Hot Cocoa

Kai'sa walked leisurely through the quiet halls of the institute. Snowdown was almost over now and in a few days, these halls would be bustling with people again. She did not have a set destination in mind, but she felt the need to wander around and stretch her legs instead of being cooped up in her room all the time.

She didn't have many close friends in the league, as many were wary of her for her affiliation with the Void. Despite that, she mostly had a neutral relationship with other champions, only conversing with them during league matches.

Kai'sa paused as she reached the entrance of the institute, where a large set of stairs led into the small town below. From a distance, she could hear festive music play in the background and see the beautifully lit lanterns that illuminated the night sky. She remembered hearing summoners talking about Snowdown festivities, and that all champions were encouraged to participate. There was food, drinks and entertainment designed to keep everyone in a merry mood. Kai'sa wasn't much of a party person, but she decided to head out anyway. Part of her was curious to how different these events were compared to her old home in Shurima, but now that she thought of it, her memory as a child was a blur after she had obtained her new body.

The music grew louder as she approached the venue, and she could begin to smell the sweet spices in the air. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she headed over to the nearest vendor, which seemed to be a sweet store. Glancing over the goods, she only recognized a few of the desserts; sweet rice pudding and cinnamon carrot cake. She wasn't particularly hungry so she turned to leave, until she felt a light tap on her arm. Turning around, Kai'sa noticed a small girl holding out a tray of what seemed to be freshly baked cookies. The little girl motioned for her to take one, smiling as she saw Kai'sa's hesitant hand take a cookie. She inspected it. The cookie was shaped into what seemed to be a poro, and she could smell the sweet spices coming from it.

"It's a gingerbread cookie", she heard a deep voice say beside her. Startled, she looked to her side to see a short elderly Ionian man smiling at her. "Try it!" he encouraged her. Kai'sa reached to her pouch to grab a few coins, only to notice she didn't have her pouch with her. She mentally face palmed as she remembered that she originally went out for a walk, and wasn't indenting to buy anything, therefore she didn't bring any money. With a sigh she placed the cookie back on the tray, "Sorry, I didn't bring any money". The elderly man merely laughed and patted her on the back. "It's a gift! Merry Showdown!" he exclaimed as he handed the cookie back to her. Kai'sa smiled gratefully, and took a small bite. It was slightly sweet, but she could also feel the spices dancing on her tongue. Overall it was delicious. She thanked the elderly man and the little girl before continuing on her walk.

Despite it being cold and dark, the town was quite crowded and Kai'sa felt the need to find herself a space to breathe, as she was starting to feel claustrophobic. She made her way to a more secluded part of the town, where not many people were aside from the occasional couple walking about. She spotted an empty bench and made her way to it, sitting on the edge. Kai'sa let out a sigh, thinking back to her past. Most of the champions had returned back to their home countries to be with their family for Snowdown. She was one of the few who remained in the League as her family was no longer back in Shurima. This was her home now. The only person left whom she could call family was someone whom she avoided and rarely talked to. Their reunion had been tense from the beginning, looks of disbelief directed at each other when they first encountered each other on the rift.

Kai'sa heard shuffling next to her, but she didn't turn to see who it was, instead staring into the stars ahead.

"May I sit here?" came a deep voice that seemed to echo.

She nodded

The person sat down on the far end of the bench, making sure to give her space. Then there was silence again. That voice sounds familiar, she thought after a while.

And then something clicked.

She whipped her head to the side, finally noticing who it was. Her violet eyes narrowed as they met with the topaz eyes of the man who sat beside her.

"Why are you here, Kassadin?" she said with skeptically.

He didn't answer her, instead staring off into space as if she wasn't there at all. Kai'sa stared at him intently, but when no reply came, she sighed and went back to looking at the stars, trying to ignore the man beside her.

After several moments of silence, she heard something being placed next to her. Kai'sa turned to look at it. It was a small cup filled with warm liquid, a sweet smell wafting through the air around them. She picked up the glass, looked to Kassadin, who looked like he hadn't move an inch, then back to the cup again. Something about it seemed very familiar. Slowly, she raised the cup to her lips and took a small sip.

She recognized this taste fairly well and almost instantly, memories of her childhood rushed to her. She remembered her father used to prepare a small cup of hot cocoa when the nights grew cold in the desert, how she would happily sip at the sweet drink while he had told her bedtime stories.

Kai'sa smiled sadly at the cup in her hands. A painful ache in her chest echoed her longing to return to the child she used to be. But she knew that would never happen. She was forever different now. She had to be, in order to survive.

Kai'sa looked up as Kassadin stood up suddenly, and he slowly made his was to leave. Conflict shot through her eyes, and just before he was out of earshot, she said softly,

"Merry Showdown… Father"

Kassadin paused for a while, turning his head back slightly.

"Merry Snowdown, Kaisa".