisingly he sees fit to start a conversation rather than keep silent as he usually does. Odd. "Any plans for tomorrow, my dear?" Huh, again strange, usually he doesn't ask.

"No, why? Do you have something in mind?" Lux opens her eyes again, curious. More often than not, Vlad doesn't ask for whatever reason. Maybe he just prefers surprises. Anyway, she has nothing planned for tomorrow mostly 'cause she didn't expect him to stay the night or have so many days off from his business in Noxus. That and despite her tight schedule at work and having to decide schedules for others, she isn't the best at planning personal matters. Go figure.

Vlad just smiles and shakes his head, "No, though maybe we could go out for a few meals? Between those, I have nothing planned. Perhaps wandering the town or something of the sort? Whatever you would like to do."

Again Lux pulls a stern look, which gets a nice laugh from Vlad, "Hey, hey, no! You are the guest here, it's what you want to do that we will be doing tomorrow. I wanna make sure you have a great time tomorrow- and the other days, too!" Mostly she wants to make sure he's happy and doesn't get bored after making such a trip and taking so much time off just to visit…well, hopefully she can think of something. In the meantime, she washes the soap off her face and neck by leaning forward to get herself half under the falling water, then sits back up.

He clearly holds back a sigh as he shakes his head, "I disagree. You are the one I am trying to court, and as such you are the one whom should be having a good time. On top of this, you know this town and you know where the interesting things are." Vlad smiles at Lux's blush at his first comment then huff at the second, again enjoying having provoked such reactions from her. Soon enough he's leaning forward again to nuzzle up against her cheek- then laughing when Lux pushes his head away. Nonetheless, he sits up and starts washing her arms.

Lux again completely ignores the blush on her face and snaps right back, "Neither of those are good enough reason to disregard your feelings on the matter. You traveled from Noxus all the way to Demacia, and you took time off work and whatever else you do, and you are the one I'm courting, so there, we both choose something we want to do tomorrow."

An amused hum, "Males do the courting, not the females, my dear. I have to impress you, prove myself good enough as a mate to suit you. What do they teach you in these schools?"

Oh, that gets her blushing, though this time in embarrassment, "I know that! What I mean is I'm still trying to make sure you like me, you know? We go on dates to analyze each other, not just a one-sided thing, Vlad. I wear fancy clothes sometimes- okay, all the times, because I want to hold your interest and make sure you keep taking the time to get to know me, right? Plus, I had to get your attention in the first place, remember? You flat-out ignored me the first weeks I got to the League and it took forever for you to hold a conversation with me!" She shifts a bit, partially because Vlad started in on washing her chest and sides and partially out of losing where she was going with this and now becoming nervous about it.

Thankfully, Vlad cuts in, "Fair point, however I have said it once and I will say it again, fancy clothing and things of that sort are not the defining factor in whom I choose to court. It certainly gets my attention at first, true, but it was your persistence in talking to me that eventually won me over. Had you stopped trying, I would not have decided to humor you with a conversation which led to me quite liking your character." Ooh, so that is why one day he finally spoke to her, even if he was a bit grouchy the whole time. After a few chats he started acting polite, but it certainly took awhile- "I am still curious about why you were so persistent. Care to shed some light on it?" He shows his teeth in a cunning, taunting smile; Lux just smacks his shoulder with the washrag for the pun.

She's all too eager to leave behind the whole courting topic in favor of this one, "You wouldn't talk to anyone else unless you had to and every time you would it was only stiff formalities! Sure you were kind, but it was clearly faked each time. I thought you needed a friend, 'cause I asked around and everyone said the same thing, 'Vlad doesn't make friends, he just practices magic and kills.'" Lux frowns somewhat at the memory, but bounces right back to her usual smile, "Humans aren't meant to be solitary beings, and I knew for a fact you needed someone, and no one else would even try so I decided to try and befriend you." And boy was it worth the trouble in the end. To think she had thought she'd gain a friend and nothing more; one can imagine her surprise when she later found out how Vladimir started to feel about her later on.

Vlad doesn't seem too surprised about her reasoning, especially because Lux has been known to do that with classmates and coworkers, but he appears flattered nonetheless. He very well knows how stubborn he is about talking to people, even now he rarely speaks to anyone outside his teacher and Lux, and very well knows he was a royal pain in the butt to get talking. On that note, the fact he has associated with the Blood Brothers and Katarina a few times is progress in the social department. Lux likes to think that maybe she helped in that…but, one never knows, maybe it was all Vlad.

They fall silent again and Vlad continues on to Lux's thighs then the rest of her legs after awhile. He's very meticulous in his actions, but then again that's Vladimir, always a stickler for detail. His suit, his metallic claws, his blades on that suit, all of it he cares for with the utmost attention to every little thing. He no doubt is the same with washing himself, hence why Lux actually took more time than she usually would on each part of him. That, and she will admit, she liked the task in general despite being nervous about everything. Anyway, Vlad takes his sweet time, be it out of his own washing habits or because he is enjoying himself, and it takes him a couple more minutes to finish up. He keeps a similar distance to when Lux was cleaning him: he sits, legs spread, a short distance in front of her while she sits about where his knee or thigh area line up depending on if his legs are straight or bent.

Eventually, he does turn Lux around to get her back washed up, which again Vlad takes his time on. After this, he announces he's finished and moves back far enough for Lux to wash the soap off. Vlad does a few touch ups on his washing, but that aside they both finish after this. Well, except Lux remembers to wash her hair, which her guest offers to do as she did his. Lux, naturally, has no problems with it and allows him to take care of that; she's happy she did 'cause Vlad's way of thoroughly sudsing hair feels really good.

…Anyway, once all that boring stuff's out of the way, they finally get to just sit around and relax. Vlad rests back against the end of the tub without the spout and stuff, of course, and Lux takes a seat next to him after tilting the shower's nozzle up a bit to reach the back of the tub better. Business done, now comes the usual 'sit here for as long as she wants to' part of showers. Yep. Vlad seems to either have the same in mind, which is likely knowing he has similar habits, or just enjoys the company. Probably a bit of both.

They start talking again, mostly about Vlad's jobs finally and it's just about what she expected. Plus a bit more. Vlad seems hesitant to share details at first, likely 'cause he thinks Lux would throw a fit, but once assured her opinion on him won't change, he happily shares his gruesome tales. He is very prideful of his abilities, and being hired by companies or persons for little jobs makes him that much more so. He cheerily says that sometimes the more monetarily inclined hospitals will sometimes pay him per hour during certain jobs that have to do with blood. Vladimir explains that they offer a lot for his service knowing he won't take anything cheap. It sounds weird to her 'cause Demacian hospitals wouldn't require Vlad's abilities in order to treat people…but, who knows what Noxus does. She shudders but claims it's just slightly cold, to which Vlad seems skeptical but moves to up the water's temperature slightly anyway. After this, he also suggests that Lux take up her usual sitting position between his legs, back against his chest, as she often does while reading or just sitting around. Without even thinking twice, she accepts this offer, much to Vladimir's delight.

His next job description was about the more shady blood operations that go on 'underground' so to speak. Vlad, if paid well of course, has no qualms in helping out some low-life steal blood from someone to sell on the black market. It's…not pleasing to hear of, but Lux doesn't comment or complain, and of course doesn't think any less of her guest. Vladimir then immediately jumps to the prison jobs, which are, naturally, execution stunts.

Noxus, Vladimir explains, puts on grisly execution shows to discourage crime in their city-state. It works, too, as Noxus' crime rate, right under Piltover's, is the lowest in Valoran. But anyway, Vlad was asked to put on his own little show once, which Lux snickered at, at first, 'cause the sheer thought of Vlad putting on some flashy show like Draven is ridiculous at best. Yeah, no. Vlad soon explains he was given a couple inmates to incapacitate in one form or another then execute in different ways. One he caused severe internal bleeding, just as a warm-up for the audience, the next he cut in half with the guy's own blood still in that guy's body, and the next he put on quite a show. The last guy he gave a small cut to with his metallic claw, then used that tiny amount to give that guy several more cuts until finally deciding to nick one of the arteries. That, of course, was the final bit before Vlad used that blood gathered to make some small-ish old-fashioned guillotine and, shink, off went the guy's head. All with the prisoner's own blood, and all while that prisoner was still conscious.

Lux is, of course, the slightest bit unnerved by Vladimir's proudly told stories, but it's to be expected of him. After that, purely to get the topic off killing for a bit, Lux asks about Vlad's teacher and how living with him again has been so far. Vlad finds her curiosity about his teacher amusing as always, stating he really should set up a meeting as, and she quotes, 'you two are so close in character it is frightening' and because introducing his girlfriend to his sort of father figure is customary. Anyway, he says, in short, his teacher is annoying as always and now even more so now that Vlad mentioned having a love interest. Vladimir assures no offense is intended when he says he regrets mentioning it to his teacher.

After a bit more laughing and joking, the two fall silent. After a few minutes, Vlad's head moves to rest on her shoulder, which of course moves Lux a bit given their positioning, "You never did elaborate on those plans of yours you mentioned earlier." He won't let that drop, will he?

"Of course not! If I told you what kinds of things I had planned, you'd just prepare a counter! There's no fun in that and you know it." She smiles at his weary, drawn out sigh, and quite enjoys the warmth he provides in tilting his head against hers…yes, even if she's already warm as it is. Anyway, she's said it a million times and she'll say it again, for one whom has been alone, and preferred it that way, for so long as Vladimir, he sure likes to keep close to her. "Sigh all you want, I'm not telling you a thing." Again, her singsong tone is used.

The head on her shoulder moves off as Vlad leans back to his original spot, "That is no fun." Vlad states simply, jokingly, as the arms slung loosely around her tighten their hold slightly for but a moment then lighten up again. His fingers tap on her every how and again, though; one arm around her upper body, fingers at her side, and one hand resting mostly idle at her stomach.

She tunes out, so to speak, Vladimir poking her rather easily due to the fact waking up early and staying up so late, not to mention all the excitement today, finally starts to catch up to her again. Sure, she was tired the moment she got home, but with Vlad around she simply refused to let herself go to sleep until he either left or until she otherwise felt like sleeping. She probably should have slept earlier or something, as now Lux probably dozes off a good few times before Vladimir notices. It's just so warm and comfortable…and she's exhausted, so it's a no-brainer she'd end up possibly falling asleep.

Eventually, Lux sort of feels Vlad shift behind her at one point as if to check something and, when he does catch on that she's half asleep, he then tries tapping his fingers on her belly to get her attention. No such luck, this action is assumed to be idle and, even in her rather sleepy state, Lux thinks nothing of it. A few taps on the shoulder, however, easily get her attention. Lux looks up at her guest with a raised brow, attempting to look confused or slightly annoyed 'cause she really would rather not-

Vladimir grins down at her, "I think it might be time to go to bed." He murmurs, gently coaxing her up by sitting up properly himself yet again while nudging her with his hand a bit. She gets up with little more encouragement, now fully awake and alert once again. Vlad shuts the water off then snatches the nearby towel and hands it to Lux, whom so raises a brow yet again and again sets her arm over her chest. He sighs, shaking his head then setting the towel around her himself. "Dry off then I'll take it from you, alright?"

While Lux dislikes for one that there is only one towel in here, she's also a bit miffed at Vlad not just drying off first. It kinda makes her feel bad, but she doesn't push the issue further and just hurries up with her little task. It's freezing without that water running, so the second she's done she hands the towel to Vlad, whom so is quite grateful judging from how quickly he wraps it around himself. Soon after, he starts toweling himself down while Lux is getting her clothes back on and thinking back to before.

It's times like this that prove just how sweet this man is…at least to Lux anyway. Rather than kill her off or something while she's half asleep, Vlad just sorta wakes her back up…to think Garen assumes Vladimir is just some Noxian aristocrat whom hasn't been arrested yet because of how useful he is to Noxus and because technically there's no evidence against him. Okay, so that is right on the mark of what Vladimir is, but he's not just that.

Anyway, the point is this isn't the first time he's acted this way and likely won't be the last. This is really similar to the time Vlad visited unexpectedly after a really hectic workday and planned to stick around for a few days. Of course, Lux ended up talking, changing into her nightclothes and brushing her teeth, talking again, then falling asleep next to him while the two were lounging on the couch after only a few minutes of lying down. Vlad, being the sweet-hearted man he is, set her in her bed and ensured the covers were on her. It's possible he stuck around a bit longer to make sure she didn't wake up a few minutes later to find her guest had vanished, but Lux isn't entirely sure. All she knows is the next day she apologized to him about a billion times throughout the day for falling asleep like that.

By the time she's done reminiscing, Lux has already brushed her teeth as well as her hair, and no, not with the same brush as tired as she may be. She must have been staring into space or something once finished with that, as the next thing she knows Vlad has her picked up bridal style and is carrying her back out into her room. He shuts the light off before leaving, of course, but Lux wouldn't have noticed either way as she's much too busy squirming against his grip and calling him a jerk. Vladimir just laughs of course- until he takes a short pause in doing so to lean down and kiss his 'captive' right on the lips. Lux immediately freezes, then slowly starts to return his affectionate gesture. She even gets her arms around Vlad's neck to keep him down long after he seats himself on her bed.

They spend a few moments locked in what after awhile becomes quite the passionate kiss, but as suddenly as that started Lux breaks it off. Vladimir makes one of his disappointed sounds and sets her down on her bed rather than keeping her seated on his lap, though he keeps his head close to hers and soon starts lightly kissing her neck. Lux ends up giggling again, though with a tired tone to it this time around, and quickly stops her guest by getting both hands on either side of his jaw and turning to face him. Vlad looks as if he is about to apologize or something, but changes his mind soon enough when Lux gives him another kiss. That doesn't last as long as the previous one or get as heated, but Vladimir smiles, hums, and returns her kiss in the time before it is broken.

Lux scoots back to give her guest more room on her bed then lies down, giggling as she does so. She just loves that smile he gives her after short kisses like that one…or really any of them. Though the more heated ones he tends to either grin afterward or start kissing her again. Vlad really is an odd guy, if she does say so herself. Speaking of which, Vlad closes the gap Lux made just a bit before, as she expected he would, then pulls the covers up to both their shoulders. Lux sort of forgot to do that…would explain why she felt a bit cold after their kiss though.

After all that, both the bed's occupants stare at each other a bit, Lux lying down completely while Vlad props his head up on his hand and looks down at her…Lux isn't quite sure why, but they stay like this a little while. She does know after that while she, for some reason or another, sees fit to move some of Vlad's hair from in front of his eyes and tuck it behind his ear. She really isn't sure why she does it…maybe to get a better look at those strange but beautiful crimson eyes of his? Who knows? Vlad doesn't mind anyway, he just smiles.

She also notes during this time that her companion smells really nice. Not to say he usually doesn't, Vlad is pretty good about hiding the scent of blood when he wants to, but it's just a nice mixture, Vladimir's usual scent and that fruity soap and hair wash. It's amusing, actually; a dark mage feared for his horrific prowess in and out of battle smelling all nice and fruity rather than bloody or whatever else a dark mage would smell like. Lux again finds herself giggling quietly, though stops soon after realizing it. Well, that and Vlad raises a brow at her and hums curiously. She just smiles innocently and hums right back at him, to which he shakes his head best he can while it's resting on his hand.

Unsurprisingly, he voices his question, "What is it?"

"Hm? Nothing, I was just thinking about something." Lux stops there, more trying to see just how curious Vlad is. If he has interest in the conversation, he will prod further, if not he will accept that as her answer and they can move on. It's more a habit she picked up to prevent rambling on about stuff her dear companion doesn't really care about, which is something she really dislikes doing.

Vladimir's brow again raises, as does the corner of his mouth in an amused smirk, "What might that be? And if you say nothing, I will start tickling you again as I did earlier." Oh, and there's one of his playful threats. Harmless as it may be, he sometimes follows through with those, so Lux is usually careful to heed them. Much better than 'or I will rip your heart out with my sharp claws' but it is something to be taken into account all the same.

Lux makes another 'pssh' sound then waves her hand at him dismissively…then, for some reason, reaches up to run her fingers through his hair as if combing it. She again doesn't know why, but she felt like doing that so why not? Vlad likes it anyway, closing his eyes and smiling contently. He seems especially fond of when she rubs at the back of his neck or base of his skull; interesting. "I was thinking that I hope you don't mind smelling like strawberry mixed with the other fruity stuff from the soap, 'cause that's what you smell like with that stuff on you. Then I was finding it strangely funny, a powerful, dark magic user smelling all cheery and fruity." Vlad chuckles at this while Lux messes with his hair a bit more, not actually messing it up but curious as to how it feels between her fingers or what his reaction is to touching certain parts of his head or neck. She stops combing his hair and such before continuing, "Mhm! What better way to be killed than by a strawberry-scented hemomancer?" Logically, there are many as death by hemomancer is excruciatingly painful, but for the joke's sake she leaves that out.

Again that smile creeps onto Vlad's face, "I could think of a few, most involving a lovely mage such as yourself." Lux's face no doubt turns quite red, which Vlad chuckles at and Lux avoids eye contact and instead looks at her hands fiddling with the covers near her neck. He is no doubt grinning at this point; he always loves it when she's flustered or nervous…or, basically, when she blushes. If she didn't know herself any better, she'd say it was Vladimir's doing, what with his hemomancy and all, but sadly it's her own fault. Strange, though, how she never gets so flustered so easily around anyone else but Vlad.

And, at this point, she's far too tired to wonder too much about it. Lux yawns then shakes her head as if trying to shake off that drowsiness- which, is, of course, illogical as an emotion cannot simply be shaken away it just isn't possible. She pauses after this thought and frowns; wow, she only gets serious when it's business-related or she's too drowsy to draw the line between personal and business conversation and thought.

Meanwhile Vlad shifts to lie down properly and level his head with Lux's, likely doing so because he knows by now she'll be going to sleep real soon. That and it makes it easier for Lux to shift closer then snuggle up next to him, which she does soon after Vlad settles down into a comfortable position. She loves how warm he feels, how he smells, and just…just him in general, she guesses. Has she ever said it to him? Probably not. Even for someone like Lux such words are difficult to say to someone, even if they're true…she meant to tell him on their date, but thought better of it. What if he thinks she isn't telling the truth or something? Or joking? Oh well…she'll tell him someday. For now, she just gives him a light kiss then closes her eyes. Vladimir happily gives a short kiss in response and a quiet 'goodnight, my dear' before sighing happily as he settles down for the night.

Silence minus the fireplace and wind outside as well as the quiet sound of breathing; after several minutes to an hour, for some reason Lux can't help but take a small peek. She opens one eye just slightly to see if Vlad's actually trying to sleep or just going to lie down for several hours thinking about who knows what. It's a bit difficult to see, as the only light in her room is coming from that fireplace several feet away, and that isn't even turned in this direction but toward the balcony door. But, that said, there light enough to distinguish what she needs to. Lux is pleased to see her dear guest breathing softly, eyes closed and face calm. Was he really that tired?

Lux smiles; Vlad really does look cute while he's sleeping. She again moves a few strands of hair from his face, gives him a soft kiss, and whispers a nearly inaudible 'goodnight, Vlad, love you' then closes her eyes, ignoring the illogical blush on her face.

Vladimir's ghost of a smile, however, becomes the slightest bit more prominent.