The sun was setting. Painting the blue skies to a vibrant red, bright sphere descended slowly. It was past six now, a normal hour for dark to fall, in this season of fall.
While light leaving the sky, the cold evening settled slowly onto the warped streets of Zaun. Only few people were still on the outside and most of them were running. Everyone just wanted to get inside some walls, save themselves from night of the Zaun before the light completely dies out. Nights were dangerous in the Zaun and none can guess what ill will befall on those who stay outside...
"Hmph." Stooding tall before the sole window in the room Khada Jhin looked upon the running Zaunites. Heavy mask on his face was strangling his already low voice, turning to a throaty whisper. A whisper suitable for the mysterious figure in a play. Suitable for making people shiver. Oh how he loves his mask...
"Let me go..." said the other person in the room half crying half begging. "I'm no one."
Hearing the desperate plea, virtuoso turned around to see her face. Big black eyes filled with tears nearly to the brim. Tears of desperation and fear. Coupled with long ravenous hair, her face may found appealing by others but not by Jhin. Not in that form anyways. While sitting on bed, bounded, she is just a canvas for him to paint. A tune to compose...She was nothing. But at the end of the night, she'll be unforgottable.
Jhin smiled at her comment under his mask. "You're right." he said, taking a dancing step forward.
"Then why are you doing this to me?" she asked struggling to holding tears back. Jhin told her to do so, and noted if she were to disobey, a punishment will be waiting her. 'Scream, shout, sob, kick, run...Act as you wish.' he said, while covering her bruises with a fluffy brush. 'But never will ruin the make-up.' There was no words of warning, but the tone of his voice made up for the lack of it.
"Because no one will ever miss you." Cutting Jhin, the other man said. An albino with platin hair and red eyes resembling droplets of blood.
Ignoring him "You are...pure." Jhin said, started walking in the small room. He's always talking in a polite manner. "You have no home, no family, not even a name other than the ones customers gave do they call you?"
"Apple, mostly..." Started sobbing despite all of her attempts to stop it, a single tear roll down onto her cheek.
Jhin turned blind eye to little taint caused by lone teardrop. "And what is your real name?" His voice was low, yet melodious and an actor...Even in the situation she found herself, Apple can't help but like the way he talk.
"I don't know." she answered."I am an orphan..."
His only eye fixed on her face and "From Ionia?" he guessed after a moment of halt. War between Demancia, Ionia and Noxia left many children without a family. Demancians took their kids under the wings of unyielding Demancia army while Noxians enlisted theirs, training little boys and girls, turning them into ruthless soldiers.
On the other hand, peace loving Ionians acted differently. Following the Ionian ideals, they sent childrens to the orphanages around the country, hoping Wuju masters and Kinkou Order protect their luck, the ninja order fall apart when Zed compromised with brotherhood and Yasuo killed his master just when Noxia invade Ionia. Left alone, Wuju masters couldn't stand against legions of Noxian soldiers... At the end, most of the orphans killed by the very war Ionians sought to protect them from while others escaping the untouched countries like Zaun, joining drug cartels as rookies or to Yordletown.
"How'd you know?"
"You have the face of an Ionian." he said, never stopping his walk."Round with hawk like features, especially at eyes, and dark but not overly, like Zaunites."
A moment of silence fell between the artist and the girl before she mustered her courage and speak."What will you do to me?"
"I certainly will not do anything to you." Stopping his aimless walk, the masked man went to corner of the room and reach for a bag. While pulling the zipper of leather, tied girl can hear his breathing, ragged, and heavy. "I will make something 'with' you.I'll take your insignificant being and turn it to something... they found you, they will cry."
"Will it hurt?" She managed to stay still but with last syllable, one after another drops of salty tears started running down on her cheek. Fearing that will anger Jhin, Apple gasped in fear and making him look at her unintentionally.
"What did I said to you?" he asked, droopping things he holding back to bag.
"I'm sorry..." Shivering in fear she squealed.
Jhin got onto his feet and walked to her. Expecting that he would hurt her, Apple get back till her back hit the wall. When realized that she can't escape, she shut her eyes tightly and wait for her painful punishment.
But instead of a slap, or worse, what she felt on her face was just the soft hairs of a brush. Opened her eyes to see whats happening, Apple saw Jhin kneeling on bed covering her bruises that become visible again. "Do you know have any idea about how hard painting these? Your skin is oily and it's not accepting the paint." Huffing under his mask, virtuoso keep painting her face diligently. "And why did you tried to escape?You think that I'm going to hurt you?For this small of a thing?"
Not wishing to disturb brush, Apple nodded slightly.
"Hmph...I never touch someone so beautiful, even if my own life at stake." Jhin uttered a scorning murmur. "Did Liev's gang hits you much?"
"Occasionally." she answered."Mostly if someone got snatched during a job. Or they heard you coming to town.."
Jhin let the brush go."So they beat you for relaxation." His only eye, green as the seas, fixed upon her face."Or out of frustration."
Apple nodded again.
"Well, you don't have to worry about that ever I found you." Jhin said, softly touching her face. Virtuoso's fingers were long and nimble on her skin."Nobody will hurt you again."
Holding her by the ropes around her body, Jhin bring Apple closer to edge o the bed then reached beyond girls shoulder and cut the ropes around her body fell to her legs and to girl, the man turned back to leather bag he left.
He's looking like searching something inside that bag, not that Apple can tell his true intentions.
"Get naked. Lost everything." He ordered nonchalantly. Between his sentences Jhin was murmuring, sounding like he was debating ideas with himself. "And don't go crying again.I'm not about to rape you."
"But maybe I'll." man in red capes talked.
"No he won't." Jhin assured the girl much to Vladimir's dismay."He's an eunuch."
Still the fear of pissing Jhin lingering deep in her loins, Apple did as ordered without saying lost her white shirt first, then discarded grey skirt clunging to her legs loosely.
Hearing the sounds of opening buttons Jhin looked upon his shoulder. Terrified girl stand next to the bed with underclothes are the only things on her body. She really are good looking, he had to admit. In addition to beautify of her face also her body was curvy at the right places."Lost everything." he repeated."Call me when all done."
Slowly Apple lost her undercloth too."I-I'm done."
Without turning his back, or giving a look, he threw her things he took from his bag. A high cut silk dress, colored rosy pink and a silver crown adorned with little diamons pieces here and there. "Dress up."
Fabric of dress was better than anything Apple wore in her short, miserable felt like water flowing between her fingers... And the crown, craftmanship was incredible and the diamonds were shining like they are real.
"Dress now, gawk in ave later." Jhin said, when he heard no noises of movement behind him.
"S-sure..." She started slipping into the silk, noticing that, dress fitting like it was made for her body.
"Did it fit?" Jhin asked, still not or not, watching a young women while dressing is an inappropriate act.
"Yeah." Apple replied. "How did you know my size?"
"Eye of the artist. Also my dashing friend over there has a deep understanding about human physiology." He closed the zipper then went to the mirrored desk in the room, pulling a chair. "Can I look now?"
"S-sure..."
Virtuoso turned around at once."My, my, it looks good on you." Studying details of her body, Apple felt was amazing that his gaze was this intense. She could only image how strong it will be, if his whole face were to open."Sit in front of the mirror."
Taking the comb in front of the mirror, Jhin started combing her long hair. He was careful in his movements, Apple's hair tangled more than one place and a strong tug at the strings could hurt the girl. Of course he can pull tool harder, forcibly unraveling knots without caring her cries. But there was no got all the time in world...
"Tell, what you mean when you say, Liev and boys beat you because of my arrivals to Zaun?"
Girl looked Jhin upon mirror, making an eye contact. "Group doesn't like out of fear. Even saying your name is enough for getting Liev angry."
Virtuoso smirked under mask to girl. Not that she can see..."My name has that kind of effect on people."
"He always thought that you'll kill him someday. " Apple said."Or wipe out entire gang."
Jhin already knew that. Underworld of Noxus provided him many contracts throghout Runeterra and ensured their willingness but even they can't do anything about fear caused by his infamous reputation. "Does he now..." Jhin started weaving her hair, forming a braid.
"And why should he do something like that for fucks sake?" Vladimir snared, red eyes lightening up. Stupidity always an irritating fact for the hemomancer."Now I really want to wipe them out."
"Don't bother. Common folk will never understand things drive us." Doning her hair Jhin get back.
Vladimir suddenly turned his head to door, his smirk wiped. "Jhin, we got company."
"And who are they?"
"Vi. Jayce too." Vladimir said after a moment of halt."The sniper should also be around somewhere."
An explosion heard from the outside. Roof of the nearest building was engulfed by a wawe flames.
"I wonder where she is..." Jhin murmured.
Vlamidir smirked to the virtuoso. "That bought us a few minutes."
Jhin take a step backwards."All I need is one. Hold her still."
Suddenly Apple felt like she was burning. Losing the feeling in her hands and feet, before she can open her mouth to scream all of her nerves stopped working in an instant while the hemomancer extended one arm forward.
"Too stiff. Tilt the head a bit."
"To left or right?" Vladimir asked.
"Right. Your right not mine."
Without an another word the hemomancer moved his fingers a bit. Muscles on the girls delicate neck crancked and stretched and her head slowly tilted to right like a puppet under the control of it's master.
Apple wanted to scream, to shout, do anything while her body violated. This was worse than the beatings she had. Even the rape didn't felt like this. Somebody was robbing her body from her grasp and there is nothing she can do about it.
"Perfect." Jhin produced a gun from his pocket. It felt cold in his hand. Small and shiny, the weapons hilt was heavily engraved. Personally made for personal business, he built it to take only one bullet. Slowly, Jhin put the weapon on the back of her head, the light barrel scratching Apple's skin."Let's make for the main act!"
Without a blink Jhin pulled the trigger. Powder burned brightly inside the gun for a moment before the bullet left the barrel and sank into the unfortunate girls head.
Blood splattered everywhere, to the table, to the broken mirror, to Apple's face. Her head fell on the wood surface with a loud thump.
Everything was perfectly on it's place. The scene before the virtuoso was perfect.
Then a knock heard on the doors frame. "Open the door Jhin!We know you're inside!"